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Owner Micky Arison and coach Pat Riley confirmed Sunday that the team first received overtures about the since-dealt center from the Dallas Mavericks in December. 'And we just said, 'no,'' Riley said before the loss to the Lakers . 'We were not interested at that time in doing anything. So there was a call made way back.' O'Neal was dealt Wednesday to Phoenix for forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks, the end game of an extended process that Arison said began once O'Neal's handlers tried to strong-arm the Heat for a significant buyout. 'That's what got this started,' Arison said. O'Neal's agent, Perry Rogers, has not returned repeated phone messages left during the past week. That initial contact about O'Neal, which came before the turn of the calendar, was from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, leading to O'Neal's push to cash out while spending much of his time inactive. Contrary to reports, the Mavericks never offered forward Josh Howard in the discussions between the teams, but did discuss other, lesser players. Riley stressed this was one of many times Arison has been involved in high-level trade talks. 'There's never been a trade, that's been a significant trade, or a free-agent signing, that Micky wasn't familiar about,' Riley said. Not a surprise Lakers coach Phil Jackson hardly sounded surprised that point guard Smush Parker has been on extended, paid exile from the Heat. Jackson benched Smush Parker late last season and then allowed him to depart as a free agent. 'I had hopes for Smush in my exit meeting last year, talked to him about trying to get himself motivated in a way that might be different than he'd done in the past,' Jackson said. Parker has been away from the Heat since a confrontation with a parking attendant in November, which came after he already had fallen out of favor with Riley. Different duo Jackson said he had trouble with Riley's comparison of Marion and Dwyane Wade to Jackson's Bulls duo of Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan . 'Pippen was a ballhandler, a guy that could play the guard role and he and Jordan could change that position,' he said. 'That's not going to be Shawn Marion.' ... Riley said rebuilding on the run is particularly challenging. 'I don't know which comes first,' he said. 'Does the team come together and then you win? Or do you win and the team comes together?' ... Amid yet another Heat makeover, Riley again was asked about his coaching future. His only response was, 'Don't ask me that question.' See more at www.sun-sentinel.com
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