Ex-Flame players now NBA champs

Even if the Florida Flame never play another game, two of their alumni will forever be linked to history.

Miami Heat reserves Earl Barron and Dorell Wright, though not on the team’s active roster during the postseason, sat courtside Tuesday night in Dallas as Vice City celebrated its first basketball championship.

Local fans might remember the players from their days in the NBA Development League, where Barron and Wright made a cameo last winter with the Flame.

They arrived together on Jan. 3 after spending the first half of the season in Miami. They left together just two weeks later, staying barely long enough to know the rims.

But it was memorable.

“They were the first to the arena on game days and the last to leave after practice,” said Flame general manager Terry Thimlar, who placed calls to each player Wednesday morning, looking to congratulate them on Miami’s run at history. “They represented the Heat organization well with the work ethic they brought over.”

So it was that Thimlar watched the NBA Finals, a riveting six-game series, with one eye on the bench. He kept noticing Barron and Wright in the background, wearing suits as they cheered on their teammates.

It reminded him of the Flame, who benefited from Barron and Wright in the short time they stayed. Each player had a big game on Miami Heat Night in Germain Arena, combining for 47 points in a Jan. 13 victory over Roanoke.

But the pair was gone soon enough. The 20-year-old Wright, two years removed from high school, started two games for the Heat late in the season and finished the year averaging 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds. Barron, a 7-foot center, averaged 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds in his third season as a pro.

And the impact of those two wasn’t lost on Miami coach Pat Riley, who kept referring to the Heat as “15 strong” — an acknowledgement that every player, no matter their role, helped the Eastern Conference champions take care of Dallas. Barron and Wright were the only Heat players not to make the postseason roster, but they continued practicing with the team throughout the playoffs.

“I’m sure it was a great experience just to watch it,” said former Flame coach Jeff Malone. “That’s something that should only make them hungrier down the road.”

“You can’t look at the experience as anything but a positive,” Thimlar added. “When a similar situation comes your way you’ve already gotten a taste of it.”

It sure seems that Barron and Wright are headed in the right direction. Especially Wright, a 6-8 forward who was selected by the Heat with the 19th pick of the 2004 draft.

But they are not alone. Six players who saw action for the Flame last season eventually made their way onto an NBA roster. That includes rookie guard Bracey Wright, who was called up by the Timberwolves prior to Florida’s D-League semifinal playoff game. He scored 19 points in Minnesota’s finale.

The franchise, however, is in no-man’s land. The Flame announced last month they would skip the 2006-07 season, biding their time as they try to find a new home. Germain Arena, the team’s venue for two seasons, presented weekend scheduling conflicts with the Florida Everblades.

“We’re taking it one day at a time,” Thimlar said. “... You’ve got to look at it in a positive way.”

For two weeks, though, Thimlar had something else on his mind. He was thrilled to see the local NBA franchise win a championship, especially after falling behind 2-0 to start the series.

Malone was happy, too.

“I think Miami would have won it in four,” he said facetiously, “if they had just played our two guys.”