There are no temporary solutions

Among the responses in my interview this week with Dwyane Wade, one, in particular, resonated.

When I asked about possibly buying time this season with players on one-year contracts, he replied, "I'm looking for us to be in a position where we put guys around me that we can win with for the long haul. And I'll wait until that happens."

Allen Iverson vs. Heat And that's where this Allen Iverson discussion should end. Would Iverson help the Heat over the short run? Certainly. He would provide the offense the team so lacked in those first-round blowout losses to the Hawks.

But consider where that would leave the Heat, should it field a starting five with Iverson and Jermaine O'Neal: With a lineup of two prime contributors who would have to go if a true makeover were to be undertaken next summer.

It was one thing when Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant were summarily cast aside in the 2004 offseason for Shaquille O'Neal. None of those three knew they were out the door as soon as that magical run to the second round was over. They played as if there was a South Florida future.

But to go into a season asking the best of O'Neal and Iverson while also acknowledging there is little wiggle room for a return, what type of atmosphere would that create? Having one rental player is tough enough. But two? And with a second-year coach?

If Wade needs a stop-gap scorer for when he exits games, someone along the lines of Hawks free-agent guard Flip Murray might make more sense. Asking a journeyman role player to be a journeyman role player is a different story than asking a former All-Star to give his best and then get the heck out of the way. Times two. Source: SunSentinel.com