Back to the Future

Just prior to the 2003-04 season, Pat Riley announced he would step down as Miami Heat Head Coach and focus solely on reconstructing the team as President. He said he would give duties of walking the sidelines to a young protege. Less than five years later, Riles recycled that script, with the exception that Pat Riley would announce his decision while the first-round playoffs were still undergo.

I am elated that Pat Riley will no longer coach this team. As President and Head Coach, Riley has done too much damage to this team. They went from champs to barely making the playoffs to zero. This past off-season, I only think Riles should have traded Antoine Walker. In fact, I wouldn't have minded him getting rid of Gary Payton, Jason Kapono, James Posey, and the rest of the players that left Miami. The problem was that he surrounded Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal with a bunch of bad players. There's an old saying that goes "What makes you a leader is who you surround yourself with." Pat Riley surrounded himself with players who were not interested in winning, and they sunk to the bottom of the League.

I must admit, I was somewhat surprised when Pat Riley had the courage to concede that he hasn't done the best he could have as coach. Riley cited a promise he had made to himself that if he could not coach to the fullest of his potential, he would know it was time to shut it down. Yesterday, he knew it was time. We all knew it was time.

Nonetheless, I would have been more satisfied if Pat Riley went to live on an island for the rest of his life and not partake in the Miami Heat again. Since his decision to draft Dwyane Wade in 2003, it has been hard to argue that Pat Riley has made the right decision in recruiting young players. While he has made significant, and sometimes beneficial, changes to the roster, the vast majority of those players do not spend a substantial amount of time on South Beach. Moreover, Pat Riley has been infamous for not going very deep in his bench.

If history repeats itself, Miami will make a shrewd choice in the Draft, pick up a few pieces to become a resurgent team before adding a perennial All-Star to take them to the Promised Land. And no, somewhere in the middle of that Riles won't announce his decision to return to the sidelines. Pat Riley said that he is officially retired from coaching with the NBA, as he was recently elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. For now, I'll take his word for it.

I like the decision to choose Erik Spoelstra as the assistant coach. He has had a lot of experience, especially with Wade, the team's centerpiece. However, there is a more important underlining in this. Spoelstra brings youthful vigor and a fresh approach to this team. With a core nucleus of Wade, Shawn Marion, and a high first-round pick, possibly Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley, Spoelstra can work with a more youthful squad.

If Spoelstra is a coach who will bring change to this team, willing to inject a hunger and desire into this team, as well as discipline this team, they could go far. However, Pat Riley still sits atop the Miami Heat Organization. If the Heat continue to move in the direction they are going, they are looking for a very energetic and youthful group of players. Riley has had a long-held priority of veterans over inexperienced newbies. By giving one of two jobs to Erik Spoelstra, who will be the youngest coach next season, Riley may have finally gotten over his obsession. What he does in the next few months will determine where this team is headed.