ducks
08-30-2004, 12:23 PM
Shaq has Riley on Cloud 9
Whether it's actor and friend Michael Douglas or just a casual acquaintance, Heat president Pat Riley has been greeted with the same reaction everywhere he has gone the past seven weeks.
''Wow!' '' Riley said. ``Everyone I come in contact with, that's all they say. They know our good friend Pat has gone through hell the past two or three years and they know I'm so happy I got a player . . .``Michael Douglas will be down for a few games . . . Jimmy Buffett called me from the middle of Kansas -- he was finishing his CD, License to Chill, and said, `Is this [ Shaquille O'Neal trade] happening for real?'''
Joy, anticipation, disbelief. For Riley, this is what acquiring Shaq has brought to his franchise, its fan base, even his celebrity friends. Since the trade, Riley has attended the first week of the Olympics while piecing together an intriguing supporting cast. He addressed several issues last week:
•*On the pieces around Shaq, Dwyane Wade and Eddie Jones: ''We needed people who could shoot, and we've done that. Damon Jones is perfect for this team. He's a low-turnover guy, an incredibly high three-point shooter. Rasual Butler is going to have a good year. Malik Allen and Udonis Haslem are going to flourish -- they are the perfect compliments for Shaq. We got exactly what we needed with Wesley Person. Our team is very balanced. we need to get a little more toughness, a primary defender who can play against Ron Artest and Richard Jefferson.'' (Miami recently worked out Seattle free agent forward Ansu Sesay.)
•*He said ''there is nothing'' to reports linking Eddie Jones to Memphis. Riley's excited about seeing Jones play with Shaq because Jones has ``a slash and cutting game and you have a center who is a great, great passer. Eddie was third in the league in three-pointers without a post-up game. He will have a prolific season.''
•*How does his team compare to Detroit? ``We have pieces we can match up. There's no doubt this team should be a contender in the Eastern Conference. I'm not going to say this should be a two- or three-year development thing. It's all about now.''
•*He said in the coming months, he would like to extend O'Neal's contract, which has two years left but an opt-out after next season. ''We've had long discussions about it -- it's going to be a partnership,'' Riley said. ``We have to make sure we keep Shaq here and healthy for the next four or five years.''
[b]•*He hasn't spoken with free agent Karl Malone, ``but we would love to talk to him and sign him.''
•*On the sharp rise in ticket sales: ''It's amazing.'' In terms of generating profits for their teams, ``there have been only two players worth the money they earn -- Michael Jordan and Shaquille. . . . I'm just so happy for Micky Arison because he has invested so much money for this team. He built the arena. Now he's reaping some of the rewards.''
•*Riley, who expected the U.S. men to win the gold, was ''stunned'' by the blowout loss to Puerto Rico and said Wade ''has been up and down'' in the Olympics. ``The one thing I abhor [about Olympic basketball], and it drove me from coaching, [is] the zone defense.''
•*Riley has not had recent conversations with Arison about a contract extension beyond next season. He's interested in giving a job in the organization to Bimbo Coles if he retires.
www.miami.com/mld/miamihe...527637.htm (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/9527637.htm)
Whether it's actor and friend Michael Douglas or just a casual acquaintance, Heat president Pat Riley has been greeted with the same reaction everywhere he has gone the past seven weeks.
''Wow!' '' Riley said. ``Everyone I come in contact with, that's all they say. They know our good friend Pat has gone through hell the past two or three years and they know I'm so happy I got a player . . .``Michael Douglas will be down for a few games . . . Jimmy Buffett called me from the middle of Kansas -- he was finishing his CD, License to Chill, and said, `Is this [ Shaquille O'Neal trade] happening for real?'''
Joy, anticipation, disbelief. For Riley, this is what acquiring Shaq has brought to his franchise, its fan base, even his celebrity friends. Since the trade, Riley has attended the first week of the Olympics while piecing together an intriguing supporting cast. He addressed several issues last week:
•*On the pieces around Shaq, Dwyane Wade and Eddie Jones: ''We needed people who could shoot, and we've done that. Damon Jones is perfect for this team. He's a low-turnover guy, an incredibly high three-point shooter. Rasual Butler is going to have a good year. Malik Allen and Udonis Haslem are going to flourish -- they are the perfect compliments for Shaq. We got exactly what we needed with Wesley Person. Our team is very balanced. we need to get a little more toughness, a primary defender who can play against Ron Artest and Richard Jefferson.'' (Miami recently worked out Seattle free agent forward Ansu Sesay.)
•*He said ''there is nothing'' to reports linking Eddie Jones to Memphis. Riley's excited about seeing Jones play with Shaq because Jones has ``a slash and cutting game and you have a center who is a great, great passer. Eddie was third in the league in three-pointers without a post-up game. He will have a prolific season.''
•*How does his team compare to Detroit? ``We have pieces we can match up. There's no doubt this team should be a contender in the Eastern Conference. I'm not going to say this should be a two- or three-year development thing. It's all about now.''
•*He said in the coming months, he would like to extend O'Neal's contract, which has two years left but an opt-out after next season. ''We've had long discussions about it -- it's going to be a partnership,'' Riley said. ``We have to make sure we keep Shaq here and healthy for the next four or five years.''
[b]•*He hasn't spoken with free agent Karl Malone, ``but we would love to talk to him and sign him.''
•*On the sharp rise in ticket sales: ''It's amazing.'' In terms of generating profits for their teams, ``there have been only two players worth the money they earn -- Michael Jordan and Shaquille. . . . I'm just so happy for Micky Arison because he has invested so much money for this team. He built the arena. Now he's reaping some of the rewards.''
•*Riley, who expected the U.S. men to win the gold, was ''stunned'' by the blowout loss to Puerto Rico and said Wade ''has been up and down'' in the Olympics. ``The one thing I abhor [about Olympic basketball], and it drove me from coaching, [is] the zone defense.''
•*Riley has not had recent conversations with Arison about a contract extension beyond next season. He's interested in giving a job in the organization to Bimbo Coles if he retires.
www.miami.com/mld/miamihe...527637.htm (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/9527637.htm)