Former D-League Stars Are the First Casualties of Miami Heat Roster Cuts

Reggie Williams used the Sioux Falls Skyforce as a launching pad to the NBA.  Chris Johnson is a former NBADL Defensive Player of the Year.  

Both were invited to the Miami Heat training camp this fall, but were the first two players cut from the 20-man roster during the 2014 campaign.  Williams did not appear in any games for the Heat during the preseason and Johnson played just 6 minutes in the preseason opener against New Orleans on October 4.

The Heat still have the option of allocating players to the Skyforce through their one-to-one partnership.  Justin Hamilton is one such example of a Miami roster cut in 2013.  The center from LSU came to Sioux Falls to showcase his talent and played his way back onto the roster of the big club at the end of last season.  Along those lines, Hamilton’s condition has improved as Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reports that Hamilton was cleared to work out with the team after undergoing a medical procedure to cure a heart ailment.

Thus a little more time is needed to determine what kind of roster will file into the Sioux Falls Skyforce training camp in early November.  Final roster cuts will occur then the NBA regular season begins on October 28 with the NBA Development League draft a few days later on November 1.  The draft will take place in the afternoon at 2:30CT with the Skyforce owning the 15th pick in the first round.