Miami, FL - Udonis Haslem has opted to stay in Miami, and the Heat are reportedly in contract talks with sharpshooter Mike Miller.

Haslem was an unrestricted free agent that was offered larger deals by the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks before taking Miami's offer of roughly $4 million per year for five years, according to the Miami Herald.

The Heat now have five players under contract after LeBron James and Chris Bosh signed free agent contracts last week with the club, joining superstar Dwyane Wade and guard Mario Chalmers.

But according to the Sun Sentinel on Monday, Miami is close to adding Miller, who played with Haslem at the University of Florida. Miller, a career 40.5 percent three-point shooter, has been on three teams the last three years, playing 54 games for Washington last season and averaging 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

Over his 10-year career, Miller has logged 13.7 points and 5.1 boards over 693 contests with the Magic, Grizzlies, Timberwolves and Wizards.

Haslem, a Miami native, has spent his entire seven-year career with the Heat and is the only player other than Wade that has stayed in Miami following its 2006 title.

"I am excited to be back," Haslem said. "It's a great opportunity to win. Miami has always been my home, and I'm happy I can play here for years to come."

The 30-year-old has played an integral reserve role for the Heat throughout his career, averaging 10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds while logging nearly 31 minutes per game over 517 contests.


Knicks lose out on LeBron but nab Randolph
According to the Contra Costa Times, the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks have agreed to a sign-and-trade, sending All-Star power forward David Lee to the Warriors. It is rumored that Lee agreed to a 6 year $80 million contract to get the deal done. In exchange, the Knicks will get promising young 6' 11" forward Anthony Randolph, center Ronny Turiaf and swingman Kelenna Azubuike.

Last season Randolph, who was the second youngest player in the NBA, tore two ligaments on the outside of his left ankle and one ligament on the inside, and missed a majority of the season. He should be completely healed for the upcoming season.

Randolph is an up and coming player who had his bouts with immaturity last year, but also had to contend with Don Nelson's ever-changing lineups, which was a drain on the entire Warriors franchise. In a new setting, he could be a very interesting addition by the Knicks to get younger, longer and more athletic. He is not LeBron, but don't discount this move as the Knicks may have just gotten a huge piece of their rebuilding puzzle.

Knicks GM Donnie Walsh has coveted Randolph for quite some time and he will team up with Amare Stoudemire and Danilo Gallinari in the Knicks frontcourt.


Johnson chooses to stay with Hawks
Los Angeles, CA - Arn Tellem, writing in his weekly sports column for the Huffington Post, said Sunday that free-agent guard Joe Johnson has re-signed with the Atlanta Hawks.

Johnson received a six-year, approximately $120 million dollar contract offer from the team he has played for since signing as a free-agent with them in 2005.

According to Tellem, Johnson came away impressed enough from his meeting with Larry Drew, the Hawks' new coach and former Atlanta guard, and the owners of the team and their commitment to building a championship-caliber team to turn down the chance to play elsewhere.

The 29-year-old Johnson had also entertained offers from the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks.

Johnson led the Hawks to 53 wins last season and a first-round playoff victory over Milwaukee in seven games before Atlanta bowed to Orlando in four games in the second round of the post-season.

He averaged 21.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in 76 contests last season

Over nine seasons with Boston, Phoenix and Atlanta, he has averaged 17.6 points, 4.2 boards and 4.5 assists per game.


Pierce reaches agreement with Celtics
Boston, MA - The Boston Celtics and forward Paul Pierce have reached an agreement on a new contract.

The Boston Herald reports the sides reached an agreement for four years for $61 million, with options for the club and Pierce after the third year. Pierce opted out of his contract for next season and became an unrestricted free agent when the NBA free agency period started.

Pierce was due to make $21.5 million in the final year of his previous contract, and the Herald reports that he will make less than that in 2010-11 to give the Celtics a better financial position.

Pierce, who will be 33 before next season begins, averaged 18.3 points and 4.4 rebounds over 71 games during the 2009-10 campaign. He upped that to 18.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg during the playoffs, helping Boston reach the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.


Cavs officially name Scott head coach
Cleveland, OH - The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially named Byron Scott as the team's new head coach.

The announcement was made by general manager Chris Grant. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Earlier reports indicated it was a three-year contract.

Scott was recently in his sixth season with the Hornets and the final year of a two-year extension he signed in May of 2008 when he was let go nine games into the 2009-10 season. Scott compiled a record of 203-216 during his tenure in New Orleans.

"Byron's combination of high-level success and depth of experience, both as a head coach and as a player, is a tremendous asset for our organization. He is a strong leader with a proven track record of winning in both the regular season and the playoffs. We're confident Coach Scott will positively impact the strong culture we have put in place here in Cleveland over the past five years." Grant said. "We're very excited for Coach Scott to get started. His experience and leadership will be a critical element in our drive to achieve the franchise's ultimate goal."

The Cavs fired Mike Brown after a second-round playoff loss to Boston. Brown spent the last five seasons with the Cavs and guided the team to a record of 272-138.

The Cavs were looking to make a splash with a big-name coach by trying to lure Tom Izzo to the NBA ranks, but Izzo opted to stay at Michigan State for what seems the duration of his career. Lakers assistant Brian Shaw also was a finalist to coach the Cavs, but withdrew his name from consideration Wednesday.

The Cavaliers now face a huge change this summer with the defection of two time MVP LeBron James to the Miami Heat.

Before taking over in New Orleans, Scott guided the New Jersey Nets to a record of 149-139 with a pair of NBA Finals appearances in three-plus seasons. After leading the previously-moribund Nets to the league title series in the spring of 2002 and 2003, Scott was fired with a 22-20 mark midway through the 2003-04 campaign.

Scott was an assistant coach with Sacramento for two seasons after a 14-year playing career with the Lakers, Pacers and Grizzlies. He won three NBA titles during the late 1980s with the Lakers.


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