Heat center Jermaine O'Neal may have to leave the team to deal with a family issue.

He rushed back from a family emergency to play in Friday night's game against the Wizards and says that the situation could have him back in South Carolina in the coming days.

O'Neal's uncle is seriously ill.

"It could be a situation where it could take me away from the team," he said on Saturday.

The situation is compounded by the fact that the Heat will begin a four-game western road-trip on Tuesday.

"We're going to take it day by day," O'Neal said. "I'm going to try to stay here as long as I can and do my job, and, if needed, go back to South Carolina and be with my family."

Ahead of Wednesday's game in Orlando, Dwyane Wade shed some light on who he thinks would be the best player for him to play with.

"If I could pick one player in the league today to play with – and most people think I’d say LeBron James – I would pick Dwight (Howard)," Wade said Wednesday after practice at Amway Arena. "I’d love for that to happen at some point. Dwight is already close right here in Orlando. People who say it couldn’t happen (us playing on the same team), they don’t know. I’ve learned in this league that anything is possible.

“I’ve played with a dominant center before, and there’s nothing like it. It changes the whole game. It’s why I’d love to play with Dwight. He’s a phenomenal center who has only just scratched the surface of where he’ll be,’’ Wade said. “And he’s the type of guy you’d really like to be around.

“I bet Vince Carter never thought he’d be playing one day with Dwight.  I never thought I’d have the chance to play with Shaquille O’Neal, but it happened,’’ Wade said. “It happened in Boston, with KG, (Kevin Garnett), Ray Allen and Paul Pierce all coming together.
                           
“I said from Day One that I wanted to be in Miami, that maybe I could get certain players to come to Miami, but at the same time, this is my only chance at free agency,’’  Wade said. “There are a lot of possibilities out there. And nothing is impossible."

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has some advice for Heat guard Dwyane Wade.

Van Gundy, who coached Wade in Miami, believes that a move to the Western Conference in free agency would be a good idea.

"I would really suggest ... West," Van Gundy laughed.

"I like him. I'm concerned about him. If he doesn't go back to Miami, the West would be his best bet."

Van Gundy was being humorous with his comments, but Wade did average 38 points in four games against Orlando last season.

Hornets rookie guard Marcus Thornton has emerged as a potent scorer as of late.

The Heat dealt Thornton's rights to the Hornets on draft night for two future second-round picks in a prearranged deal.

"He's having a heck of a stretch right now," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's athletic. He's making plays. He's aggressive."

Thornton, playing against the Heat on Sunday, scored 24 points in 38 minutes.

Heat forward Quentin Richardson has missed the team's last two games with back spasms.

He isn't sure if he'll be able to return for Wednesday's game against the Magic. Richardson's back first locked up during last Wednesday's game against the Hawks, which scared him.

The forward had season-ending surgery on his back in 2007.

"I was kind of freaked out by that," Richardson said. "It's been progressing every day since, so I feel pretty good about it.

"Whatever I did, when I when I landed right there kind of made it go into a spasm. We've been treating it every day around the clock."

There is no timetable for his return.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wants to see the team's younger players step up.

"I have to step back and look at everything objectively," Spoelstra said after the team's loss to the Raptors on Friday night.

"It's a collective thing. It's being reliable every single possession to your teammates, to our system, to our identity. It can't just be during certain pockets of the game."

Miami is 7-5, but they have fallen behind early in games at times.

Specifically, Spoelstra wants to see second-year players Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers improve.

"Coach is 100 percent right," Beasley said. "I haven't been able to put it all together, and that's what I've got to do to help the team."

"They're always telling me to be more aggressive, more aggressive, more aggressive," Chalmers said of Dwyane Wade and Spoelstra. "I have to start from the jump and not wait too long to get into the flow of things. I have to take this game and build on it."

NBA front office executives expect free agent guard Allen Iverson to remain on the market for quite some time.

Charlotte and Miami have been mentioned as possible destinations for Iverson, but executives told CBS Sports that he'll likely be a contingency option for a team that suffers a backcourt injury.

Iverson's agent, Leon Rose, attended Saturday's game between the Knicks and Nets, but there were no meetings with either side.

Heat center Jermaine O'Neal missed the team's win over the Nets on Saturday night with a bruised left hip.

He sustained the injury on Thursday night in a collision with LeBron James midway through Cleveland's win over Miami.

O'Neal has gone through extensive treatment since suffering the injury.

"He feels much better than he did [Friday]," coach Erik Spoelstra said on Saturday. "He felt [then] like he got hit by a train. It's not quite the type of relief and movement we were hoping for."

A Heat source told ESPN's Chad Ford they were trying to find a way to lure both LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami to play with Dwyane Wade this summer.

The trio has reportedly talked about the possibility, according to a source.

The salary cap was once projected to hit $64 million, but the downturn of the economy means that it will likely be somewhere between $50 million and $57 million.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers defeated Dwyane Wade and the Heat on Thursday night.

- Cleveland 111, Miami 104

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +3.9, Heat -3.9

In a game ripe with subplots, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers (6-3) defeated Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat (6-2). James starred with 34 points and seven assists, Mo Williams posted 25 points and four rebounds and Shaquille O?Neal added 14 points and five boards in the win. The two teams attempted 77 free throws and Cleveland went 9-for-19 from three-point land. Wade had 36 points and five assists, Michael Beasley tallied 24 points and six rebounds and Jermaine O?Neal contributed 15 points and nine boards.

Game FIC Scores

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 22.5

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 17.9

Michael Beasley, Miami ? 15.8

J.J. Hickson, Cleveland ? 12.0

- L.A. Lakers 121, Phoenix 102

Team FIC Differential: Lakers +52.6, Suns -52.6

The Los Angeles Lakers (7-1) stopped the surging Phoenix Suns (8-2) at the STAPLES Center. Kobe Bryant led with 29 points, Andrew Bynum tallied 26 points and 15 rebounds and Lamar Odom put up eight points, 12 boards and seven assists in the victory. Los Angeles hit 57% of their shots and held Phoenix to 36% shooting on the night. Steve Nash had 13 points and five assists, Louis Amundson posted 10 points and nine rebounds and Jared Dudley totaled 14 points and six boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles ? 23.9

Lamar Odom, Los Angeles ? 20.3

Josh Powell, Los Angeles ? 13.9

Louis Amundson, Phoenix ? 11.1

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.? Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season