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He & Zo should retire. They're greedy and will go out w/o winning the le in their last season.
With a le to defend, Riley won't retire
By Greg Cote
[email protected]
Pat Riley has every reason to retire, this time for good. Nobody would blame him if he did -- if he decided to enjoy the view from the mountaintop in perpetuity rather than start the climb all over again. Everyone would understand. His would be a heroic farewell. Perfectly timed. Storybook stuff.
He won't do it.
He'll be back.
Just like Alonzo Mourning, who finally got his championship ring but discovered he wants more.
Just like Gary Payton, who satisfied his career's hunger in the same way but found he isn't full yet.
They couldn't walk away from something as good as what the Heat has going, and Riley won't, either.
We don't know this yet, of course. Riley hasn't made his decision public, if he has made it even to himself. He continues on a family vacation in Africa, on safari, presumably searching not only for elephants and lions but for an answer in his soul.
He is to return next week, and bring a decision with him.
Riley announcing he is retiring as a coach wouldn't be particularly surprising, let alone a shock. How can it not be a close, tough call? How tempting it must be for Riley, at age 61, to let this past season's vindication be the taste he savors for all time, after Miami's NBA le ended an 18-year drought for him since the last of his three coaching championships in L.A.
The lack of that ''one last ring'' haunts Don Shula to this day; it is what he mentions first when asked about disappointments. It is that same personal regret that Riley saw disappear last month, the anvils on his shoulders replaced by angels.
So why think he will come back?
Intense lobbying from his players, for one thing, led by the team's unquestioned leader, Shaq, and by the player closest to Riley, Zo.
His players want Riley back for the same reason Heat fans should. That he is the best coach in his sport might be arguable. That he is the best coach for this team is not.
(The media's wish for Riley's return would qualify as equally selfish. There is a depth and eloquence to Riley rare of anyone, let alone coaches. The man gives better quotes than Bartlett).
Greed might be an even bigger part of Riley coming back -- but good greed. The understandable kind.
The chance to shepherd Dwyane Wade's growth from star to superstar to perhaps the greatest player in the league, and to watch this from the best seat in the house, will be too much to pass up. Too much greatness to pass up.
So will the chance to continue on the same side as Shaquille O'Neal, who, even in gradual decline, still is the most dominant center in the game. It was mindful of Riley and Shaq when, earlier this week, Shula told us a small anecdote about his greatest Dolphins team that we had not heard:
''When we were the visiting team, we'd make Zonk get off the bus first,'' Shula said of Larry Csonka, ``because we wanted other teams and everybody else to see this big, strong guy representing us.''
The choice for Riley is to coach Shaq and Wade again or watch some other coach do it. To bequeath this largely intact championship team to some other coach or keep it for himself. Could you blame Riley for feeling proprietary about that? For getting greedy?
We would surmise that a strong sense of history also will factor in driving Riley's return.
Teams that win one championship tend to fade fast in relevance from a broad view. They are thought of parochially, as big stories in their own city or region but not nationally.
Win two in a row and you become America's story. You go nationwide. History pays attention.
If the Heat can repeat -- not merely contend, but repeat -- the team will take its place alongside the 1972-73 Dolphins as the greatest collection of athletes we have had. Wade and O'Neal would be invited to join that most exclusive pantheon where beloved Dan Marino resides. And Riley's stature in South Florida would grow to Shula-esque proportions.
Nationally, the word ''dynasty'' would enter the conversation. It takes two in a row to get all of that -- especially in the modern era, where back-to-back championships are still rare enough to stand out but also common enough to make single-win leists sort of disappear.
There have been repeat (or better) champions 25 times in the Big Four sports since 1970. That includes seven in the NFL (last by the Patriots in 2003-04), seven in the NHL (last by the Red Wings in 1997-98), six in the NBA (last by the Lakers in 2000-01-02) and five in MLB (last by the Yankees in 1998-99-00).
Patriots. Red Wings. Lakers. Yankees. Big teams. National teams. The kind of teams that history saves a spot for beyond that single line in the list of yearly winners. Winning back-to-back gets you there, and Riley has a chance to lead the Heat to that place.
It's hard to imagine he will be satisfied to step aside and watch another coach try.
He & Zo should retire. They're greedy and will go out w/o winning the le in their last season.
can you find out the name of this golden prize?
it shows up once a year, not acquired freely,and cannot be obtained by 1 man but only a team of 15 at a time?
Why would he retire?
Coming from a Mavericks fan???Why would he and Zo retire???
Because he needs more time to be in the sun...his face isn't dark leather enough
Why not go out on top? The odds of the Heat winning the le again this season aren't very good (it could happen though) and Riley & Zo have nothing more to prove. Plus, Zo has that not-so-little health issue. An NBA season brings a lot of stress on the body and Zo is the last guy that needs that. He'll probably play and be ok...but why take the chance?Coming from a Mavericks fan???
Wow!!!Should have expect this from a Mavs fan.Because he needs more time to be in the sun...his face isn't dark leather enough
I told ya'll that him and Zo will be back next season.
lol..after you win a championship most people don't retire lol
You're right!
Paris Hilton?
Who here honestly gives a rats ass about Pat Riley? He didn't do that Gundy couldn't have done.
they are good indeed,the only team that i could see giving us a good tough matchup is the spurs(if they finally manage to get a decent center)but if you were talking about the eastern conference,no way!the cavs and bulls still need more experience,the pissed ons fluke is over(but they are still overrated tho).oh and i forgot the suns could also giveus some trouble if they get the amare,nash and marion trio back on track,but still there is no answer for the shaq attack and the flash!
*ahem*patrick riley is the only coach to take over almost midway through the season and lead the team to the le,sorry dude but van gundy has not done this.
i am against lust but i think that was pretty funny
ahem... not really
The Heat do well WITH Pat Riley. I don't know about without him. He is the mastermind behind the whole thing. It is kind of like the Lakers Phil Jackson who was the mastermind behind the Lakers. They had kind of the same kind of team as Miami: Shaq and a sharp shooter...Kobe! Now with the Heat it is Shaq and a sharp shooter...Wade. Kind of the same thing. The interesting thing about this was that for all the Lakers Finals Championship wins they got defeated in 5 games by none other than the Pistons. Call us a fluke if you want, but we brought the Lakers dynasty down in 5 games!! And I am sure if we brought the Lakers dynasty down, someone can bring you down next year. These older guys will all be sorry they did not go out on top!they are good indeed,the only team that i could see giving us a good tough matchup is the spurs(if they finally manage to get a decent center)but if you were talking about the eastern conference,no way!the cavs and bulls still need more experience,the pissed ons fluke is over(but they are still overrated tho).oh and i forgot the suns could also giveus some trouble if they get the amare,nash and marion trio back on track,but still there is no answer for the shaq attack and the flash!
Spurs could give you trouble next year and so could the Suns. Nash, Amare, and Marion are quick! But the Mavs could give you trouble too. Their coach seems to be pretty smart. He nearly won the championships in his first full year of coaching!! How many coaches you know that can do that? He will be smarter next year. You will have your hands full no matter who you meet if you are the ECF winner!
The Heat do well WITH Pat Riley. I don't know about without him. He is the mastermind behind the whole thing. It is kind of like the Lakers Phil Jackson who was the mastermind behind the Lakers. They had kind of the same kind of team as Miami: Shaq and a sharp shooter...Kobe! Now with the Heat it is Shaq and a sharp shooter...Wade. Kind of the same thing. The interesting thing about this was that for all the Lakers Finals Championship wins they got defeated in 5 games by none other than the Pistons. Call us a fluke if you want, but we brought the Lakers dynasty down in 5 games!! And I am sure if we brought the Lakers dynasty down, someone can bring you down next year. These older guys will all be sorry they did not go out on top!
Spurs could give you trouble next year and so could the Suns. Nash, Amare, and Marion are quick! But the Mavs could give you trouble too. Their coach seems to be pretty smart. He nearly won the championships in his first full year of coaching!! How many coaches you know that can do that? He will be smarter next year. You will have your hands full no matter who you meet if you are the ECF winner!
Finally you gave the Heat some credit.I agree with you.The Heat do well WITH Pat Riley. I don't know about without him. He is the mastermind behind the whole thing. It is kind of like the Lakers Phil Jackson who was the mastermind behind the Lakers. They had kind of the same kind of team as Miami: Shaq and a sharp shooter...Kobe! Now with the Heat it is Shaq and a sharp shooter...Wade. Kind of the same thing. The interesting thing about this was that for all the Lakers Finals Championship wins they got defeated in 5 games by none other than the Pistons. Call us a fluke if you want, but we brought the Lakers dynasty down in 5 games!! And I am sure if we brought the Lakers dynasty down, someone can bring you down next year. These older guys will all be sorry they did not go out on top!
Spurs could give you trouble next year and so could the Suns. Nash, Amare, and Marion are quick! But the Mavs could give you trouble too. Their coach seems to be pretty smart. He nearly won the championships in his first full year of coaching!! How many coaches you know that can do that? He will be smarter next year. You will have your hands full no matter who you meet if you are the ECF winner!
Yeah he could. Riley wields a really mean knife that he uses to stab his own coach (Van Gundy) in the back when the moment is right
RILEY, while being a good coach, is a !!!
I guess if you want to call that credit... go ahead! I'm just saying anyone can be brought down no matter who and that the Heat might win if Pat Riley coaches.
I like your sig.
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