Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Heat power forwards know for size, strength
MIAMI — It can be argued that no position has exemplified Heat Culture as much over the franchise’s three decades as power forward.
There has been the underdog emergence of Grant Long, the what ever it-takes dedication of P.J. Brown, the face-of-the franchise longevity of Udonis Haslem, the sacrifice of Chris Bosh.
And yet, because there have been so many mainstays at the position, it is a list that runs top heavy, anchored by those aforementioned cornerstones.
The irony is that these days the Miami Heat have moved away from muscle-and-mettle at the position to something a bit undersized, with the versatility of James Johnson and Justise Winslow.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has gone as far as to declare the position virtually extinct, that there now are either centers or wings.
But there was a time when you were more than aware of what awaited in a Heat game when you sized up who was lining up at power forward.
Throughout this 30th-anniversary season, the South Florida Sun Sentinel will look back at three decades of the Heat, at the men and the moments that have made this an exhausting, exhilarating and enduring ride.
Today we look at the franchise’s Top 10 power forwards.
10. John Salley
The hope was Salley would recreate his Spiderman-style defensive trappings that had made him such an essential fit on the Pistons’ championship roster. Instead, he arrived in 1992 with a scorer’s mentality, an objective that did not fit his skill set. Still, his acquisition showed an aggressive bent by management at a time the Heat were searching for a star. He then was unceremoniously dumped in the 1995 expansion draft.
9. Shawn Marion
The tenure came during a transition period, with the Heat first looking to unload a disgruntled Shaquille O’Neal and then create salary-cap space. But the Matrix, in what ultimately was just a single year with the Heat, displayed much of the versatility that coaches so covet at the position today, arguably as talented defensively as any player the franchise has featured at the position. His Heat career ended with a game-winning dunk against the Bulls in 2008, so there always will be that.
8. Kurt Thomas
The Heat’s final firstround pick before the start of the Pat Riley era, Thomas was every bit the classic, maniacal Riley power forward, relentlessly in attack mode, limited only by the injuries that marred the start of his Heat career, later to return as a rival with the loathed Knicks. His productivity from 1995 to ‘97 was enough to fetch Jamal Mashburn in return in a trade with the Mavericks.
7. Terry Davis
Well before Pat Riley was turning undrafted talent into rotation regulars, the Heat unleashed the relentless rebounding of the undrafted power forward out of Virginia Union in 1989. Davis eventually would emerge among the league’s leading rebounders after moving on to the Mavericks, with his son, Ed, following in his father’s NBA lineage, now with the Trail Blazers.
6. Luol Deng
Signed as LeBron James’ roster replacement at small forward during the 2014 offseason, Deng transitioned to power forward as part of Erik Spoelstra’s move toward small ball, his outside efficiency providing the spacing for a Heat team that would make it within one victory of the 2016 Eastern Conference finals. The transition was a godsend after Chris Bosh was sidelined by blood clots.
5. Anthony Mason
The tenure lasted only for the 2000-01 season, but what a season it was, with Mason stepping into the power rotation after Alonzo Mourning was sidelined by kidney illness. Considered a throw-in to the trade that landed Eddie Jones, Mason emerged as a 2001 All-Star, part of an unlikely lineup that produced a 50-win season. He cashed in from there with a free-agent contract with the Bucks. The Heat later would grant a training-camp tryout to his son, Anthony Mason Jr., utilizing him with the developmental-league affiliate.
4. Grant Long
It could be argued that even with Rony Seikaly arriving in the 1988 first round as the franchise’s first draft pick, and with several known veterans added in that expansion draft (Pearl Washington, Pat Cummings, Scott Hastings), it was Long who stood as the initial face of the franchise, his relentless hustle embodying what the team initially sold to South Florida. He was Udonis Haslem before Udonis Haslem, arguably the initial Heat lifer, departing after six seasons in a trade, not by choice.
3. Udonis Haslem
There is a reason that it is Haslem featured on the cover of the Heat’s 30th anniversary media guide. At times, it feels as if he has been present for all three of the franchise’s decades. As it is, he has been a presence for 15 seasons, the captain going from a championship contributor alongside Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to a mentor to the team’s next generation. Mr. 305 belongs on any — and every — Heat all-time list.
2. P.J. Brown
Has there ever been a more quintessential moment from a Pat Riley power forward — with all due respect to Kurt Rambis’ Lakers efforts against the Celtics — than in 1997 when Brown sent Charlie Ward flying into the stands in what stands as the flashpoint of the Heat-Knicks rivalry? Alonzo Mourning had no better body guard at power forward, including Larry Johnson in Charlotte.
1. Chris Bosh
The theme at the top of each of these positional lists has been the Big Three era, which only makes sense, considering the four visits to the NBA Finals and championships in 2012 and ’13. And yet Bosh also deserves a spot on the list of all-time best Heat centers for his willingness to do whatever is necessary. The shame is never getting to fully explore his possibilities back at power forward alongside Hassan Whiteside, because of his Heat-career-ending blood clots.