The Heat are still riding the high from their second franchise championship last week and with the confetti still being swept up from the parade, the front office already has its sights set on the 2012 NBA Draft on Thursday. Miami holds the No. 27 pick in the first round, where they have an opportunity to add a nice role player to a championship team.
ESPN's Chad Ford released another iteration of his mock draft on Monday. There's bound to be plenty of shuffling at the bottom of the draft, which is so dependent on how the lottery plays out. Ford's latest mock predicts Miami will select Jeff Taylor, a veteran from Vanderbilt:
The Heat could use Taylor's elite athletic ability, lockdown defense and spot-up shooting. He can't create his own shot, but no one will ask him to in Miami, making this the perfect spot for him to land.
This would be a comparable approach to what Miami did last year, when they added a veteran college player in Cleveland State's Norris Cole. The rookie point guard went on to be a valuable contributor in spots this season and in the Playoffs, something that Pat Riley and the front office can only hope for at the bottom of the first round.
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