ASK IRA: Is an upgrade in the middle available for the Heat?

Q: In my opinion, the Heat lost the series to Dallas due to the center position. Joel Anthony is a great defensive player, but he’s not the answer. Some names come to mind like Greg Oden, Hasheem Thabeet, Marc Gasol and Nene. Well, I know Marc and Nene’s price tag might be too high with the cap issues Miami has. However, Hasheem Thabeet, in the right system might be a diamond in the rough. — Michael. A: Nene, Gasol and Oden are out of their price range. And Houston gave up Battier for Thabeet, so I’m not sure they would just dump him. Also, Thabeet hardly has a Heat-like work ethic. Q: I just noticed that Aaron Gray is available. He may be a good player for Heat to pick up. What do you think? — Raj. A: I think that any center the Heat add in free agency has to be someone good enough to start, and I don’t see that the case with Aaron. The Heat have to break the Dampier cycle. Q: After looking at and analyzing the point guard situation around the le...