The Miami Heat are holding a free agent camp this week, as briefly mentioned on Monday, featuring a fair amount of under-the-radar prospects. The names in Miami aren't the household names that have been frequenting this summer's free agent workouts, but there's a decent number of players that just might be able to crack an NBA roster next season.
The biggest name on the list, and that's meant in the least offensive way possible, is Eddy Curry. The former fourth overall pick has played in just 10 regular season games over the past three seasons, but is still just 28 years of age and could potentially contribute to an NBA team again if he's able to get in even decent shape.
There is a decent chance Curry finds himself in better shape, too, as the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman reports that he's working out with fellow big man Dexter Pittman. Pittman was a rather large individual during his time as a Texas Longhorn, but after spending this last season split between Miami's training staff and the D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce, one might consider Pittman downright svelte these days.
The only other players at the minicamp with professional experience are former Phoenix Suns guard Matt Janning, undrafted D-Leaguer Jamine Peterson, Marquez Haynes and former Texas A&M-Corpus Christi center Chris Daniels (who has been getting a ton of invites to these despite not much of an NBA resume ever since a stint with the Houston Rockets during the 2008 Summer League).
Janning is the best prospect of the three, especially for the Heat, as he can shoot the three-pointer, bring the ball up the court and at worse be a lot cheaper option than Mike Bibby and Carlos Arroyo were this past season.
The rest of the list, which Winderman reported in full at the link above, includes a majority of the top undrafted free agents that didn't end up with the Atlanta Hawks in their mini-camp. The two most interesting players are Fresno State big man Greg Smith and Texas-El Paso guard Julyan Stone.
Smith left the Bulldogs after his sophomore season, no doubt looking to cash in a rather weak crop of big men entering the 2011 NBA Draft due to the looming lockout. It didn't work out for the 6-foot-10 center with hands than span an entire foot, however, leaving Smith to have to attend free agent workouts while striving toward an NBA roster.
Stone, one of the tallest guards in this year's draft class, is another interesting player we profiled a couple of weeks ago. Considering he's a jack of all trades-type player, there's a pretty good chance that Stone finds himself in the NBA one way or the other before his basketball playing career is complete.
The other undrafted free agents in Miami, according to Winderman, are Notre Dame forward Carleton Scott, SMU small forward Papa Dia, Northeastern guard Chaisson Allen and Boston University guard John Holland.
Nobody necessarily eye-popping, but there's a chance on or two of these players could impress enough to earn at least a preseason camp invite.
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