Michael Olowokandi is a lock to land in Miami according to Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune. Olowokandi, who was supposed to command a salary near $10 million dollars a season, has watched his stock plummet due to inconsistent play and injuries.

Pat Riley, who has always coached teams with a dominant post player, is said to covet the seven-footer.

Olowokandi meanwhile, is said to have already purchased a home in Miami.

Israel Gutierrez of the Miami Herald is reporting that Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning is contemplating a return to NBA basketball next season.

Mourning, 33, reiterated that he intends to play next season and that he wants to play.

''My intentions are to play. The only thing that can stop me is my body,'' Mourning told The Associated Press. ``Other than that, I know I can play.''

Questions remain whether or not Mourning, if able to return, would return to play for the Miami Heat. In February, Miami head coach Pat Riley said he would hope Mourning would remain loyal to the organization since they have been loyal to him. He also implied that he would like Mourning to sign for much less than the $20.6 million dollar salary he was paid this past season.

''I'd like to sit down and talk to him, but I don't think right now is the time to discuss it,'' Riley said. ``I'm encouraged by the fact that he wants to play, and if he's healthy enough to play, obviously we want to sit down and talk to our franchise player.''

After Wednesday's loss to Orlando, Miami head coach Pat Riley denied rumors that the Miami Heat plan to release guard Anthony Carter according to RealGM.com writer Marcos Muente.

"That's absolutely wrong and frankly, it's none of your [expletive] business," said Riley.

Riley has made no secret about his desire to add a top flight free agent this summer. Releasing Carter would create more cap space for the Heat to persue such a player.

RealGM.com writer Marcos Muente is reporting that Miami Heat guard Eddie Jones will miss the remainder of the season due to a severely sprained ankle.

Jones suffered the injury on March 4th when he landed on teammate Rasual Butler's foot during practice. Jones, who had the cast removed earlier this week, had to have the cast put back on after being evaluated.

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: Apparently, Riley is feeling a little empty these days. Riley spoke on how the Miami Heat's season has become of little significance.

Said Riley,"The hardest part is walking in here tonight and knowing we're playing against the Philadelphia 76ers and we are not playing for a divisional title, we're not playing for playoff position."

"We walk through that door knowing that, regardless of what the outcome is, it's not going to have any significance," Riley said."It's a terrible position to be in."

It looks like Miami coach Pat Riley is changing the direction of the Heat rebuilding ship once more.  No longer is Riley looking towards the youth to get his ship back on course, the Heat looking to take four or five key youthful players from their current squad and acquire veterans to surround them during the offseason.

"We definitely are headed now in that direction," Riley said. "We're going to try to mix it with proven, experienced veterans to try and get them to playoff contention. I want to get back there as quick as we can. We don't want to go through this again."

The only certainty appears to be Caron Butler, with forwards Malik Allen, Rasual Butler and Sean Lampley, guards Mike James and Eddie House and centers Ken Johnson and Sean Marks all auditioning for next season during Miami's final 18 games.

"Experience is just so valuable," he said. "That's the thing that has opened my eyes this year is the amount of teaching that we have done and how little they have absorbed."

"Repetition in practice is one thing, but out on the court recognizing those things is a little bit difficult for young players. That's what I see as what hurts the most is that they just don't grasp it quick enough. Sometimes it takes a long time. If you have five, six, seven, eight guys going through the same thing then the development's going to be thwarted."

They got pushed, even shoved around a bit. Probably was good for them, by Jerry Sloan's reckoning.

But, when it was all done, they did at least leave Miami with what they came to get: The Jazz beat the Heat 83-73 Monday night at American Airlines Arena, giving 36-27 Utah one sorely needed win.
     
"We're fighting for our playoff lives right now," said Jazz star Karl Malone, who knows full well that Utah arrived here having lost two straight and five of its last seven games.

It was either passion or frustration.

The Heat was either trying desperately to pick up a relatively meaningless win or actively letting off steam because the game was meaningless.

Whichever it was, the Utah Jazz, with its disciplined yet physical style, helped bring out that emotion in the Heat. Pat Riley was ejected in the third quarter for arguing with officials, and Brian Grant went face to face with John Stockton, bringing some life into an otherwise ugly 83-73 Heat loss Monday.

Michael Van Gundy is just starting to watch a lot of basketball. Dad's message to the 8-year-old?

"Please watch the Utah Jazz."

Most kids would prefer homework. The Jazz is Old School without Will Ferrell, not dunking much more than their dentures. Tonight this unsexy squad wheezes in for its only Miami visit, and while you wouldn't want to see it in a nightie, it still competes night after night.

The Jazz sits in a tie for sixth in the Western Conference and will make the playoffs for a 20th consecutive season, while reps from younger teams such as the Grizzlies, Bulls, Clippers, Nuggets, and yes, the Heat, will again trek to Secaucus for the lottery.

As all else around him was collapsing, Caron Butler stood his ground in the third quarter.

In many ways, it was a microcosm of the Heat season.

So was the game, with the Heat lacking the wherewithal to hang with the Utah Jazz in an 83-73 loss Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.