Heat had the hots for Haywood

Back when the Mavericks were trying to make sure Brendan
Haywood didn’t go anywhere else in free agency, there were other teams
that were interested in the 7-foot center, too.
 
None moreso than the Miami Heat, said Haywood after today’s
practice. He said Heat president/part owner Pat Riley was on his doorstep
during the free-agent period.
 
“I
had to take a little notice when Pat Riley came to Charlotte,’’
Haywood said. “That kind of got my attention a little bit.
“They
were very interested. We were talking the whole time.’’
 
At
the time, of course, nobody knew that the Heat would end up with LeBron James
and Chris Bosh in addition to Dwyane Wade.
 
“I
don’t think anybody knew,’’ Haywood said. “I
don’t think LeBron himself knew the whole time. I think it was one of
those things that they felt they were going to get two. But I don’t think
even they knew they’d get three.’’
 
And
if Haywood had known at the time, would it have altered his decision? Probably
not because after the Heat put together their threesome, all their money was
gone. Haywood would not have gotten anything close to approaching the $6.9
million he’ll make this year.
 
“I
don’t think financially that was an option,’’ he said. “But
I’m happy to be here. I like the guys. I like the team. And this is one
of the best teams in terms of talent and how guys get along. I really like it.’’