James Jones out three months

MIAMI - Pop goes the season?

With two weeks to go before the season opener, that might be a stretch for the Miami Heat.

But when it comes to the team's 3-point shooting, it certainly left Erik Spoelstra's team with a sinking feeling.

The Heat announced today that 3-point specialist James Jones is expected to be sidelined for three months after rupturing a tendon in his right wrist, with surgery scheduled for Saturday.

"Just flexing my wrist, it popped," the team's prime offseason free-agent acquisition said of the moment Wednesday that will sideline him for the first half of the season.

Signed away from the Portland Trail Blazers in the offseason to help fill the 3-point shooting void the Heat has endured since the free-agent departures of Jason Kapono and James Posey in 2007, Jones had been out since the start of training camp with what was listed as a sprained right wrist.

The 6-foot-8 forward thought he had turned the corner with a recent return to practice.

Instead, Spoelstra said an examination showed the tendon was "shredded."

"We thought it was something that we could maintain during the season," the first-year coach said.

For Jones, it is a crushing blow to what was anticipated as a triumphant homecoming for the University of Miami graduate and Miami Lakes resident.

"Just imagine someone punching you in your stomach as hard as they can," he said.

To the Heat, it is just as staggering a moment. The Heat not only is shooting just 24.1 percent on 3-pointers amid its 0-3 preseason, but fallback option Daequan Cook is 2 of 14 from beyond the arc.

"Without James, we can get open jump shots from about 20 feet," said Spoelstra, with it unclear whether that would provide the needed spacing for Dwyane Wade to be able to attack the rim and Michael Beasley to utilize his post-up game.

Asked if the team would seek a replacement 3-point specialist, Spoelstra said, "I don't know. That's something we'll talk about the next few days."

Among outside options could be the low-cost likes of a Damon Jones, revisiting camp-cut Matt Walsh, or a bigger trade, having in the offseason investigated Ben Gordon when he was a free agent.

Beyond Cook, Spoelstra said he felt the team could get 3-point contributions from defensive specialist Yakhouba Diawara and point guard Chris Quinn,

But no one on the roster presents the 3-point pedigree of Jones, who finished third in the league last season at 44.4 percent, behind only Kapono and Steve Nash.

Cook, who is coming off offseason shoulder surgery, said he believes he can step up to the challenge.

"That's one of the reasons I'm on this team," he said.

Cook said his preseason 3-point percentage is deceiving because he opened camp wearing a protective pad on his left shoulder, which he since has discarded.

"It affected it a lot," the second-year guard said. "At one point and time I didn't have full motion."

For Jones, a debut with his hometown team will come later rather than sooner.

"I felt like I was turning the corner. It felt like I was in the homestretch and trying to get my feet underneath me, get my conditioning and my wind up," he said. "I felt like I finally started to see some daylight, and once again the clouds came and here I am."

The Heat is 0-3 this preseason with its next exhibition Saturday in Jacksonville against the Orlando Magic.

(sun-sentinel.com)