He’s got a ring.  Now he’s looking for work.  On Monday the Miami Heat released Jarvis Varnado who took a whirlwind route to an NBA Championship.  The NBA club also waived former South Dakota guard Charlie Westbrook and UCLA guard Larry Drew II.

Varnado was originally drafted by Miami, but spent a couple of years overseas with the Heat retaining his rights.  He eventually was allocated to the NBA Development League Sioux Falls Skyforce who at that time was an affiliate of the Heat.  After an impressive start to the season, Varnado was signed on Christmas Day by the Boston Celtics then released in early January.  Then Miami eventually signed Varnado for the remainder of the season appearing in 13 regular season games.  His aggregate statistics were 8 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in 58 minutes played.

Westbrook played two seasons with the Coyotes graduating in 2012.  He averaged 16.2 points as a junior then 18.7 points his senior year, breaking the 1,000 point barrier in his two campaigns in Vermillion.  A 6-4 combo guard, Westbrook played in Italy last season with the Portland Trail Blazers summer league entry in 2013.

Drew II was a free agent signee after finishing his college career at UCLA this past spring.  The 6-2 guard played three years at North Carolina before going west.  Drew II only appeared in one preseason game with the Heat.

With the new partnership between Miami and the Skyforce this season it is possible that the Heat could allocate players to Sioux Falls who don’t make it out of training camp.  Varnado is a special case because if the 6-10 center returns to the NBADL, Sioux Falls holds the rights to his services because of his time with the Skyforce last season.

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