Riley settling into new role with Heat, once again
The fact that he isn’t coaching anymore won’t change that.
Almost to a man, everyone in the Heat locker room, even those who never played for him, still call him “Coach Riley.”
On that point, Riley is clear: It’s Spoelstra’s call.
“All I’ve experienced in my two years prior to this is coach Riley running everything,” third-year point guard Chris Quinn said. “But coach Spo was my summer league coach for two years, so I kind of have a little taste of it. It’s exciting, kind of a new beginning, especially after last year. It’s exciting to have another year and to get things going.”
Riley is still around, but will lead from the front office, not the front lines.
“My role is that I’m the president of basketball operations and my job is to try to build this team back to where we want to become a championship contender again,” Riley said. “I want to do that as quickly as I can. But I’ll do it from behind my desk. I’m not going to be out there in front. I think it’ll be a lot like it was the last time. … I know where my place is.”
“I know he’s an X-and-O coach. I know that part of the game, from that standpoint, he’s very knowledgeable,” Riley said. “He’s going to be organized. He’s going to be disciplined. And I think he’ll bring it out on the court, every single night.”
The new era of Heat basketball – with Erik Spoelstra the coach – opened with the start of training camp Saturday, and Riley insists he couldn’t be happier.
A Hall of Fame coach with 1,210 wins, seven championship rings and an iconic legacy in the league, Riley decided five months ago that the time was right to turn the keys over to Spoelstra, who worked his way from the video room to the coach’s chair in 13 years.
Riley met with Spoelstra constantly during the offseason, talking about how to revamp the roster while keeping salaries below the luxury tax threshold; the Heat did that with a mere $415,000 to spare.
His office is a short walk from the practice floor, he’ll almost be a fixture at most games – whether he’s visible or not – and still has a powerful voice in every Heat personnel decision. Plus, Spoelstra isn’t shy about saying he’s a product of the Heat culture, the one Riley installed when he arrived in South Florida in the mid-90s.
But their chats were about players, not plays.
MIAMI (AP) -The Miami Heat gathered on their practice court, the squeaks of sneakers and the bouncing of basketballs echoing off the walls. It was like countless workouts before. This time, however, Pat Riley wasn’t the coach.
