MIAMI _ The ink on his $52 million free-agency contract still drying, Dion Waiters has emerged as the face of the Miami Heat.
A day after appearing with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports 1, Waiters moved over the network's other prime talk outlet, sitting in Tuesday with hosts Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe on Undisputed.
Days after Bayless anointed the Heat as the prime challenger in the Eastern Conference to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Waiters took a respectful stance, despite prodding from Bayless.
"They got LeBron, man, they got Kyrie (Irving), they've got Kevin Love. They're still good," Waiters said of his former team. "At the end of the day, they still have talent. I don't know what moves they're making or what they're trying to do."
Bayless then interjected, "They haven't done much," with the Cavaliers' having re-signed Kyle Korver and added point guard Jose Calderon and journeyman forward Jeff Green.
"So we have to sit and wait to see what goes on," Waiters said. "But we're not worried about that. This is all about the Miami Heat."
Sharpe then playfully reached for his cell phone, mocking as if he was talking to James.
"What was their record last year against the Heat?" Waiters countered.
The Heat went 3-1 against Cleveland in 2016-17, with two victories coming in games James sat out.
"Oh, so you bragging about that?" Sharpe said.
"No, I'm not bragging," Waiters said.
Asked about the Heat's chances it they were to make the conference finals against the Cavaliers, Waiters said, "I like our chances against anybody over seven games. We're just different, man. We're dogs. We're a bunch of dogs. That's it. We come from the jungle. That's out motto, 'We come from the jungle.' "
Asked about center Hassan Whiteside, Waiters said, "He can be the most dominant big if he wants to."
Waiters said he views the Heat as possessing a unique mix, having re-signed James Johnson and added Kelly Olynyk in free agency to a core that also includes Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic and possibly first-round pick Bam Adebayo, the big man out of Kentucky.
"Our lineup, our chemistry is just different," he said. "We got a bunch of guys who do every little thing. Like James Johnson, he plays one through five. We got Wayne Ellington, we got J-Rich, Justise Winslow. We got Kelly Olynyk. We got Bam, the kid we just drafted. He's a little monster.
"And of course you got me, you got the dog. You got the dog. I like our chances against anybody. I actually feel like that, because I know what we can do."
