4 2013 Free Agents Who Could Replace Chris Andersen on Miami Heat

There's no way around it: Chris Andersen was a major factor in the Miami Heat's second of back-to-back NBA titles.

Not only did he join the team in mid-to-late January and end the regular season averaging 4.9 points,  4.1 rebounds and one block in 14.9 minutes per game, he also came alive during the postseason when the Heat needed him the most.

The postseason ended with him hoisting the 2013 Larry O'Brien Championships trophy, averaging 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, all while shooting 80.7 percent from the field.

Sure, almost all of those buckets came on dunks or easy put-backs, but his production was certainly impressive.

Aside from providing Miami with a spark off the bench in terms of production, he also led the team with emotion, intensity and grit, which was something it had lacked before he came to South Beach.

With the Heat's lack of spending room this summer, and some title contenders with more cash undoubtedly eying up Andersen's talents, there is a possibility that Bird Man could be playing elsewhere when the 2013-14 season rolls around.

If that's the case, Miami has to find someone who can bring to the team what Andersen did—bench production, energy, intensity on defense and some serious attitude.

DeJuan Blair, C, San Antonio Spurs

Unlike Andersen, DeJuan Blair is a young player with a ton of upside.

When next season gets under way, Andersen will be 35 years old and Blair will only be 24. That age difference is already enticing when you think about trying to build for the future in Miami.

During the regular season, Blair played in 61 games, averaging 14 minutes per game and putting up 5.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. The only area he isn't as effective in as Andersen, though, is blocking shots, averaging just 0.2 blocks per game last year.

He makes up for that, though, with an intensity within the fundamentals of the game on both sides of the ball, whether it's locking down bigger opponents or getting down and dirty boxing players out on the glass.

The biggest question with Blair is obviously the health of his knees. Luckily, Miami doesn't need him to play 20-25 minutes per game. It simply needs him to be a consistent contributor coming off the bench, and there's no doubt that he can do that.

Luring Blair into a situation where he'll be a constant contributor and have a clear path to an NBA title shouldn't be too difficult.

Matt Barnes, SF, L.A. Clippers

Okay, before you go check out another article because I'm talking about replacing a center with a small forward, just hear me out.

No, Matt Barnes can't step in and play center for the Miami Heat. But he can bring something off the bench that Andersen did, and that's emotion, physicality on defense and an ability to get under his opponent's skin.

Barnes is a very smart player. He knows how to defend and he knows how to play within the rules while also annoying the heck out of whomever he's defending.

That sounds like Andersen, doesn't it?

If we're talking solely about replacing the intangibles that Andersen brings off the bench, then Barnes is the Heat's man. He's only three inches shorter and two pounds lighter.

He won't play center, but he'll be a defensive presence coming off the bench, and if he can lock down the perimeter, it will decrease Miami's need for a defensively-minded center. Okay, now back to post players.

Nazr Mohammed, C, Chicago Bulls

Making this addition would be a step in the wrong direction for an aging Heat squad, but it would give it the size in the interior the team would be lacking without Andersen.

Now, after getting ejected during the Bulls' playoff series with the Heat for shoving LeBron James like he just stole his girl, the dynamics in the locker room would be interesting to say the least.

Adding Mohammed's 6'10'', 250-pound frame would certainly make things difficult for opponents looking to trot into the paint and get easy buckets.

With that being said, he's not the most athletic player in the NBA and he's certainly not the most productive, averaging 2.6 points. 3.1 rebounds and .5 blocked shots in 11 minutes per game last season.

Mohammed has attitude, though, and he isn't afraid to get physical on defense, which is a must for whomever the Heat sign this offseason.

Antawn Jamison, PF, L.A. Lakers

If Antawn Jamison wants a legitimate shot at an NBA title and significant playing time, then he needs to take his talents to South Beach this offseason.

Adding Jamison won't make the Heat any younger and it adds another player to their "injury watch list," but Jamison can make up for all of that with serious production.

During the regular season he averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game. That would give the Heat's second unit a serious boost in production and take some off the offensive pressure off guys like Shane Battier and Mike Miller.

Defensively speaking, Jamison isn't anything to write home about. But he is a very intelligent and crafty defender, much like the aforementioned Shane Battier, and that shows in his tenacity on the glass.

Adding a guy like Jamison would be a smart move for the Heat, even if it does mean adding a player who will be 37 years old next year, because he's the kind of veteran player Miami needs coming off its bench.