Eddy Curry, Shane Battier on Miami Heat’s radar

Eddy Curry’s predicament is clear: If he loses at least 40 more pounds during the lockout, then the Heat likely will have renewed and genuine interest because Pat Riley remains highly intrigued by the 7-foot center. The question is whether he has the discipline to achieve that mighty challenge.

Curry, 28, reportedly topped 350 pounds during his late March workout for the Heat. He lost a lot more weight — in excess of 20 pounds — between that point and late June, when he auditioned again for the Heat over several days.

But he entered the lockout still at least 40 pounds overweight, according to a league official briefed on the situation. “You watch him shoot and he’s got great touch, good hands,” said a player source who was invited to Curry’s multiplayer Heat workouts in late June. “He’s very skilled. But it’s a question of whether he gets more serious. He’s got a long way to go.”

The Heat has strong interest in Samuel Dalembert, a better rebounder and defender than Curry, but Miami will be in the mix for Dalembert only if there’s a mid-level exception in the new labor deal. Regardless, the Heat again will check on Curry after the lockout, then decide whether to offer him a minimum-salary deal.

Regardless of whether James Jones re-signs (and there’s mutual interest), we hear forward Shane Battier will be very much on the Heat’s radar after the lockout. The Houston Chronicle, after interviewing Battier, said “don’t be surprised” if he signs with the Heat or Bulls.

The Heat long has admired Battier and fellow free agents Tayshaun Prince and Grant Hill, but the question is if any will take less money to sign here. Hill told The Arizona Republic “it would be nice” to re-sign with Phoenix. Detroit wants to keep Prince.

Of those three, “Battier would be the best fit — when you play Dwyane Wade or LeBron James at the point, you want a three-man who can shoot,” said Kerr, who likes Jones in that role. Battier made 102 three-pointers last season (38.2 percent), compared with 45 for Hill (39.5 percent) and 34 for Prince (34.7 percent). If the Heat signs Battier, Prince or Hill, it could create playing time by having Wade or James assume more ball-handling duties when Mario Chalmers is out of the game.