The Miami Heat dealt the 31st overall pick, a future second round pick and cash to Minnesota for point guard Norris Cole who was takenwith the 28th pick of the first round last night.  21-year old, 6’2″, 170 pound point guard Norris Cole could be on the fast track to P.T. with the Heat.  Cole played in  36 games for Cleveland State last year and he averaged 35.7 minutes, 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game.  Cole played in 140 games in his four years in college and he averaged 29.4 minutes, 14.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

The Miami Heat have the 31st pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday.  The Heat are desperate for a center or a point guard.  They have allegedly promised Reggie Jackson, a point guard out of Boston College that they will pick him if he’s still on the board at #31.  He reportedly has called off workouts with other teams to try to force his way to Miami.  The Heat will likely pick the best available point guard when they pick at #31.

The Miami Heat made history when it selected 21-year old power forward Latavious Williams with the #48 overall pick of the NBA Draft. They selected him out of the NBA’s Development League making him the first player ever drafted out of that league. Williams played in 47 games (9 starts) for the Tulsa 66ers in which he averaged 7.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. The Heat liked what they saw out of him last season and they think he has a nice little upside.

UPDATE: (6/25/2010) – The Heat have traded Latavious Williams to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2nd round pick in 2011.

The Heat have selected 22-year old small forward Da’Sean Butler with the 42nd overall pick of the NBA Draft. Butler played in 38 games (all starts) last season for West Virginia and he averaged 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He played in 146 games (110 starts) in his four years in college and he averaged 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Butler tore his ACL in the NCAA tournament which is why he slid so far in the draft. The Heat might have another steal here.

UPDATE: (10/26/2010) – The Heat have waived Da’Sean Butler because they needed his roster spot.

The Heat have picked 22-year old power forward Jarvis Varnado with the 41st overall pick of the NBA Draft. Varnado played in 36 games (all starts) at Mississippi State last season and he averaged 13.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 4.7 blocked shots per game. He played in 141 games (119 starts) in his four years in college and he averaged 10.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 4.0 blocked shots per game. Many experts had Varnado getting picked in the first round so this was a outstanding value pick for the Heat.

The Miami Heat have selected 22-year old center Dexter Pittman out of Texas with the 32nd overall pick of the NBA Draft. Pittman will have to watch his weight as he is 6’10″, 290 pounds. He played in 34 games (all starts) at Texas last season and he averaged 10.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. Pittman played in 134 games (59 starts) in his four years in college and he averaged 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.9 blocked shots per game. The Heat hope that Pittman can provide defense and rebounding for them in the near future.

The Miami Heat have four picks in tomorrow night’s NBA Draft. They have the 18th, 41st, 42nd and 48th pick in the NBA Draft. Rumors are swirling that they would be willing to sell the 18th overall pick so that they would have more money to spend on free agents. Also look for Michael Beasley, James Jones and Daequan Cook to be on the trading block. I see the Heat keeping all three of the 2nd round picks that they have as they won’t have to pay those guys much money. It’s all about free agency with the Heat….but if I were running the show I would make that first round pick.

23-year old Robert Dozier was the last player picked in the NBA Draft. The 23-year old Dozier is a banger who plays good on the defensive end of the court. He played in 148 games in four seasons at Memphis where he averaged 9.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Dozier will back up Udonis Haslem if he makes the roster.

UPDATE: Robert Dozier has signed with Greek team Colossus Rhodes. The Heat will keep his rights for a little while but it looks like he won’t be playing for them any time soon.

The Heat acquired this pick from the Lakers and they didn’t think they could pass up Beverly. The 20-year old Beverly will have the cool job of backing up D-Wade. Beverly played two seasons at Arkansas covering 70 games in which he averaged 13.0 minutes, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Beverly then played professionally last season in the Ukraine where he played in 46 games and averaged 16.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Beverly showed last season that he could handle the rigors of professional basketball so he will be on the fast track to getting playing time.

UPDATE: Beverly has signed a 1-year deal to play for Olympiakos of Greece meaning that both of the Heat’s draft picks will be playing overseas this season.

The Miami Heat traded two future 2nd round picks and cash to the Timberwolves for point guard Mario Chalmers. This fits a big need for the Heat as point guard has been a weakness the last couple of seasons. Look for Chalmers to be a backup initially for the Heat but he has the potential to start down the road. Chalmers is a polished player who has a lot of college experience. He played in 110 games (96 starts) at Kansas and he averaged 12.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.6 steals per game. He’s a little on the small side at 6’1″, 190 but he’s a good shooter hitting 41.9% of his shots from three point range. This was another very solid pick by the Heat.