Not All Douglas’ Teammates Welcome Him

Point guard Sherman Douglas’ contract dispute with the Miami Heat apparently caused a breach in his friendship with teammate Rony Seikaly.

Douglas rejoined the Heat this week and played for the first time Thursday night. He scored 10 points and had seven assists in a 113-109 overtime loss to Seattle.

Several Heat players said Douglas isn’t speaking with Seikaly, who publicly criticized his teammate during the contract stalemate and called Douglas “hard-headed.”

Seikaly and Douglas played together at Syracuse. In this season’s Heat media guide, Douglas listed Seikaly as his closest friend in the NBA.

Neither player would comment on the status of their relationship.

Heat Coach Kevin Loughery said he wasn’t aware of any problem.

“I can only speak about my conversations with Sherman, and I think his mental approach is pretty good right now,” Loughery said.

Douglas signed a seven-year, $17-million offer sheet with the Lakers Dec. 13, and the Heat matched it a week ago. Though 12 pounds over his normal playing weight, he looked good in his first appearance after missing 30 games.

“He added a spark we needed,” Loughery said.

But the coach said nothing about when, or even if, Douglas might replace rookie Steve Smith in the starting lineup.

“I can learn a lot from the bench,” Douglas said. “I shouldn’t be here breaking anything up. I just want to play. That’s why I’m here.”