D-Wade’s got a new coach.The Miami Heat just announced that, to no one’s surprise, Pat Riley has stepped down as head coach. They also announced that, to a lot of people’s surprise, assistant Erik Spoelstra will take over.
First off, did anyone not see this coming from Riley? This has been his pattern every since Dwyane Wade’s rookie year. When the team is good, he’s all about coaching. When they stink, he skulks back to the front office. Then when they do something like pick up Shaq and become a title contender, guess what? Riley gets “the itch” to coach. So in that regard, Spoelstra better hope Miami doesn’t land Mike Beasley or Derrick Rose, grab some free agents and become a force in the East again. If that happens, he’ll have a knife sticking out of his back before he knows what hit him.
Who is Erik Spoelstra? He played college ball at the University of Portland, his dad was a longtime executive with the Blazers, and he’s been working with the Heat for 13 years. (Funny, because Spoelstra looks like he’s about 17 years old.) It was said in the press conference that within the organization it was pretty well-known that he’d be the guy to eventually take over for Riley down the road. (Still, you have to wonder what Bob McAdoo is thinking right now. He’s got Hall of Fame credentials as a player and he’s been assisting Riley for a while. And Ronnie Rothstein, who Riley had stand in for him while he was off scouting players during the middle of the season.)
The initial reaction around here: the potential here for Ricky Davis eating Spoelstra alive is ridiculously high. That is, if Ricky even knows who Spoelstra is. You have to think Miami does whatever they can to move Ricky Buckets, not to mention Mark Blount and any other guys who could make the new coach’s transition more difficult than it has to be. And on that note, where does Shawn Marion fit in all this?
April 28th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
GEE...Don't be mad UPS is hiring! says:
Riley should have left the game after that last championship with the heat. So many coaches and players have a hard time leaving the game gracefully.
I am glad dude is gone and GOD bless this cat behind him.
Where is Paul Silaaaaassss! I must be the only head checking for him?
April 28th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Sam I Am says:
Screw the Heat..wack amatuers …Riles is a coward, almost villain like
April 28th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Onswitch says:
Ricky Davis is a Free Agent.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
First of all ricky is a free agent so we can be rid of him by not signing him unless free agencey changed. Second, Spoelstra got the job because he’s young so he can coach for a long time and he’s a fan favorite down here because he’s hispanic (I think). Also I’m sick of everyone killing Riley for what he did in ‘05-’06 he stepped in because Van gundy proved he couldn’t coach that team he lost game 7 of the eastern conference finals in the last 2 mins. and the team had a 10 & 10 record with a team that should have been at worst 15 & 5.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
fallinup says:
It’s over for Miami about as soon as the glory came. All they can do is rebuild, and Dwyane will get sick of it and want to leave to. They have to trade Ricky…no doubt about that. Riley is just plain spineless. Stan Van Gundy should have gotten that ring, not Riles. And @ Marion….you’re out of PHX, on a crap ass team. The Suns troubles right now prove how much you were needed. Now you’re reduced to a scrub on a scrub team. Good choice, bro….good choice.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
fallinup says:
My mistake…just let Ricky walk. But in defense of Stan Van Gundy, he took the Heat deep into the playoffs before Shaq. And mind you, that team started the season losing big.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
Don’t get me wrong I didn’t mean to down Van gundy he just couldn’t coach that particular team as well as Riles did
April 28th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
hahns says:
i think the thing to ask is:
is it worth it to mortgage your future for the sake of a championship?
ppl have been killing the heat for their pathetic season…and while i think they deserve 95% of the criticism…but i think its worth mentioning that this whole mess was the product of a championship run in ‘06- which, in a way, justifies their complete and utter collapse. its not like they put together a contender that had upside and then totally evaporated (ie bulls). they were the nba champions! although they have a long road ahead of them…i kind of dont like how every gm is enchanted by the idea of building a dynasty..which is why this season has been so exciting, bc so many teams pulled the trigger on winning NOW.
maybe im totally off, but is boston totally immune from what happend to miami?
April 28th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
good point hahns boston is actually 3 times more vulnerable because they don’t have ane budding superstars i.e. Wade in the heat Shaq deal or STAT in the suns shaq deal
April 28th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Prof. TX says:
In other words, Riley named someone that he can come in and replace if the Heat start doing well again.
Sign a decent PG from somewhere, put him beside the Wade/Marion/Beasley set and that’s a playoff team in the East.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
doc says:
Riles dont care, but when he came back he collected a ring and dont nobody know if Van gundy woulda did that.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
foolio_iglesias says:
Seriously,how many Timberwolves have to die?Stop the slaughter of innocent Midwest NBA players,click to sign the petition below.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
Erik Spoelstra?
….is that the asian/spanish looking mofo on the miami bench? always wearing them cheap suits….is that him?
April 28th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
riley is a straight punk ass puss.
why dont he just fire himself as president and leave miami?
April 28th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
cora says:
WOW. he is a humor guy,many friends like to chat with him online on tall dating site ___Tallmingle.c o m___,He often told us some funny jokes. Seems he is famous on that site,especially some hot models talk with him positively.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
girllybballluver says:
Good riddance to Riley! I don’t like the way he screwed over SVG. Miami’s loss is Orlando’s gain.
Please let Ricky walk.
Convince Marion to stay.
Sign a GOOD point guard. (J Will just ain’t gonna get it).
We’ll be ok. Let’s just forget about this 15 win season and have a productive off season.
Much love to Haslem**
April 28th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
AY says:
pat riley is awesome. he had a 10 year grace period to deliver what he said he was supposed to deliver; now that the team he architected is the worst team in the nba, he fires himself as coach but still remains team president. If I took 10 years to deliver what i said i would deliver at work, i sure hope someone fires me to drill some accountability into my skull. This guy is a legend, he needs to run for political office.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:15 am
bill says:
would love to apply to the job!
Good situation
April 29th, 2008 at 5:49 am
sans says:
I check Silas too, Gee…but MacAdoo was M V P! That should catch an extra look for his first coaching gig.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
Ok someone stop this talldatingsite.com foolishness!!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
kowtz says:
Erik Spoelstra… Yeah… Fil-Am represent…
One thing you got to know about coaching in the NBA, a coach is as good as his staff…
Asst Coaches do all the work… and Head coaches take care of pre game speeches, confrontation bridges, substitution, calling timeouts, and yelling at someone’s lazy ass…
April 30th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Ashley says:
My best team of NBA is Miami Heat and I always follow them wherever they go if only have some time. I do not care if Heat tickets are always a little bit pricy but prices mean nothing to me when the matter is related to my favourite team. Miami Heat tickets are pricy but we should never mind when we want to watch our favourite teams. Without doubt there are other NBA teams that are great teams too but I have a special love for Heat and always do my best to attend heir games.