Heat set to honor Shaq with Lakers in town (Dec 22, 2016)
MIAMI -- Two of the proudest franchises in the NBA -- the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers -- will meet Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena, and neither one really wants to talk about the present.
The Heat own a 9-20 record, while the Lakers aren't that much better at 11-20.
The Lakers have won 16 NBA titles, the most recent in 2010. The Heat, who have a much shorter history having been founded in 1988, have three NBA championships, the most recent in 2013.
When they meet Thursday, part of the Lakers' and Heat's shared history will be on display. Former center Shaquille O'Neal, who played for both franchises, will have his jersey No. 32 retired by the Heat.
The Lakers, by the way, will unveil a 9-foot Shaq statue on March 24 at Staples Center, before a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
O'Neal, alongside Dwyane Wade, helped the Heat win the 2006 NBA title. O'Neal averaged 19.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in four seasons with Miami.
He gave ex-Laker Pat Riley his only title as a Heat coach. Later, in his current capacity as Heat president, Riley brought in LeBron James and Chris Bosh, paving the way for two more titles.
Now, though, the Heat has a mess on its hands. The latest loss was a 136-130, double-overtime setback Tuesday to the Orlando Magic, a team the Heat routinely trounced over the years.
Miami's Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Johnson each scored a career-high 32 points, and Whiteside added 15 rebounds and five blocks. However, those felt like empty numbers after such a bitter defeat.
"This was the most disappointing loss of the season because we had so many chances to win," Whiteside said.
Johnson's 32 points were the most ever scored by a Heat reserve.
Still, it was yet another loss for Miami, and Riley acknowledged on Wednesday that the Heat are frustrated.
Riley, speaking on the Miami radio show of WQAM's Joe Rose, mentioned the "R" word -- rebuilding.
"You can use the word rebuild," Riley said, "but we're going to do it fast. We love our young core, and what we have is flexibility. You need flexibility in this league to be able to move quickly. You can't get paralyzed by the (salary) cap. I think the No. 1 asset we have right now is flexibility."
The Lakers, meanwhile, are banking on a youth movement in the post-Kobe Bryant era.
Julius Randle, 22; D'Angelo Russell, 20; and Brandon Ingram, 19; are the young players the Lakers are relying on at the moment.
Randle, a 6-foot-9, 250-power forward and the seventh pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, is averaging 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds.
Russell, a 6-5 point guard and the second pick in the 2015 draft, is averaging 15.0 points and 4.5 assists.
Ingram, a 6-9, 190-pound small forward and the second pick in the 2016 draft, is averaging 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds.
"Whether they become what we hope they become," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told NBA TV in September, "that's up to them. But I think they want to become great players."
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they lost backup forward Larry Nance Jr. (knee) on Tuesday during a 117-113 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Nance is averaging 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds.
"That's going to be a tough loss," Lakers coach Luke Walton told The Los Angeles Times. "Larry gives us versatility. He is probably our smartest player in terms of reading defenses and the ability to cover for people."
In other story lines:
--The Heat had three injured perimeter players on the sideline against Orlando: Wayne Ellington (hamstring), Rodney McGruder (ankle) and Dion Waiters (groin). All three have started games for Miami this season.
--Lakers backup point guard Jose Calderon (hamstring) is out two to four weeks.
--Los Angeles backup center Tarik Black (left ankle) sat out the Hornets game.
