Miami Heat: Breaking Down the Big Men on the NBA Champions' Radar

For the NBA champion Miami Heat, the 2012 offseason has been one of rest, recovery and Olympic glory.

The biggest move the team made this offseason was pilfering future Hall of Famer Ray Allen from the Boston Celtics, and LeBron James once again cemented his status as the world's best at the 2012 Summer Games in London.

But with two months remaining until the start of the season, there remains one glaring hole for the Heat to fill: backup center.

Joel Anthony and Dexter Pittman are the team's only on-roster centers, meaning it's likely that Miami will come into the season with power forward Chris Bosh starting at the position. 

While that lineup netted the Heat an NBA championship in 2012, they will still need a reliable backup for Bosh over the course of the league's 82-game season.

With that in mind, here's a quick breakdown of the latest names on the defending champs' radar. 

Josh Harrellson 

2011-12 Stats: 4.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 0.5 BPG

Of Miami's most recent rumored targets, the former Kentucky Wildcat is by far the least desirable option. The second-year pro, who spent last season with the New York Knicks, reportedly worked out with the team last Wednesday and impressed the team with his shooting (via ESPN's Tom Haberstroh).

Regardless, what Harrellson can bring to the table is just about the polar opposite of Miami's biggest needs. The 23-year-old rebounds well, but is a worse defender than Bosh in the post. And while at 6'10" and 275 pounds, Harrellson has the frame of a banger inside, but he's actually quite the opposite—nearly half of the big man's shots last season came from beyond the arc.

If the coaching staff thinks it can whip Harrellson into an interior defensive presence, then he may be an interesting option. However, even at this juncture there seems to be better options available. 

Sean Williams 

2011-12 Stats: 3.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.7 BPG

If Miami is planning to go the whole "invite a bunch of guys to camp and pray that one sticks" routine, then Williams should be on that list.

A former first-round pick, Williams still has a ton of untapped potential in his 25-year-old body. He's a forceful interior defender who could become one of the premier bench shot-blockers in the league if he puts in the requisite effort. If Miami's rumored interest (via ESPN's Marc Stein) is true, they could see a diamond in the rough.

On the other hand, there's more than one reason Williams has played just 11 games in the past two NBA seasons.

In the draft process, Williams fell due to concerns about his character and that's not exactly the type of thing you want to bring into a championship locker room.

If the Heat are signing just one big man this offseason, it shouldn't be Williams. 

Chris Andersen

2011-12 Stats: 5.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.4 BPG

Though the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman reported last week that Andersen had interest in joining the Heat after rejecting a "lucrative" offer from a European team, the defending champs are yet to offer a contract or visit the veteran big man (via the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson).

If Miami truly wants to get a solid bench contributor, the team needs to act fast on Andersen. 

When looking at the dearth of talent in free-agency, Birdman remains the fit for the Heat's hole in the middle. At 34-years-old, Andersen is nowhere near the player he was at his peak. Nevertheless, he's still one of the best bench defenders in the NBA and averaged 3.3 blocks per-36 minutes last season.

Amnestied by the Denver Nuggets earlier in the offseason, money will also be no issue for Andersen. If the Heat work out Birdman and see what they like, he should be a guaranteed contributor for the championship defense. 

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