Shaq says Heat can't wait for Wade
It doesn't matter how long it takes for Dwyane Wade to return, the Heat, off to an 0-3 start, will be judged -- with or without him.
Wade practiced in full-contact with the team for the first time Monday and gave Heat center Shaquille O'Neal a glimpse of what this team will look like when Wade returns. Still, the Heat has to learn to win now.
''Yeah, it did [give me that glimpse],'' O'Neal said. ``But right now we have to go out with what we've got and cut down on our mental mistakes and try to win games. I know we are going to be judged until he gets back and that's something we have to deal with.''
SMUSH SIGHTING?
Smush Parker hasn't played the past two games, and rookie Daequan Cook and third-string guard Chris Quinn have seen significant playing time. But Smush Parker might be back in the lineup Wednesday, when the Heat plays at San Antonio.
Coach Pat Riley said he made that call because of the way Smush Parker had been performing in practice lately.
''I want to go with an eight-man rotation and based on what I've seen in practice, that's why I went [without Smush Parker for the] last two games,'' Riley said after practice. ``Smush had a great practice today. He might go against San Antonio.''
GET IT TOGETHER
''We need to get our act together, no doubt,'' Riley said of the 0-3 start. ``There's been a lot of talk about not us not being together and a lack of chemistry because we haven't played together. But we can't buy into that notion. We're making a ton of mental errors and mistakes, so we have to correct that stuff.''
Riley said it's a matter of concentrating on doing the right thing.
''It's a mind-set more than anything else. We have to be focused and fundamentals,'' he said. ``Guys have a tendency to do things on their own a little too much instead of moving the ball.''
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