Allen Iverson may not be able to straighten out his right arm because of off-season elbow surgery, and he may not be in game shape after playing just one game.

But the fact is, he's back. And that means last year's NBA Most Valuable Player is going to demand plenty of attention on the floor.

In previous years, Heat coach Pat Riley had a designated defender who would cover the opposition's best player. Six games into this season, no Heat player has emerged as a go-to defender.

Eddie Jones would like to accept that kind of responsibility, but he admits he still is not the type of defender Riley wants him to be.

"I'm getting to that point," Jones said.

With the Lakers and Hornets, Jones gained a defensive reputation, even making the NBA All-Defensive second team three times, by playing the passing lanes and piling up the steals. Jones led the league in that category in the 1999-2000 season, the year before he arrived in Miami.