Udonis Haslem arrested in Florida
MIAMI -- Heat forward Udonis Haslem was arrested Sunday for possession of marijuana following a traffic stop in Miami-Dade County.

Haslem, 30, was stopped in a 2008 Mercedes around 3:05 p.m. going eastbound on the Gratigny Parkway because of speeding, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mark Wysocky said.

The trooper smelled "an odor of marijuana from within the vehicle," Wysocky wrote in a press release, leading to the arrest of both Haslem and passenger Antwain Fleming, 33.

"After the subsequent search, Mr. Haslem and Mr. Fleming were placed under arrest," Wysocky wrote.

According to Miami-Dade court records, Haslem was charged with possessing more than 20 grams of marijuana, a third-degree felony which could bring maximum punishments of a $5,000 fine and a five-year prison sentence.

Haslem was released on bond shortly after 10 p.m.

Besides the speeding citation, Haslem was also charged with illegal window tint, Wysocky said.

Both Haslem's agent, Henry Thomas, and Heat officials said they were collecting information and did not have any immediate comment.

Court records said Fleming was charged with possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana, a first-degree misdemeanor that could bring a $1,000 fine and one-year prison term.

Haslem has spent all seven of his NBA seasons with the Heat, and the South Florida native signed a new five-year contract to stay with the team last month.

"He is our anchor, he is a true warrior and a great professional," Heat president Pat Riley said in July, after Haslem announced he would forgo higher-paying offers elsewhere to stay in Miami and not only continue playing alongside Dwyane Wade, but stay to be teammates with marquee acquisitions LeBron James and Chris Bosh as well.

During his NBA career, Haslem has averaged 10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds for Miami, plus helped the Heat win the 2006 NBA championship.

Question for the group: Approximately how much is 20 grams of pot? We talking
like a quarter?

28 grams = 1 ounce

So....a little over 2/3 of an ounce?

Udonis Haslem's passenger claimed pot
MIAMI -- A passenger in Udonis Haslem's vehicle told the Florida Highway Patrol that marijuana found after a weekend traffic stop on a South Florida highway was his. The Miami Heat forward's lawyer believes that should vindicate the NBA veteran.

Eric Schwartzreich, Haslem's attorney, said Monday that the State Attorney's Office is reviewing the arrest paperwork, a process that should be completed in the coming days.

Haslem was arrested Sunday afternoon and charged with possessing more than 20 grams of marijuana, a third-degree felony, along with four counts of possessing drug paraphernalia.

He's a little rattled. He's upset. He doesn't know how he can be charged with this.

Haslem was freed from custody late Sunday night, about seven hours after a trooper pulled him over for driving 78 mph in a 60 mph zone on the Gratigny Parkway. Haslem's 2008 Mercedes sedan was searched multiple times, and marijuana was eventually found in a blue nylon bag that the Heat player's passenger, Antwain Fleming, said belonged to him.

Both were transported into police custody. Court records show Fleming faces a charge of possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana, a first-degree misdemeanor. It's unclear why Haslem could face the stiffer charge.

"We are confident Udonis Haslem will be vindicated," Schwartzreich said. "We have a situation where the passenger admits the marijuana was his and Mr. Haslem tells police nothing was in the vehicle.

"I think the police report speaks for itself," Schwartzreich added. "I am hopeful that Udonis Haslem will not be charged."

Haslem's car, worth more than $100,000, may face forfeiture, according to court records. The speeding ticket brings a $269 fine, and FHP spokesman Sgt. Mark Wysocky said Haslem was also cited for having illegal window tint.

The Heat have not commented on Haslem's arrest.

Haslem has spent all seven of his NBA seasons with the Heat, and the South Florida native signed a new five-year contract to stay with the team last month.

"He is our anchor, he is a true warrior and a great professional," Heat president Pat Riley said in July, after Haslem announced he would forgo higher-paying offers elsewhere to stay in Miami and continue playing alongside Dwyane Wade, plus team up with marquee acquisitions LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

During his NBA career, Haslem has averaged 10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds for Miami, helping the Heat win the 2006 NBA championship.

Mike Miller might have serious injury

MIAMI -- Heat forward Mike Miller is not on Miami's final preseason road trip, remaining home because of an injury to his shooting hand that could sideline one of the NBA's top 3-point shooters for several weeks.

A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Miller was injured during practice on Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Heat have neither diagnosed nor announced the severity of Miller's injury.

Miller signed a $25 million, five-year contract with Miami this summer. He has been starting during much of the preseason for Dwyane Wade, who is recovering from a strained right hamstring.

The Heat play in Atlanta on Thursday night, then close the preseason in Tampa, Fla., against Orlando on Friday.

But second, I went to see the Miami Heat and a Cleveland Cavaliers game broke out. With James dominating the ball, a succession of second-rate Heaters trying to fill in for the injured Wade and Miller (James Jones started, for crying out loud, and played 34 horrifying minutes), and Chris Bosh weirdly ineffective, we largely saw a re-enactment of the Cleveland-era LeBron.

James was mostly brilliant, finishing with 38 points, 11 rebounds and a laughable two assists (he had at least three others that were clear-as-day, immediate-shot-after-the-catch dimes which somehow didn’t land on his ledger), but by the middle of the third quarter he seemed weary from dribbling around for 20 seconds on every trip.

Moreover, just like with the Cavs, the Miami offense often degenerated into the pick-and-stand-around play -- the one where James retreats after a high screen and then works on one-on-one from the top of the key. The only times Miami’s attack really seemed effective was in transition, where James remains an unstoppable freight train; on one play he completed a basket despite being tackled around the neck by Marvin Williams.

Granted, a LeBron-centric, Cleveland-esque attack isn’t exactly chopped liver. That approach produced 127 regular-season victories over the past two seasons in Cleveland, and one presumes James could chart a similar course in Miami given his performance Thursday.

The problem, however, is that the 1-on-5 approach is precisely what it seemed he wanted to avoid by joining forces with Wade and Bosh in Miami -- not to mention part of what undermined Cleveland in the past two postseasons. And Thursday, it seemed somewhat counterproductive. James’s stat line was brilliant, but his plus-minus was a minus-17; Miami’s best sequence of ball movement came in the second quarter when five non-stars played while James sat.

If the Heat has injury problems all year, how long till this all implodes?

If you thought ESPN's overdoing it with as many as 6 reporters, including one that used to follow LeBron James dating back to high school in Ohio, guess what? Turner/TNT Sports' NBA studio team of Ernie Johnson, Jr., Charles Barkley & Kenny Smith will be following LeBron & company opening night this coming Tuesday in Boston, as well as the first time Benedict LeBron faces his former team in Cleveland come December. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

Miami takes another pounding from the Celtics tonight, though the score would say it was a close game. In 2 games this season, Wade has been horrible against the Celtics. 2 big homes loses for the Heat this week.