By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Dwyane Wade needed two weeks to declare himself healthy enough to play for the Miami Heat again. Mike Miller will need about two months before he can say the same.
Miller had surgery Friday to repair a broken thumb and ligament damage, injuries sustained in a freak accident during practice two days earlier, and the team said he likely will be sidelined until January. Miller's operation came on the same day Wade worked out with some teammates, the first time that's happened since he strained his right hamstring Oct. 5.
"It felt all right," Wade said. "I've been working out and I've been in the gym, so today was no different, just another day to test my hamstring out even more. I'm feeling good. Ready to move on to the next day and get some practice under my belt so I can be ready for the opener."
Wade is expected to practice with the team Saturday. As long as his leg continues to feel right, he'll be in the lineup for the Heat opener in Boston on Tuesday night.
"No setbacks, I'm there," Wade said.
The Heat likely were relieved that Wade didn't have any setbacks just by being on a dangerous court Friday. Wade worked out in Tampa on the floor where the Heat and Orlando Magic were supposed to play -- a game that was canceled because of unsafe court conditions, with players saying it was very slippery in some spots, too sticky in others.
An oil-based cleaning solution was believed to be the problem, officials at the St. Pete Times Forum said.
So although he wanted to watch his entire team -- and get more information to make roster decisions -- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra settled for just seeing the 2006 NBA finals MVP on the floor for a little while again.
"Dwyane was just so excited to be back here, even though he can't play," Spoelstra said.
Miller was injured Wednesday when his right thumb got snarled in a teammate's practice jersey during a post drill. Spoelstra said Miller texted him a bizarre idea -- tape up the thumb, shoot it with a painkiller and try to play through the pain.
It took Spoelstra 20 minutes to talk Miller out of the idea. Instead, a 45-minute surgery was the course of action. Miller will be shifted from a cast to a brace sometime next month.
"It's good to finally have resolution about his injury and now a course of action to make it better," Spoelstra said. "It's unfortunate. I feel very bad for Mike. I know how badly he wanted to get this season started in the right way. He's down right now ... but it's an unfortunate reality of our profession."
The Heat have been looking at bringing another player in since Miller went down. They have met several times to discuss their options and apparently have settled on giving veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse an opportunity.
Stackhouse, who said repeatedly this summer that he wanted to play for Miami, was expected to take a physical on Saturday.
Wade has missed virtually the entire preseason because of the injury and obligations involving a trial in Chicago that'll decide custody of his two sons.
Received 10/23/10 12:07 am ET
