Last offseason, the Heat said farewell to 10 players. Miami will face one of them, the Bucks' Anthony Mason, tonight in Milwaukee, so this is a good

opportunity to evaluate what the Heat lost -- or didn't lose -- with the departures.

With the season more than half over, consider:

Since leaving the Heat, Mason has become something of a role player. Though starting for the Bucks, he is averaging just 8.8 points. That output would make it tough for the Heat to justify giving him the roughly $8 million annually he sought.

Heat coach Pat Riley had kind words for Mason, who has been critical of his former coach. ''I think Mase has really solidified a low-post presence for Milwaukee,'' Riley said, though Mason's style has clashed with the perimeter-oriented Bucks.

The addition of Mason hasn't helped the Bucks much -- they have lost seven of their past 10.

''Whatever we did last year, people have made adjustments,'' Mason said after Milwaukee lost to lowly Cleveland on Wednesday. ``Are we in a panic situation? I wish we were panicked. There doesn't seem there's enough concern.''

Had the Heat kept another defector, point guard Tim Hardaway, it might have helped the team's chemistry, a problem at that position until only recently.

But his numbers have suffered this season. Hardaway, playing a reserve role for the Dallas Mavericks after signing a three-year, $11.3 million contract, is on pace to post a career-low shooting percentage (currently 36 percent).

His averages of 9.6 points and 3.7 assists are subpar. Though Hardaway's numbers are somewhat skewed by his reduced playing time (23.7 minutes), it can be argued the Heat was wise not to retain him at a hefty price.

But Riley was also complimentary about Hardaway's play.

''I think he's had a great year,'' Riley said. ``I think he's given them a great boost off the bench. [The Mavericks] know they have the ultimate insurance policy if [starter] Steve Nash goes down.''

Riley said the Heat was not in a position last summer to spend millions on Hardaway and Mason, quality players in the latter stage of their careers.

''With Tim and Mase, as much as they want to admit it or not, it was really a luxury tax issue,'' Riley said. ``Both of them would probably have taken less money, but we would have had to give them [multiple] years. That wasn't the direction we were going.''

Also among last year's Heat losses was swingman Bruce Bowen. Now with San Antonio but sidelined with a hand injury, Bowen has been streaky on offense but brilliant on defense. Bowen, who has started each of the 36 games he has played, signed with the Spurs for just $700,000.

''We made a legitimate offer to Bruce Bowen,'' Riley said.

Like Mason and Hardaway, Bowen's numbers have fallen (6.6 points and 2.9 rebounds).

The only other Heat players from a year ago who are still in the NBA are Phoenix guard Dan Majerle and Cleveland guard Ricky Davis.

Majerle plays limited minutes for the Suns and said this week he plans to retire at season's end. Davis, though extremely athletic, still struggles with the fundamentals.

The remaining former Heat players -- Duane Causwell, Cedric Ceballos, Todd Fuller, A.C. Green and Don MacLean -- are not in the NBA.

CARTER WITH TEAM

Backup point guard Anthony Carter, recovered from sports hernia surgery, traveled with the team to Milwaukee, but Riley hasn't decided when to activate him.

''He's ready, but he's not ready,'' Riley said. ``He's had two practices. I don't think he's ready to play yet the way I want him to play yet. Plus, we're going good. Both things play into it.''

Said Carter: ``I don't want to feel I'm the one who's messing it up.''

Riley said backup point guard Eddie House is still a work in progress: ``He's an offensive-minded point guard, and we're trying to get him to understand that when he's running the team, he's got to run the team first. Eddie can't just take off.''

House, 6-1, has played well recently. ''He's always a threat,'' Riley said. ``When the ball is away from him, they better guard him. That's one of the reasons why we've had some success. He has hit some timely shots.

``He's going to have to be a combo guard because he can't just be a straight [shooting guard]. He's not big enough. He's got to get to a point where he becomes very efficient at those spots so coach will have the confidence to play him.''