against a team that made the playoffs and boasts one of the top defences

MIAMI -- LeBron James has been involved with some heated playoff moments involving Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts. And now, they could be his teammates -- if the four-time NBA MVP decides to stay in Miami. The Heat announced Monday that they intend to sign Granger and McRoberts when the NBAs moratorium on deals being formally struck ends later this week. McRoberts agreed to a four-year deal that starts at around $5.3 million next season, said agent Mike Conley Sr., with Miami using its mid-level exception to get that contract done. "He thinks its a chance to do some special things," Conley Sr. said, adding that McRoberts has a player option for the final year of his Heat deal. Yahoo Sports reported Granger agreed to a two-year deal, worth about $2 million annually. Grangers agent, Aaron Mintz, did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Those were the first two known moves by the Heat during the free-agent shopping period, but all eyes remain on what James is going to do and if hes worn a Miami uniform for the final time. Heat President Pat Riley is planning to meet with James later this week, in an effort to convince him to stay in Miami. Its still unclear when the Riley-James meeting will take place. James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are all free agents, and none have said where they will be playing next season and beyond. But even after going to the NBA Finals in four straight seasons, winning two championships, this was going to be an off-season of change for the Heat. Miami entered free agency with only Norris Cole under a guaranteed contract for this coming season. The Heat have a partially guaranteed deal with Justin Hamilton and the rights to guard Shabazz Napier, who was acquired on draft night. So there are obviously plenty of slots to fill, and on Monday, the Heat began tipping their hand on who will get those jobs. Contracts begin getting signed Thursday. McRoberts averaged 8.5 points in 78 starts for Charlotte last season, and raised Miamis ire in the playoffs by levelling James with an elbow that some Heat players said looked intentional. McRoberts was issued only a common foul at the time, but the NBA upgraded it to a flagrant-2 and fined him $20,000. Miami will be McRoberts sixth club. Granger has a bit of playoff bad-blood history with Miami as well, most notably in 2012 when he was with the Indiana Pacers. The Heat said at the time Granger was instigating stars like James; the Pacers said he was just showing toughness. Granger has been limited to 46 games over the past two regular seasons. He spent virtually his entire career to date with Indiana, before going to the Los Angeles Clippers for part of last season. 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"Im not doing enough to help them," Durant told The Oklahoman on Monday of his 28-9 team. "Im shooting too much. Im shooting too many threes. Im not helping them out at all.LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Two thoughts struck tight end Martellus Bennett almost as soon as he met new Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman. One was this. Trestmans a genius. The other? "Hes a lot like me," Bennett said, laughing. "I was like, I like this guy. Hes a lot like me. Hes a genius, Im a genius. Theres two geniuses in one room. Hey, lets go with it." All joking aside, this is a big week for Trestman. He makes his debut as an NFL coach when the Chicago Bears host the Cincinnati Bengals, and to say hes come a long way is no exaggeration. After years as an assistant in the league and on the college level before heading to the CFL, Trestman finally has his opportunity. Just dont expect him to get all sentimental when he walks into Soldier Field on Sunday. "I would think its going to be all business," Trestman said. "I just cant see it being bigger than that -- focus on the football team and my job during the course of the game. Im certainly very appreciative going out there being the head coach of the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Theres no doubt about it. But my focus is to continue to prepare this week and go out and do my job on Sunday." The Bears hired Trestman to replace the fired Lovie Smith, hoping he could spark their offence and get the most out of quarterback Jay Cutler. Now, theyll see how it all comes together. Theyll also be tested right from the start against a team that made the playoffs and boasts one of the top defences in the league, with Geno Atkins poised to wreak all kinds of havoc for the Bengals. Trestman spent the past five seasons as the head coach of the CFLs Montreal Alouettes, winning back-to-back championships, but it remains to be seen if that success will translate to Chicago. "When he talks to you, he understands how everythings interconnected between not only us but things that happen in our lives," said Bennett, beginning his first season in Chicago. "Everybodys connected and everyones part of everyones family." On the field, the Bears success hinges largely on a rebuilt offensive line and Trestmans ability to get through to Cutler, something past co-ordinators Ron Turner, Mike Martz and Mike Tice were unable to do. Either way, the spotlight is on the head coach. He has a strong history working with quarterbacks, including Bernie Kosar, Steve Young and Rich Gannon. Cutler, meanwhile, has somethhing to prove.dddddddddddd He also has an expiring contract, and the perception in Chicago is hes out of excuses. After all, the Bears have four new starters on the offensive line, including newcomer Jermon Bushrod at left tackle. They have an elite receiver in Brandon Marshall, a versatile running back in Matt Forte and a pass-catching tight end in Bennett. Mostly, he has an offensive-minded head coach. Theyre running the West Coast offence, which should get the ball out of the quarterbacks hands and cut back on the number of hits he absorbs. On the surface, it appears he has everything he needs. "Anyone who has really worked with him says kind of the same thing; hes going to do everything he can to protect the quarterback and hes going to try to make our job as easy as possible, which I think has rang true so far," Cutler said. Much has been made of his relationship with Trestman, but its not just about the quarterback. Everyone, it seems, is curious. Players like what they see so far from Trestman, but what happens when the games start to count? How will he handle the pressure? "I know Im very curious to see how once the season starts how he reacts when the pressure gets going and the bullets start flying," cornerback Tim Jennings said. "Everythings starting to be real. So Im real curious to see how he can manage the offence and manage the whole team as well. We all bought into the system. We believe in him, and so were just excited to get this thing going." Notes: Former star linebacker Brian Urlacher caused a bit of a stir by saying faking injuries was part of the Bears game plan. Now an analyst for Fox Sports 1, Chicago had a "designated dive guy" to slow fast-paced offences. If that was the case, Bennett said, the Bears werent the only ones. "Every team does that," he said. "Its just like when youre boxing, you get hit too many times you want to hold him up against the ropes. I think a lot of teams do that. Youve got to do whatever it takes to win the game." ... Trestman said D.J. Williams "moved well" in practice on Wednesday," but he still hasnt decided who will start at middle linebacker this week. Trestman left open the possibility that Williams and Jonathan Bostic could both see time there against the Bengals. ... The Bears had no players on their injury report on Wednesday. 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