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The Miami Heat's supporting cast now looks anything but second-rate. After signing Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, Joel Anthony, Carlos Arroyo, Jamaal Magloire, Dexter Pittman, James Jones, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Juwan Howard to the Miami Thrice, Heat President Pat Riley made another ingenious move with the signing of Eddie House.
 House will receive a two-year deal worth $2.8 million, with the second year being a player option. The one-time NBA champion was a key contributor off the bench for the 2007-08 Boston Celtics team that defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. House has shot 40 percent from downtown for his career, and joins Miller and Jones as three-point specialists on the team. The 32-year-old shooter played his first three seasons in Miami and became a fan favorite as the team transitioned from the Alonzo Mourning Era to the Dwyane Wade Era.
The 11-year NBA veteran figures to receive minutes at both guard spots. Knowing how having Arroyo, Mario Chalmers and Rafer Alston on the Heat last year turned into a failure, Riley may have spoken to House about his role on the team. I still see Chalmers as the starting point guard because House is a defensive liability; Chalmers can at least deflect some passes and be disruptive to a team's offensive schemes. Arroyo will come in as a distributor, and House will be able to spell Wade and also play some of the point if Miami needs some three-point shooting.
House also adds versatility to this team. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra can have a lineup of either Wade or LeBron James with House, Miller, Jones and Bosh. It gives two of Miami's stars three dead-eye shooters to pass out to, and it also surrounds Bosh with four perimeter players. It could cause a lot of problems for teams with two post players and could also be the Heat's designated “zone-busting” lineup.
Moreover, the Heat is also at least three men deep at each position, even though it only has given 14 guaranteed contracts. Chalmers, Arroyo, House, James and Wade can all play the point; Wade, Miller, James and House can all play the two; James, Miller and Jones can play the three; Bosh, Haslem, Howard and James can play the four; and Anthony, Ilgauskas, Magloire, Pittman and Haslem can all play the five. This multifaceted roster can produce a myriad of lineups that can exploit advantages and expose the opponent's weaknesses.
Unfortunately, this move also probably dashes the hopes of 2009 second-round pick Pat Beverley for making the final 15-man roster, although he could receive a contract similar to the ones that fellow summer league players Shavlik Randolph and Kenny Hasbrouck received earlier this week. Beverley is a point guard, and a need for another small guard doesn't exist. Miami may go with a bigger guard who can swing to the small forward position like Da'Sean Butler to fill out its remaining roster spot.
One downfall could potentially emerge in this whole process. Although the Three Kings are all young, as well as Chalmers and Anthony, the rest of the team is not. Arroyo will turn 31 tomorrow, Miller and Haslem are 30 and House, as mentioned earlier, is 32 years old. Jones will turn 30 in October and Ilgauskas, Magloire and Howard all may retire if the Heat wins the 2011 championship. Nonetheless, aside from those three big men, the rest of Miami's supporting cast has at least two or three solid years left. If one member of the Big Three suffers an injury, the veterans on the roster can easily fill the void.
I still like the idea of adding Butler to the team for the final spot. It will be easier for the coaching staff to monitor Butler's progress from his torn ACL if he stays in Miami as opposed to sending him overseas. A part of the logic to sign Pittman to a guaranteed contract could have been that it would be easier for the team to monitor his weight loss and conditioning if he stays with the team.
Just two months ago, I would not have thought that this great of an off-season could occur. Sure, Riley talked of building a dynasty, but I wouldn't have thought that he could sign the three most coveted free agents in the League along with the most suitable role players to fit in with this team in Miller, Haslem and now House. And now, to all of those people who said that Riley couldn't build a good supporting cast around these three, Riley continues to silence the doubters.
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