Wow. Just heard this on ESPN radio. I've always been a big fan of Riles, but he's gotten soft in his old age. Not to mention the talent level isn't the greatest in Miami. Interesting to have 2 Van Gundy's coaching now.
Stan looks nothing like Jeff...Jeff looks like a 4 ft zombie, yet Stan looks like a used car salesman..g...go figure!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1645777 Thats a surprise, I guess he was put up with all of the refs last year. I still respect the guy as a coach, and he was an original San Diego Rocket.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/...artnersite=espn Associated Press MIAMI -- Pat Riley resigned as coach of the Miami Heat on Friday, saying the team's rebuilding process is on track enough for him to step aside. Riley ranks second in NBA history with 1,110 victories, and he led the Los Angeles Lakers to four championships in the 1980s. But the Heat missed the playoffs the past two years, finishing last in the Atlantic Division at 25-57 last season. He will be replaced as Miami's coach by Stan Van Gundy, his top assistant the past several seasons. "It's the first time I feel it's right in the last three years," Riley said. "It's right for me to. It's time." The move is not health-related, Riley said, adding that he made the decision Wednesday. He will stay on as the Heat's president. Riley, 58, was voted one of the top 10 coaches in NBA history in 1996. His 21 seasons running NBA teams include from 1981-90 with the Lakers, 1991-95 with the New York Knicks and 1995-03 with Miami. He was the NBA's Coach of the Year in 1990, 1993 and 1997. Riley led the "Showtime" Lakers of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988 league titles. With the Knicks, he had more of a defense-oriented, bruising team that lost to Houston in the 1994 NBA Finals. With the Heat, though, Riley never duplicated that sort of success. His Miami teams lost in the first round of the playoffs four times, and only made it as far as the Eastern Conference finals once, losing to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in 1997.
Let's hope he stays retired. Pat Riley almost single handedly destroyed the once beautiful game of basketball...
Funny situation for Odom. Odom demanded out of LA to play for Riles ,and only Riles. Now Riles is gone I wonder how Odom feels. Anyways,he got paid $$$ and thats all that matter to these players these days. ON another note, remember that movie Twins? arnold = stan danny devito = jeff
I'm surprised by the timing of this move, because I thought Riles would step down after last year's stinker of a season. So the question is, will he stay upstairs or possibly go somewhere else simply as a coach?