2008–09 Miami Heat season - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 2008–09 Miami Heat season will be the 21st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

(NBA).

Key dates

June 26: The 2008 NBA Draft
2008 NBA Draft
The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including...

will take place in New York City, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.
July 1: The free agency
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

period will start.
October 5: The pre-season started with a game against the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

.
October 29: The regular season started with a game against the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1	2	Michael Beasley Michael Beasley Michael Paul Beasley, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association . He plays both forward positions, and shoots his jump shot left-handed, though he is also ambidextrous...	Forward	Kansas State
2	52	Darnell Jackson Darnell Jackson Darnell Edred Jackson is an American professional basketball player for BC Donetsk in Ukraine. He is 6'9" and is 253 lbs. Jackson played for the University of Kansas in college for four seasons, including the 2008 national championship team... (traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team... for two future second round draft picks)	Forward	Kansas
2		Mario Chalmers Mario Chalmers Almario Vernard "Mario" Chalmers is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the NBA. He was selected 34th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves... (traded from Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor... )	Guard	Kansas

Roster

Playoffs

The Miami Heat returned to the playoffs as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference (NBA)

The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...

after a 15-67 season in 2007-08 matched up against the Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

who in 07-08 as the eighth seed took the champion Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

to 7 games in a first round series after being predicted by many not even to win a game.

First Round: (5) Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...

vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (MIA-ATL)	Venue	TV	Recap
1	April 19	Miami Miami Heat The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...	64	Atlanta Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...	90	0-1	Philips Arena Philips Arena Philips Arena is an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia.Completed in 1999 to replace The Omni, at a cost of $213.5 million, it is home to the Atlanta Hawks, of the National Basketball Association, and the Atlanta Dream, of the Women's National Basketball Association... , Atlanta, Georgia	TNT	1
2	April 22	Miami Miami Heat The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...	108	Atlanta Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...	93	1-1	Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia	TNT	2
3	April 25	Atlanta Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...	78	Miami Miami Heat The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...	107	2-1	American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida	TNT	3
4	April 27	Atlanta Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...	81	Miami Miami Heat The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...	71	2-2	American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida Miami, Florida Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...	ESPN	4
5	April 29	Miami Miami Heat The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...	91	Atlanta Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...	106	2-3	Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia	TNT	5
6	May 1	Atlanta Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...	72	Miami Miami Heat The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...	98	3-3	American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida Miami, Florida Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...	ESPN	6
7	May 3	Miami Miami Heat The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...	78	Atlanta Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...	91	3–4	Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia	ABC	7
Atlanta wins series 4–3

Season

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! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="10%" | Player
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | GP
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | GS
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | MPG
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | FG%
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | 3FG%
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | FT%
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | RPG
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | APG
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | SPG
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | BPG
! style="background:#BD1021;color:white;" width="6%" | PPG
|-
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Trades

The HEAT traded Shawn Marion

Shawn Marion

Shawn Dwayne Marion is an American professional basketball player currently with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Marion attended high school in Clarksville, Tennessee. Before transferring to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Marion...

, Marcus Banks

Marcus Banks

Arthur Lemarcus Banks III, commonly known as Marcus Banks , is an American professional basketball player who most recently played with the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA....

, and cash to the Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...

for Jermaine O'Neal

Jermaine O'Neal

Jermaine Lee O'Neal is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics. The 6 ft 11 in , 255 lb forward-center had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school...

, Jamario Moon

Jamario Moon

Jamario Raman Moon is an American professional basketball player. Moon played college basketball for one season at Meridian Community College and began his professional career with teams in the United States Basketball League and NBA Development League, the Harlem Globetrotters, and Mexican...

, and a $4 Million trade exception on February 13, 2009.

Additions

{| cellspacing="0"
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{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| style="width:140px"|Player || style="width:70px"|Signed || style="width:210px"|Former team
|- style="height:40px"
| || style="font-size: 80%"| ||
|}

Subtractions

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| style="width:140px"|Player || style="width:70px"|Left || style="width:210px"|New team
|- style="height:40px"
| Ricky Davis
Ricky Davis
Tyree Ricardo Davis , better known as Ricky Davis, is an American professional basketball player.-Biography:...

|| style="font-size: 80%"|July 28 || LA Clippers
|- style="height:40px"
| Jason Williams || style="font-size: 80%"|August 7 || LA Clippers
|}