Seattle (0-8) at Miami (1-6)

Tipoff: 4:30 p.m., AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami.
TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM.

Series: Miami won both meetings last season, taking the past four overall. Seattle holds a 25-13 advantage all-time.

Scouting the Heat: As luck would have it, Dwyane Wade makes his return from offseason left knee and left shoulder surgeries tonight against Seattle.

Miami Heat coach Pat Riley announced during his pregame talk that Wade would play but not start in his first appearance of the season.

“He has been as diligent and as careful as I think anybody can be with your primary asset,” Riley said. “This isn’t something that we haven’t thought long and hard about. We’ve been monitoring his workouts and there are a number of therapists that have been working with him. But there’s got to be a time. And let’s go out there and see how it goes.”.

NBA champions just two years ago, the Heat have pretty much been a train wreck this season. Miami only averages 83.3 points a game, fewest in the NBA. Udonis Haslem (14.1 points, 10.6 rebounds) has assumed a leadership role with Wade out. Riley appointed Haslem a team captain. Shaquille O’Neal leads Miami in scoring (15.3 points per game).

Things have gotten so bad for the Heat that Riley said he might take the floor after the team’s 91-76 loss to Charlotte.
Riley had this to say when asked what he could do to generate some offense.

"Me? Play. I guarantee you I should suit up. I'd play better than some of them right now," Riley said Tuesday night. "I guarantee it. I swear to God. With an old hip and 62 years old and I can't see, I'll play better than some of my guys tonight. Come on, they were pretty bad."

Added a despondent Shaquille O’Neal.

"It was very, very embarrassing," O'Neal said.

Scouting the Sonics: Robert Swift will sit out his second straight game. He is still dealing with soreness in his repaired right knee. And Luke Ridnour also will not go. Ridnour has pain in his left quad. He had an MRI today, but the results have not been released yet.

Earl Watson will start at point guard in place of Ridnour. Carlesimo said he prefers to go with Watson over Delonte West because Watson pushes the ball more. And he likes bringing West off of the bench with Wally Szczerbiak, Jeff Green, and the rest of the second unit.

“We have to get Delonte pushing it a little more when he’s playing at the point guard position,” Carlesimo said. “I do like the ability to kind of bring him in where we want to bring him in. From the beginning I’ve like him and Wally and Kurt kind of coming off the bench. If we don’t get the kind of start we want I feel really good about putting those guys in and helping to solidify things. And Jeff’s kind of in the same position right now.”

Kurt Thomas will start tonight at center instead of Nick Collison because of his experience guarding Shaq.

So the starting lineup for Seattle tonight is Watson (PG), Kevin Durant (SG), Damien Wilkins (SF), Chris Wilcox (PF) and Thomas (C).

I talked some with Nick Collison during pregame because I wanted to get his thoughts on last night’s game, particularly because he playing against Rashard Lewis most of the time.

“All year we’ve struggled,” Collison said. “But we haven’t played as bad as we did last night. So I think it’s good to get back out there and hopefully play like we’re capable of and try to get a win.

“It’s no less important than last night’s game, but it’s the most important because it’s the next game. And that’s how we’ve got to look at all of them.

Collison, who finished with a team-high 15 points and six rebounds, said he’s looking to shoot the ball more on the perimeter when he has an open jumper.

“I’m trying to, when I’m open, realize it before I catch the ball and let it fly,” Collison said. “I think that’s a big thing for me is anticipating when my shots are going to come.”

Listen to the Collison conversation here.
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Next: Friday at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m., Philips Arena.