ponent ever serves as an inspiration to me, and I am su

Dion Waiters has been looking for a team that can offer him a prominent scoring role.The Miami Heat could have just the role for him after a disappointing split with franchise star Dwyane Wade.Waiters and the Heat were finalizing a one-year contract worth $2.9 million, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed and announced.Waiters averaged 9.8 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder last year, but had several big games in the playoffs.His offensive burst with the second unit helped the Thunder keep pace when stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook needed rest, and his aggressive mentality fit well with a bench unit that needed some force.Waiters played particularly well against Dallas and San Antonio in the playoffs, helping the Thunder advance to the Western Conference finals against Golden State.The matchups werent as favorable for him in that series, one in which the Warriors came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat Oklahoma City.Waiters could slide right into the starting lineup in the Heat backcourt next to point guard Goran Dragic, offering the 24-year-old shooting guard the playing time and role in the offense that could help him lock down a more lucrative long-term deal down the road.His deal with Miami includes a player option for 2017-18 that is unlikely to be exercised so he can hit the court for unrestricted free agency early next summer.The Heat have a need for scoring after Wade made the surprising decision to leave the only franchise he has ever played for to join his hometown Chicago Bulls earlier this month.There are definite similarities between Wade and Waiters beyond just their initials. Both are 6-foot-4 scorers with stout frames that help them absorb punishment on drives to the basket. Both are aggressive scorers who rely more on the midrange game and getting to the rim than 3-pointers. Both have worn No. 3 on their jerseys.Wade, of course, is far more accomplished in his career with three championships and 12 All-Star nods in his 13-year career that made him an icon in South Florida.The daunting prospect of replacing such a celebrated figure in the Heats starting lineup likely would do little to deter Waiters, a confident personality who never hesitated to take big shots in Cleveland despite Kyrie Irvings status as the go-to player or in Oklahoma City when playing with Westbrook and Durant.Waiters started the summer as a restricted free agent, a designation that would have given the Thunder the right to match any offer given to Waiters. But after losing Durant to the Warriors, the Thunder rescinded their qualifying offer to Waiters, making him an unrestricted free agent.The Heat also matched guard Tyler Johnsons four-year, $50 million offer from the Brooklyn Nets and have other versatile pieces such as Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson in Erik Spoelstras rotation.---AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report. Jordan Scarlett Jersey . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. Cam Newton Womens Jersey . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-dj-moore-panthers-jersey/ . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Sam Mills Youth Jersey . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Luke Kuechly Youth Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. BALTIMORE -- Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker O.J. Brigance will take his personal fight against ALS to the baseball diamond on the 77th anniversary of Lou Gehrigs farewell speech at Yankee Stadium.Brigance has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease. Soon after Brigance was diagnosed in 2007, he and his wife, Chanda, launched a campaign to help other people with ALS.Gehrig died two years after declaring himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth in his 1939 speech. Brigance will honor the former Yankees first baseman by participating in the traditional first-pitch ceremony Monday night at the home of the Class A Aberdeen IronBirds.Lou Gehrigs words still echo loudly the courage, humility and tenacity that he displayed on the baseball field, as well as in his fight against ALS, Brigance said. His ability to stand unflappable in the face of his toughest opponent ever serves as an inspiration to me, and I am sure to many others in the ALS community. I, too, am one of the most blessed men on the earth.ddddddddddddBrigance is the only player to win a Canadian Football League title and a Super Bowl for a team in the same city, Baltimore. He was a special teams contributor for the Ravens in 2000, when the squad earned a wild-card berth in the playoffs and went on to beat the New York Giants to become NFL champions.He now serves in the front office for the Ravens. Brigance, who uses a wheelchair and a communication device that translates his thoughts, is an inspiring figure within the organization and to many battling ALS.The Brigance Brigade Foundation has raised millions of dollars toward providing encouragement and equipment to people living with ALS. Some of the money is also used to find a cure.The ALS community has come a long way since Lou Gehrigs speech at Yankee Stadium, Chanda Brigance said, but there is still so far to go. ' ' '