The High Court

Deep Thinkers Only...

Riley Can’t Stand Pat

July 18, 2005

 

According to reports coming out of south Florida, Miami Heat president Pat Riley is set to pull the plug on Stan Van Gundy’s tenure as head coach of the team.  This move would seem to ignore the fact that the Heat came within one game of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, and would allow Riley to take over a team poised to contend for the 2006 NBA title.

 

With over 1100 wins and 5 NBA titles to his record, Riley hardly needs the job to add to his resume.  So what gives?  Riley talks openly about missing the locker room, the practice court and the camaraderie that goes along with coaching and in his own words “taking a more active role with the team.”  While Riley has stated that changes are not imminent and that Van Gundy is still the coach, sources close to Riley and the organization claim the opposite is true.  It seems clear that Riles want to roam the sidelines again, even if he has to fire Van Gundy.

 

As a coach, I can relate to Riley.  He had been an NBA head coach for 21 years until deciding to step down just prior to the start of the 2003-04 season.  At that time, Riley looked spent and exhausted from having overseen the Heat’s decline in the Eastern Conference.  The 2002-03 Heat compiled only a 25-57 record, the worst of Riley’s career.  In fact, Riles had seen the Heat below .500 the year before at 36-46, the first losing season in his career.  Just a few years earlier, the Heat had been among the elite teams in the East, though they were never able to break through in the playoffs.  The frustration was immense, and Riley looked ready to step away from the coaching grind for good. 

 

In October of 2003, Riley had had enough.  The team was picked near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, so it seemed like a good time to get out.  Whether or not Riley ever planned to return to coaching was not clear, but it seemed unlikely.  The plan was for Riley to spend more time trying to improve the Heat from his position as team president, and let the rookie coach try to grow with the young team.  It appeared as if Riley would ease off into coaching retirement and take on the challenge of rebuilding the franchise from the luxury box.

 

But the 2004 Heat surprised under Van Gundy and finished with a 42-40 record and pushed Indiana to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.  Riley was exuberant, and was thriving as an executive without the added pressure of coaching.  2003 draftee Dwyane Wade proved to be a steal, and carried the team from day one.  Now the franchise suddenly appeared alive, so it was time for Riley to make a big splash in the off-season.  What a big splash it was!

 

In the summer of 2004, Riley pulled the trigger on a multi-player deal with the Lakers that brought Shaquille O’Neal to South Beach.  Some actually wondered if the price tag of Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and Caron Butler was too high.  Shaq and Riley quickly silenced any critics.  Under Van Gundy, the 2005 Heat racked up the best record in the Eastern Conference, finishing 59-23 despite O’Neal’s occasional injuries.  Even with Shaq and Wade suffering from nagging injuries, Van Gundy guided the Heat to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals with Detroit.  And this is where the story turns.

 

With the two best players on the court struggling at less than 100% physically, Miami dropped Game 7 at home to the defending NBA champion Pistons.  At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but lurking behind the scenes was a physically rejuvenated Riley who couldn’t stop thinking about what he would do if he were the coach.  And now 2 months after the fact, we are discussing his possible return to coaching.

 

Undoubtedly, Riley was bothered by the fact that Miami only scored an average of 81 point per game in their four losses to Detroit.  As a retired coach, Riley probably spent time thinking about how to remedy this problem.  That’s what retired coaches do.  They never stop thinking the game.  With two years away, Riley had recharged his battery and surely felt that he was best suited for taking the Heat to the championship level.  But as team president what could he do about it?  Riley couldn’t take his championship know-how and surgical implant it into Van Gundy’s mind could he?  No.  So…

 

Riley is now faced with a dilemma.  He sees the franchise he has largely shaped and developed on the cusp of NBA elite status.  As team president, he is proud.  As an old coach, he is anxious.  Anxious to take on another challenge, sure, but mostly anxious to personally lead the Heat over the threshold. 

 

When coaching is in your blood, it is hard to sit back and simply watch.  Riley has done that for two seasons, and he is thankful for the success Stan Van Gundy has brought the Miami franchise.  But now, Riley wants back into the competitive arena to do the one thing he truly loves to do – the one thing he was born to do – coach. 

 

I can’t approve of Riley timing, but I also understand why.  Had he moved earlier, Van Gundy would have had his choice of several NBA jobs; now, Riley leaves Van Gundy without many options for coaching next season.  But Riley has agonized over this decision knowing that Van Gundy doesn’t deserve to be fired.  But Riley also knows that he personally deserves to be the one to finally lead the Heat to the NBA’s promised land.

 

Coaches know that the profession isn’t fair going in.  Stan Van Gundy would tell you that himself.  And I suspect the SVG would also tell us he knew this day could come.  When your boss is a 60-year old Hall of Fame coach, there is always a chance he might want to make a comeback.  That time is now.

 

I don’t blame Riley.  I really don’t.  Coaches love to coach and Riley is in a position to place himself at the head of the Miami bench.  I think he has earned that right.  While some will criticize him for returning only now that Miami is a contender, remember that Riley bit the bullet for two seasons as he re-tooled the Heat.  So now he wants to reap the rewards of his hard work and shrewd business moves.  To that I say, go for it.  And don’t be surprised to see Pat Riley hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy next June. 

Will the Heat go crazy for a sharp-dressed man?  It may just be rumor, but The Powdered Wig thinks Riley’s return to the bench just might the final ingredient to bringing a title to South Beach.  (AP)