Tim Povtak Posts

ORLANDO -- Even when he struggles -- and he struggled badly Wednesday night -- Dwyane Wade will find a way to win games for the Miami Heat.

It's what the great ones do.

Wade rarely shoots this poorly -- six of 22 from the field -- but he still had the Orlando Magic defense on a string, reacting to his every move, opening the door again for his sometimes-forgotten, oft-maligned teammates.

"He just did it with his intelligence at the end,'' said Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra. "He's been in this situation so many times before.''

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ORLANDO -- Miami's Dwyane Wade just raised the intrigue -- and opened a world of possibilities -- over his pending free agency when he was asked Wednesday afternoon who he really would like to play with in the NBA.

Wade will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, allowing him to play anywhere he wants.

"If I could pick one player in the league today to play with -- and most people think I'd say LeBron James -- I would pick Dwight (Howard)," Wade told FanHouse Wednesday after practice at Amway Arena. "I'd love for that to happen at some point. Dwight is already close right here in Orlando. People who say it couldn't happen (us playing on the same team), they don't know. I've learned in this league that anything is possible."

JERSEY CITY, NJ -- Luther Wright wakes up at 5:15 every morning, kisses his peacefully sleeping wife, then looks down at the toes on his right foot -- the three remaining ones -- to help prepare for the battle he must wage that day.

It's his key to staying sober, his key to staying alive.

Wright is the former Seton Hall University basketball giant whose stunning washout from the NBA's Utah Jazz started a destructive spiral that led him through a decade of drug addiction, rehab clinics, a mental institution and eventual homelessness on the streets where he once was so revered.

Dean Meminger once played in the shadows of the greatest backcourt in the history of the New York Knicks -- Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe. He almost died in the shadows earlier this week.

Meminger was still in critical condition Tuesday in the burn unit of New York's Jacobi Medical Center after being rescued from a Sunday night fire in a Bronx housing project that investigators suspect was sparked by a crack cocaine pipe, according to the New York Daily News.

Meminger was found unconscious near his bed. Several crack pipes were found inside his room of the small, run-down building. It was not clear whether the pipes belonged to Meminger, 62, but he has spoken publicly many times about his long battle with drug abuse.

It's time for the Knicks and the Nets to end this nonsense and stop teasing their fans. It's time to stop dreaming. All the salary cap room in the world this summer isn't going to save NBA basketball in the New York/New Jersey area.

The two worst teams in the Eastern Conference will remain the worst for the next few years. So get used to it.

LeBron James won't be walking through the door anytime soon. It doesn't matter how storied Madison Square Garden feels, or how many celebrities come to the games, or how wonderful the Nets-to-Brooklyn blueprint looks, or even the intensity of James' crush on rapper Jay-Z.

ORLANDO -- You figured it might be a long night for young Kevin Durant and his Oklahoma City teammates after he spent a good portion of his pre-game chat Wednesday talking about idolizing Magic veteran guard Vince Carter.

"When I was growing up, I always thought Vince was the best. I still look up to him, and I'm still a big fan,'' Durant said. "I used to watch his highlights as a kid. When I was about 11, my mom bought me a Vince Carter jersey and shorts, his Raptors uniform, and I wore it to every game. I guess that's a little embarrassing to say now, but it's something I'll never forget.''

Durant's innocence was refreshing. It made him and everyone around him smile. But it's probably not the kind of competitive edge that the Thunder needed from him. He is on the verge of becoming an NBA All-Star, but he sure didn't play like one Wednesday night, sinking to his worst performance of the season.

ORLANDO -- Veteran point guard Jason Williams takes over the reins of the Orlando Magic Wednesday night, drawing his own comparison to the Miami Heat team he piloted four seasons ago to the NBA title.

"I've said if from the day I got here: this team is more talented than the championship team I played on in '06,'' Williams said Wednesday morning after a morning practice. "There are more weapons here."

Williams, who turned 34 on Wednesday, is replacing Jameer Nelson, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Wednesday morning. Nelson is expected to be out from four to six weeks, leaving the team in the hands of Williams and journeyman Anthony Johnson.

The surprising Atlanta Hawks -- and the way they were built -- should become required study for those NBA general managers who wheel and deal too fast, making change for the sake of change, always searching for the quick fix.

The Hawks are proving that patience does work.

The Hawks (9-2) have become the top team in the East, quietly moving past the freer spending Celtics, Cavaliers and Magic, the high-profile contenders who previously thought it was a three-team race to the top of the conference.

No. 4 has crashed the party.

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This is where good depth can really come in handy.

Veteran Jason Williams, the point guard on Miami's NBA Championship team of 2006, will become a starter once again with a serious contender. The Orlando Magic announced Tuesday that All-Star Jameer Nelson will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks.

Nelson was injured in the fourth quarter of Monday night's victory over Charlotte. Williams sat out last season after retiring prematurely, then signed as a free agent for the veteran's minimum in Orlando, where he already had a home.

ORLANDO -- Magic center Dwight Howard arrived at Amway Arena for Friday night's game against the New Jersey Nets to find a handwritten note in his locker.

It was signed by the same guy who had been prodding him the past couple days, criticizing him for his lack of energy, his rebounding drop off and his sudden inability to block shots.

Howard read the note twice, then left it where he could see it again at halftime. He also saw it after the game, and he smiled.

"There is no one better or smarter in the NBA. All you need to do is play with great energy and enthusiasm,'' the note said. It was signed "Stan,'' as in Coach Van Gundy.