Back in Miami, Eddie's feeling like money

MIAMI -- He said the hoop looked like a peach basket. It was wide and big and waiting with open arms for almost everything that left his hand.

As Eddie Jones helped lead the Heat to a 103-70 victory against Chicago on Wednesday night, it seemed like he couldn't miss. Jones had a season-high 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the three-point line.

Eddie Jones must be living right. Fans are chanting 'Ed-eee! Ed-eee!' (Getty Images)

With each made basket, the crowd showed their appreciation. Chants rang out at AmericanAirlines Arena of "Ed-eee! Ed-eee! Ed-eee!" throughout the fourth quarter. Jones appeared to blush between jumpers.

"I heard it," said Jones, a Fort Lauderdale native. "It's great. It's a great feeling to come back here and play at home. The fans still have a lot of love for me."

It's not the first time Jones heard his name chanted since coming back to Miami on Feb. 2 after receiving a buyout from the Memphis Grizzlies. But it's a different reaction than Jones had when he left the Heat in 2005.

Jones was thought of as an overpaid player who couldn't hit a clutch shot. The Heat lost to Detroit in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2005, and Jones was part of a major trade that shipped him to Memphis, while the Heat added parts such as Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey.

He then had to watch from a poker table at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. as the Heat won the NBA Championship last year. Fans came up to him there and said, "You should be a part of this," after the Heat clinched the title against Dallas on June 20.

Jones, 35, admitted he felt left out.

"I wanted to be on that team," Jones said. "You wanted to be a part of that greatness. I knew they were going to win it. I told people they were going to win it."

Jones then returned to Memphis for his second year with the Grizzlies, and they started out as one of the worst teams in the NBA. Jones wanted no part of it, and the Grizzlies agreed to buy out the final year of his contract.

Free to sign with any team, Jones returned home, passing up offers from Dallas and Detroit. It has been a perfect fit so far for Jones and the Heat.

"What a jewel find for us," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "We need him."

Jones has been needed more than he ever imagined. He was expected to be a key role player off the bench. He would play defense, hit open shots and be a leader.