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Heat's personnel options dwindle

With personnel losses mounting, coach Pat Riley is desperately scouring his roster for help. Guard Chris Quinn is likely out for a week with a sprained left ankle and center Alonzo Mourning is out for the season with a knee injury.

For now, Riley is playing rookie shooting guard Daequan Cook at point guard behind starter Jason Williams and Dwyane Wade, and hoping veteran 7-footer Mark Blount can play sufficiently at backup center. The latter seems to be just talk, however, because third-year center Earl Barron has handled backup duties in the past two games. Barron scored 11 consecutive second-quarter points during one stretch Saturday.

Because Mourning and guard Smush Parker, who is on the inactive list, are taking roster spots, Riley doesn't have many other options at center and point guard.

The best option would be to deal Smush Parker, a free-agent signee who hasn't played since a November altercation with a parking valet.

But there don't seem to be many takers.

"We're working real hard to resolve it," Riley said of Smush Parker's situation. "Real hard."

As for Daequan Cook, a first-round pick who played a year at Ohio State, he played point guard in high school and college and has worked with Heat assistant Erik Spoelstra. Daequan Cook, who averages 8.8 points a game, sees a real advantage for himself at the position.

"Maybe we start thinking about me in the post a little more. I'm a little taller than the rest of the players," the 6-foot-5 Cook said. "That's a great advantage, especially on the offensive end, where he's got me down in the post."

Although Daequan Cook most likely wouldn't play point guard for more than three or four minutes a game, with the Heat playing five games in the next week, Quinn's absence could be noticeable.

Meanwhile, Blount just hopes to fit in somewhere. Riley said he's "perplexed" why Blount hasn't grasped either power forward or center.

Asked what position he best fits, Blount said, "If I could tell you, I would. I'm just working on both of them right now."

Objection filed: The Heat sent a letter to the league regarding a 117-111 overtime loss last week in Atlanta. Among the things Miami is contending is that center Shaquille O'Neal didn't foul out with 52 seconds left in overtime. The Heat said O'Neal only had five fouls. The league has until Dec. 31 to complete its investigation.

In the best-case scenario for Miami, the NBA could make the teams replay the final 52 seconds of OT, but that seems unlikely.

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