With Miller sidelined, Heat sign veteran Stackhouse

Once denied a championship by Miami, Jerry Stackhouse is resuming his chase of a title with the Heat.

Stackhouse joined the Heat on Saturday, one day after the NBA championship hopefuls learned that they'll be without injured swingman Mike Miller until possibly January. Stackhouse, who turns 36 next month, averaged 8.5 points in 42 games as a reserve with the Milwaukee Bucks last season.

"This is a very exciting time in my basketball career," said Stackhouse, a two-time All-Star who's now with his sixth NBA club and worked out with the Heat on Saturday, the same day Dwyane Wade returned to full work with the team for the first time since straining his right hamstring on Oct. 5.

"I am ready to compete at the highest level," Stackhouse said.

Stackhouse often said during the summer that he wanted a chance to join LeBron James, Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, believing it would give him the best chance at winning his first NBA title.

Stackhouse was with the Mavericks when Wade carried Miami to the 2006 title in six games.That was the series when Stackhouse became a bit of a villain in Miami, after he leveled Shaquille O'Neal in Game 4 and was forced by the NBA to sit out the next game. Wade jumped in O'Neal's way after the play to keep him from retaliating, but on Saturday, the MVP of those finals welcomed his newest teammate.

"He's a very productive player," Wade said Saturday, about an hour before Stackhouse completed the process of going through physicals and actually signing his deal. "He's a guy who's a matchup problem in the post. Also, he can stretch the floor, shoot the ball very well. It's a good option ... to be able to have the luxury of a guy like that out there that you can add to your team."

So in an offseason replete with huge moves by Miami - keeping Wade and Udonis Haslem, then adding James, Bosh, Miller and others - the Heat used the final weekend before Tuesday's regular-season opener to add one more All-Star name in Stackhouse.

He'll practice in Miami for the first time during what's expected to be a full-contact session on Sunday, then accompany the team to Boston on Monday afternoon.

"He's a proven guy, a proven in this league," James said. "A guy that can score, if he's in the starting lineup or even if he's coming off the bench."

Miami's roster is now at 17, meaning two moves will need to be made before getting down to the league-mandated total of 15.

Miller is recovering from a broken right thumb as well as ligament damage, hurting his shooting hand in a freak accident at practice Wednesday when he got tangled in a teammate's jersey during a post drill. He had surgery Friday, will remain in a cast for four weeks, then in a brace for a few more weeks, and the Heat don't expect him back on the court before January.

"Right now, we're short at that position, obviously, with Mike out," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We have James (Jones) really coming off the bench with size, and really that's it."

Stackhouse started with Philadelphia in 1995, and has also played with Detroit, Washington, Dallas and Milwaukee. He's a career 18.0 point-per-game scorer, though hasn't averaged more than 13.0 points in a season since 2004-05.

Stackhouse joined the Heat on Saturday, one day after the NBA championship hopefuls learned that they'll be without injured swingman Mike Miller until possibly January. Stackhouse, who turns 36 next month, averaged 8.5 points in 42 games as a reserve with the Milwaukee Bucks last season.

"This is a very exciting time in my basketball career," said Stackhouse, a two-time All-Star who's now with his sixth NBA club and worked out with the Heat on Saturday, the same day Dwyane Wade returned to full work with the team for the first time since straining his right hamstring on Oct. 5.

"I am ready to compete at the highest level," Stackhouse said.

Stackhouse often said during the summer that he wanted a chance to join LeBron James, Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, believing it would give him the best chance at winning his first NBA title.

Stackhouse was with the Mavericks when Wade carried Miami to the 2006 title in six games.

That was the series when Stackhouse became a bit of a villain in Miami, after he leveled Shaquille O'Neal in Game 4 and was forced by the NBA to sit out the next game. Wade jumped in O'Neal's way after the play to keep him from retaliating, but on Saturday, the MVP of those finals welcomed his newest teammate.

"He's a very productive player," Wade said Saturday, about an hour before Stackhouse completed the process of going through physicals and actually signing his deal. "He's a guy who's a matchup problem in the post. Also, he can stretch the floor, shoot the ball very well. It's a good option ... to be able to have the luxury of a guy like that out there that you can add to your team."

So in an offseason replete with huge moves by Miami - keeping Wade and Udonis Haslem, then adding James, Bosh, Miller and others - the Heat used the final weekend before Tuesday's regular-season opener to add one more All-Star name in Stackhouse.

He'll practice in Miami for the first time during what's expected to be a full-contact session on Sunday, then accompany the team to Boston on Monday afternoon.

"He's a proven guy, a proven in this league," James said. "A guy that can score, if he's in the starting lineup or even if he's coming off the bench."

Miami's roster is now at 17, meaning two moves will need to be made before getting down to the league-mandated total of 15.

Miller is recovering from a broken right thumb as well as ligament damage, hurting his shooting hand in a freak accident at practice Wednesday when he got tangled in a teammate's jersey during a post drill. He had surgery Friday, will remain in a cast for four weeks, then in a brace for a few more weeks, and the Heat don't expect him back on the court before January.

"Right now, we're short at that position, obviously, with Mike out," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We have James (Jones) really coming off the bench with size, and really that's it."

Stackhouse started with Philadelphia in 1995, and has also played with Detroit, Washington, Dallas and Milwaukee. He's a career 18.0 point-per-game scorer, though hasn't averaged more than 13.0 points in a season since 2004-05.

Margarito will fall like a tall tree – Roach

Mexican Antonio Margarito would definitely “fall like a tall tree” when he receives the rapid solid punches of world’s pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in their scheduled 12-round bout, according to American trainer Freddie Roach.

Roach said Pacquiao (51-3-2 win-loss-draw with 38 knockouts) could finish Margarito so fast in round six rounds. 

“We’ll keep him a little more active and a little more focused,” said Roach, noting that Pacquiao has improved a lot since the first day he started training late September. “Speed, as what I’m telling everyday, is the key to off set Margarito’s height and reach advantage.”

Roach is confident that Pacquiao will devastate Margarito with strong massive punches which he never experienced before. Pacquiao will be training away from everything not related to boxing by closing down his gym to keep the outsiders away.

“I’m closing the gym down from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.,” he said. 

Personal trainer Buboy Fernandez also said they are doing all their best to increase Pacquiao’s superb stamina and improve his counter-punches that could easily whip Margarito’s ass, when they face on November 13 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

“We want to increase Manny’s [Pacquiao] stamina and at the same time improve his footworks because we know Margarito always attack and attack,” said Fernandez. 

Pacquiao and Margarito will fight for the vacant World Boxing Council junior middleweight belt. 

Strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, in an interview by ABS-CBN over the weekend, said Pac-quiao, the Fighter of the Decade, has three more weeks to improve everything at Roach’s Wild Card gym. 

“He knows when we get to LA [Los Angeles], it’s gonna be a different ball game. There are no excuses there are no outside distractions no appointments,” explained Ariza. “We’re three weeks away and we still have a lot of time.”

Pacquiao, for his part, said: “I’ll do everything to win. I will be training everyday in LA.”

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