Walker, Posey sit after failing to meet conditioning goal

MIAMI -- Heat forwards Antoine Walker and James Posey were deactivated for the team's game Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers because they didn't meet team body-fat mandates.

Heat coach Pat Riley, who also announced Wednesday that he was taking a medical leave of absence, said Walker and Posey may be back after one or two games. However, they could face suspension by Jan. 15 if the goals are not met.

"There's been an ongoing conditioning goal that our team has had to make since the summer. ... January was the deadline, they haven't made it, and they knew this was going to happen if they didn't make it," Riley said. "By the way, both of them are in the best condition of their lives. They're very close. But a deadline is a deadline."

Neither player will travel with the Heat to Phoenix on Thursday, instead staying behind to work with team strength and conditioning coach Bill Foran. Miami opens a six-game Western road trip against the Suns on Friday, and it's possible both could join the team sometime during the swing.

Both players said Wednesday they are 1 percent over the limits Riley has set for them. Posey said his body fat is 9 percent, Walker said his is 10 percent.

"He wants the weight to be down and he has his standards, I guess, for the bigs and the perimeters or whatever," Posey said before the game. "It's the weight and for the perimeters (it's) 8 percent body fat. ... I'm at 9 percent body fat. And, that's not eight."

Added Walker, speaking after the Heat's 110-95 loss: "We're not talking about something that's major. We're talking about 1 percent. It's not a farfetched goal. It's something I can get to fairly quickly and hopefully rejoin the team in a couple days."

With center Shaquille O'Neal (knee surgery), forward Wayne Simien (recovering from salmonella poisoning) and guard Dwyane Wade (sprained wrist) all out for Wednesday's game, the absence of Walker and Posey meant the Heat dressed only 10 players against the Clippers.

"It's an organizational thing, something that's been coming," Heat interim coach Ron Rothstein said. "The players knew."

Posey is averaging 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds this season, while Walker is averaging 7.9 points and 4.1 rebounds on 40 percent shooting.

"I've been doing the things I need to be doing, and that's to maintain my weight right now," Posey said. "So all I can could do is keep working and that's what I've been doing to this point."