Mario Chalmers receives hero’s welcome in return to Miami

Memphis Grizzlies guard Mario Chalmers (6) looks for an open teammate past Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, in Miami. Chalmers, playing against Miami as an opponent for the first time since being traded to Memphis last month, finished with 12 for the Grizzlies as the Heat defeated the Grizzlies 100-97. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Mario Chalmers returned to Miami Sunday, marking his first time playing at his former home arena since the Heat shipped him to Memphis in early November.

The way his former organization treated Chalmers, who had played every game of his career with Miami before the deal, one would think the guard who famously hit a late 3-pointer to propel Kansas past Memphis in the 2008 NCAA championship game also single-handedly took the Heat to four straight NBA Finals and back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.

Obviously LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had a whole lot to do with Miami’s success during that run, but Miami still acknowledged Chalmers with a hero’s welcome in the form of a tribute video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZgAGa2BRcc

Maybe Miami felt bad about shipping away its former guard. Bosh had a long list of attributes when asked by the Miami Herald what the Heat misses now that Chalmers plays with the Grizzlies.

“His length. His defensive capability.
His offensive capability. His outside
shooting. Being able to spread the
floor. His knack for passing and
getting guys involved in offense.
Getting easy baskets. He’s a very
talented player,” Bosh said.

“When you miss those things, you
notice. He created so many turnovers
for this team. He had a knack for
getting his hand on the ball, which
was great for this team.”

Or perhaps Miami regretted moving Chalmers without giving him proper notice. The 6-foot-2 role player who gave 525 games of his career to the Heat told NBCSports.com he found out about the trade via Twitter.

“For me being there so long, and
nobody had the respect to tell me that
I was about to get traded, that’s how
it went down,” Chalmers said.

His new role with the Grizzlies certainly has helped him move on, though. Chalmers said Memphis coach Dave Joerger told him before he arrived that the Grizzlies needed him to score.

Against his former team, Chalmers scored 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting, marking the 10th time he has scored in double digits off the bench for the Grizzlies, who are 10-6 with their new backup guard in the lineup.

The Heat won, 100-97, but Chalmers got to enjoy his return, thanks to his former team showing him some love.

As for the real reason the Heat wanted to welcome Chalmers back? Well, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald detailed, the role player accomplished quite a bit in his time in South Beach:

Chalmers ranks second in Heat history
in steals, third in assists, fourth in
games played and three-pointers, sixth
in games started and minutes, 11th in
points, 13th in field goals and free
throws and 15th in rebounds.

He holds the Heat single-game record
for steals (nine) and shares the
single-game record for three-pointers
(10).

Now 29 and in his eighth NBA season, Chalmers is averaging 11.2 points for Memphis — a number that would top his career high of 10.2 ppg, set last season, when he was playing 29.6 minutes for Miami. The Grizzlies, using him as a bench scorer, are getting great returns while only playing Chalmers 19.2 minutes.

And it’s not as if he’s a liability on defense, either, like some substitute scoring specialists. Joerger described Chalmers as feisty and told NBCSports.com about what he expects from his new bench weapon going forward.

“I think the best of Mario Chalmers is
yet to come for our team,” Joerger
said.

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