Although the 39-year-old Penny Hardaway said that he wants to play for Miami, Heat President Pat Riley spent much of today completing deals with two young centers.

Third-year center Joel Anthony re-signed with Miami, and 2010 second-round pick Dexter Pittman put his pen to the paper as well. Pittman received a three-year deal with the third year being a team option. Anthony's deal was a five-year, $18 million contract. I said a couple of days ago that Anthony should be the Heat's starting center and I stand by that assertion. I know that he is just 6-foot-9 and is not an offensive threat, but he also provides interior defense with his shot-blocking. The Canadian out of UNLV finished 18th in blocks per game and tied for 15th in total blocks. He has the timing, anticipation and intelligence every shot-blocker needs to possess. This guy also dives for sets good screens and plays with a lot of effort, diving for loose balls and running down rebounds. I'm not saying he is like Ben Wallace, who won four Defensive Player of the Year Awards, but he will silence a lot of critics once the season starts.

I've also said that he may only play 25 minutes per game. Even at 35, Zydrunas Ilgauskas can space the floor with his shooting and his length allows him to grab rebounds without even jumping. Ilgauskas could play 15 minutes per night. And Miami's crunch-time lineup could be LeBron James at the point, Dwyane Wade at the two, Mike Miller at the three, Chris Bosh at the four and Udonis Haslem at the five. The fact that his offensive game is limited should not be too much of a concern. Additionally, Anthony has improved since he came to Miami, the most notable developing coming during last season. During the 2008-09 season, Anthony shared some of the back-up center minutes with Jamaal Magloire, but his progress made Magloire a seldom-used reserve in 09-10. We can at least expect him to improve his skills in catching the ball and finishing at the rim.

Riley made a common-sense move and signed Pittman. Despite the fact that he has not played well in the summer league, his conditioning can be monitored better in Miami with the coaching staff than overseas. Riley said that Pittman can be a very productive player over the long run, so it makes sense for him to be with the team and develop chemistry and friendships with the players. He probably won't receive much playing time with Anthony and Ilgauskas ahead of him on the depth chart, but he is a big body at Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's disposal.

I still feel that Riley could sign four centers onto his 15-man roster due to the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers have the best front-court in the League with Ron Artest, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Gasol and Bynum are both seven-footers, and Miami's one weakness is its center position (no, the Heat's doesn't need a point guard with James and Wade). Riley may add Magloire to a center rotation that already includes Anthony, Ilgauskas and Pittman. The Heat's architect could then add another center next year with the mid-level exception if Miami doesn't win the title.

The signings of Anthony and Pittman put the Heat's roster count to eight: Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh, Haslem and Miller and the two newcomers. Ilgauskas and Juwan Howard will raise that number to 10, and Riley could sign Magloire, a veteran point guard and perhaps three more project players to finish up the roster. The team is truly coming together better than anyone had expected.

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