It took one and a half seasons for Charles Barkley to start paying attention to our young superstar, Michael Beasley.  One and a half seasons, and Super Cool gets compared to Tito Jackson.  Not exactly what you would hope to hear from ‘Sir Charles'...but then again, it's nothing out of the ordinary.  Still, not a cool way for Barkley to send some attention to the Heat, especially when they are playing so well. 

Said Beasley:

"It's just disrespectful.  Not disrespectful to Tito Jackson. The way Charles worded it, it makes us feel a little disrespected.  You don't say things like that about people's craft, especially when you're a playoff team."

The good thing about all this is that A- nobody who follows the NBA is going to take what Barkley says seriously, and B- this most public ‘insult' has given Beasley a reason to bust his ass even more.  I'm not saying he wasn't playing well, but maybe this will help him bring that supreme effort night in and night out.   At least his teammate and captain, Dwyane Wade, knows not to take Chuck seriously.

Said Wade:

"I don't really worry about what Charles says.   To me it's a bunch of gibberish. Use that word.  It's a bunch of gibberish."

As for tonight's game, it doesn't appear that D-Wade will play.  I think maybe considering the way the Heat has been playing lately, with or without Dwyane, there is less pressure for him to be out there.  Of course, battling for 7^th place isn't exactly the kind of thing any of us would want Wade risking himself over, especially knowing that we're going to need him at his best after this season is long gone. 

GAME NOTES

• Minnesota comes in losers of 6 straight. 
• This begins a nice stretch for the Heat, who will play 11 of their next 13 at home. 
• Watch out for Kevin Love, who has recorded a double double in 25 of the 37 games he's played in.
• The Timberwolves got to Miami yesterday, practicing on the Heat's practice court in the afternoon.   What's that phrase....?  ‘South Beach Fever'? 

Tipoff from the AAA is set for 7:30.  It's unknown who will start at shooting guard in Wade's absence, as Erik Spoelstra has said he'll decide who starts for Wade based on matchups.