HoopsHype.com Rumors

You know when it first registered? When these Heat players realized they were in an unprecedented collision of sports, celebrity, controversy, jealousy, animosity and the Internet Age on the way to these NBA Finals? "Cleveland,'' Dwyane Wade said of LeBron James' return game in December. "Bump-gate,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of his accidental time-out brush with LeBron in November. "When Barbara Walters asked President Obama about the Heat,'' center Joel Anthony said of that December interview. "She had, what, four or five questions for the President of the United States? And one of them was about us? We all said, 'This is crazy.' '' South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, Joel Anthony 

But after Tuesday night's wild loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the two players are now linked forever in basketball history. How? In the midst of the ill-advised 3-point downpour at AmericanAirlines Arena, Anthony managed to pull down 16 rebounds without taking a single shot attempt in the entire game. And according to Elias Sports Bureau, only two other players since 1967 have accomplished the feat: Dennis Rodman and Chamberlain. ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Joel Anthony, Dennis Rodman, Wilt Chamberlain 

Now, I get Rodman. That makes sense. But Chamberlain? The same guy who averaged 22.5 shots per game for his career? Anthony and Chamberlain are so far apart on the offensive skill spectrum that it's hard to tell that they play the same sport. But alas, the great M. Haubs of The Painted Area shed some light on the issue via a tweet reply on Twitter. In his words: "That was the year Wilt led the league in assists & was obsessed w/doing so. Most selfish assist champ ever!" ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Joel Anthony, Dennis Rodman, Wilt Chamberlain 

Hilton Armstrong had a hard time watching replays of the shove that led to his one-game suspension this week. The sight of Miami reserve center Joel Anthony's arms and legs flailing in different directions before he landed hard on his backside "was real scary," Armstrong said on Friday. "It put chills in me. I didn't mean for that to happen at all." He knew that a suspension was coming the moment he was ejected from the Wizards' 105-94 loss to the Heat on Monday. But he was still surprised that he was in that position, since he never had a reputation for making dirty plays or being some sort of enforcer. "It caught me off guard," he said. "Kind of shocked me, because I never thought, me of all people, would have to go through something like that. I know I'm not that type of guy or anything." Washington Post

Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Joel Anthony, Hilton Armstrong 

There's no question Stackhouse was off to a slow start in his Heat career, but Dampier was signed largely because the Heat's current platoon of centers (Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Joel Anthony and Magloire) was producing so little. Dampier taking Magloire's spot made more sense to me, but Stackhouse rolled with his abrupt release like a pro, knowing that he was particularly at risk because he was the one possessing a non-guaranteed contract. Dampier, for the record, will receive a pro-rated salary of $1,129,469 in Miami, which will count on the Heat's payroll for salary-cap and luxury-tax purposes as a mere $713,666 because it's a veteran-minimum deal. ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Joel Anthony, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Spoelstra confirmed point guard Carlos Arroyo and center Joel Anthony will start alongside James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh against Boston Tuesday. The Anthony decision was expected all preseason, but Arroyo outplayed Mario Chalmers to earn his role. "I've done what they asked me to do," Arroyo said. "It's pretty much what I did last year coming into preseason games. I wasn't here from the start [last year], but I knew my role and exactly what it was. I did my job." South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Joel Anthony, Carlos Arroyo 

Anthony also grabbed three rebounds against the Hornets, after being limited to a single rebound in each of his four starts, albeit starts accompanied by limited minutes. “Of course I expect more out of myself,” Anthony said. “I’m not going into panic mode or anything like that. That’s an area I have to contribute in, so I have to push myself even harder.” South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, Joel Anthony 

Overall, Anthony said the experience was a mixed bag. “I’ve been through the highs and the lows,” he told the Toronto Star of the experience with his national team. “I remember playing when we weren’t playing for anything, we were just playing in a couple of games and there were no tournaments or anything, just a couple of friendly matches. “To actually qualify and to play in a world tournament, to see the progression the program has made, has been big, but it’s still a little frustrating and disappointing not being able to advance, which was our expectation.” South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, Joel Anthony, FIBA 

Anthony, who spent the first three seasons of his NBA career with the Miami Heat, will be suiting up there for the foreseeable future. That was cemented last Friday when he signed a five-year, $18 million deal to be the guy who plugs the holes and does the dirty work in the shadows of the imposing, star-studded trio of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. "(Them being in place) definitely made it that much easier," Anthony, a free agent this summer, said of the decision. "I always wanted to have the opportunity to come back to Miami, even before any of them signed. Obviously, with them signing, I realized that this was going to be a really special team and I wanted to have the opportunity to be a part of that." Las Vegas Sun

The Cat is out of the bag. Jamaal Magloire is back with the Miami Heat. A bruiser on the court and a stabilizing presence in the locker room, Magloire signed off Monday on his third one-year, minimum-scale contract with the Heat. Known as the "Big Cat," the former University of Kentucky Wildcat becomes the Heat's fourth center under contract, joining fellow Heat free agent Joel Anthony, Cleveland Cavaliers free agent Zydrunas Ilgauskas and second-round pick Dexter Pittman, the burly center from the University of Texas. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Joel Anthony, the third-year shot-blocker who could set up as the Heat's starting center this coming season alongside Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, signed off Friday on a five-year, $18 million contract. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Heat President Pat Riley has spent the past month thinking big. Friday, he got around to addressing some big thinking. Joel Anthony, the third-year shot-blocker who could set up as the Heat's starting center this coming season alongside Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, has come to terms with the team. The Heat also announced the signing of second-round draft choice Dexter Pittman, the burly center out of the University of Texas, who currently is participating in the team's summer league in Las Vegas. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Joel Anthony 

The Heat now also can re-sign center Joel Anthony, a restricted free agent who has spent the past three seasons in South Florida and is the only player from the 2009-10 Heat roster still with his Bird Rights. That mechanism will allow the Heat to exceed the league's soft salary cap to retain the shot-blocker. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Joel Anthony, Salary Cap 

Michael Wallace: If Heat needs to increase offer to Miller, it could create 1.1 mil in space by pulling Joel's qual offer. Twitter

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Joel Anthony, Mike Miller 

Alex Kennedy: More than ten teams expressed interest in center Joel Anthony last night, according to a source close to the situation. Twitter

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Joel Anthony 

Chris Bosh may well end up in Miami, but with the NBA’s free agent window not yet open, reports of a deal in place that would return Canadian national team member Joel Anthony, forward Michael Beasleyand guard Mario Chalmers are premature. “There is no truth to that,” said one source with knowledge of the situation. Toronto Globe & Mail

Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Free Agency, Chris Bosh, Michael Beasley, Joel Anthony 

The Miami Heat have made center Joel Anthony a qualifying offer, announcing the move shortly after waiving forward James Jones in a salary-cap related decision. Anthony's hold on the Heat salary cap will be $1.06 million, which is $175,000 more than he made last season. By making him a restricted free agent, Miami would have the right to match any offer from another team. SI.com

Miami Heat, Free Agency, James Jones, Joel Anthony 

If Bosh signs, it also means the Heat will need a center in free agency, with Brendan Haywood or re-signing Joel Anthony among the options. Among power forwards, Bosh is Miami's top preference, with Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer also on its radar. One concern for Heat fans is Toronto receiving a sign-and-trade offer for Bosh that's more enticing than what Miami has to offer (Beasley, future draft picks), unless a third team is involved. Bosh could make $125 million over six years if he re-signs with Toronto (to stay or more likely for purposes of a sign-and-trade), or $97 million over five years otherwise. Miami Herald

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Trade, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Joel Anthony 

One additional housekeeping task fell into place earlier in the day, with backup center Joel Anthony bypassing his contract option for 2010-11. Anthony had until midnight Thursday to invoke that option. That deadline passed without a move by Anthony. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Joel Anthony 

Miami Heat center Joel Anthony said Thursday he has decided to become a free agent instead of exercising the opt-in in his contract in a move that will create slightly more salary cap space for Miami unless the team extends him a qualifying offer. Anthony, 27, was due to earn $885,120 with Miami next season if he had exercised the opt-in. ``I still want to come back to Miami,'' he said. ``They have shown interest, but we just have to see how it works out.'' Miami Herald

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Joel Anthony