By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
MIAMI (AP) — Briante Weber has worn the Miami Heat uniform before, for about a week back in October when he was trying to make the team as a preseason longshot.
He was back in Heat colors on Sunday.
"Only this time, it’s for real," Weber said.
That it is, and at a very real time for the playoff-bound Heat. Weber was signed Sunday as a free agent, a long-awaited move as the Heat work to fill out their roster to the maximum 15 players for the end of the regular season. The final move in that plan is expected to come on Monday, when former Heat player Dorell Wright is likely to close his free-agent deal to return to Miami.
Weber’s last stop was with Sioux Falls, Miami’s affiliate in the NBA Development League. The defense-minded guard will now be making a quick transition from the D-League playoffs to the NBA playoffs.
"Every time I talked to the staff in Sioux Falls they said Briante is a Miami Heat guy," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I heard that enough over the weeks that the way he was playing, the success of the team, his impact on the success, he became a guy we wanted to invest time into."
Weber played in six NBA games last month with Memphis, starting four of them and averaging 4.8 points and 3.3 assists.
"I can take that experience and say, `I can play here,"’ Weber said.
Weber was undrafted after four years at VCU, finishing his college career as the school’s all-time leader with 374 steals. He also was a three-time Atlantic 10 defensive player of the year.
"For me, excitement, that’s me," Weber said. "The level of excitement is just going to be the same it’s been, but at another level. Just grateful to be here and for the opportunity."
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