<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Training camp opens today. The past three weeks apparently were little more than a nasty championship hangover. While injuries and caution contributed to the Heat's 2-5 preseason finish, it nonetheless marked the franchise's first losing preseason since it went 2-5 in 2002, which was the last time it failed to make the playoffs. The Heat was 4-4 in 2005. "We have to continue to work on the conditioning part of it, you know, the mind part of it," said coach Pat Riley, who gave his players Thursday off but likely now will have them on the court every day leading to Tuesday's season opener at home against the Bulls, a game followed by a home date against the Nets. "A veteran team knows now that the preseason is over with and we've got a tough first two games. And we'll, hopefully, rise to the occasion." Among Riley's primary concerns was his team's average of 18.8 turnovers during the preseason, well above last season's average of 14.5. Some of that is because Gary Payton is the lone available veteran point guard. "We're normally not a real high-mistake team," Riley said. "But in the preseason not only were we a mistake team, but we were giving a lot of points off turnovers. Mistakes have killed us." While the Heat has until Monday's 6 p.m. deadline to trim from the current 16 to the regular-season limit of 15 players, it should get a read in coming days about veteran guards who could shake free. Thursday was the deadline for teams to trim players and not be responsible for at least a partial payment for 2006-07, with Philadelphia's Rick Brunson, a Heat camp prospect in 2000 under Riley, and Seattle's Milt Palacio among the point guards released. Riley thinks there will be more consistency when Jason Williams returns from knee surgery, with the starting point guard hopeful of a mid-November appearance. "That's one guy that we miss right now, Jason and his energy, his coast-to-coast, his pick-and-roll game, that kind of stuff, his outside shooting, his ability to penetrate," Riley said.</div> Source
