Okay, all of you surprised that Pat Riley is taking over the coaching duties of the Miami Heat, raise your hands. Now, all of you who raised your hands, keep them there, so I may slap them with a ruler.
The much-anticipated takeover on the Heat sideline came to fruition yesterday, as coach Stan Van Gundy resigned, for "personal reasons", and president Pat Riley assumed the duties. I have a hunch Van Gundy’s "personal reasons" may have been Riley glowering at him and saying, "You’re through, pal."
The Van Gundy Watch began almost as soon as the Pistons eliminated the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last June. Riley casts a large shadow over any coach, and it all but swallowed up Van Gundy. And Stan is no twig, so you know how much shadow it takes to swallow him.
Pat Riley, it was suspected all summer, would have a decision to make. For even before Shaquille O’Neal went down with an injury on opening night, the prediction was Van Gundy might have trouble meshing new players like Antoine Walker and Jason Williams into the mix. Sooner or later, the so-called experts said, Riley would have to step in and save the Heat from themselves. That’s what happens when a Hall of Fame coach has keys to the executive washroom.
Sure enough, Shaq got hurt and the Heat, preseason favorites, in a paradoxical way, to win the conference, stumbled out of the gate. Despite a win Friday night, the record was an unsightly -- for them -- 11-10. Hardly the record of conference champs.
Enter Riley in a move about as surprising as a Lions draw play on 3rd and 12.
I am more than a little suspicious about Van Gundy’s resignation. He was Riley’s hand-picked guy, and there is certainly some mutual respect going on there. In fact, it was their relationship that had pundits gnashing their teeth over how Riley was going to handle a Van Gundy exit, as if it was pre-supposed. So the coach made it easy for his boss by quitting. I’m not buying it, but who cares what I choose to purchase from Pat Riley, right?
But the thing is, about guys like Pat Riley, you can take the coach off the sidelines but you can’t take the sidelines out of the coach. Men like Riley, and Chuck Daly and Hubie Brown and a bunch of dudes currently patrolling NBA sidelines, or sitting in television studios, are practically put on this earth to coach. Anything else they choose to do in between is considered a layover before their next gig -- even if that means years later. It’s what drew Dick Vermeil out of the coziness of the broadcast booth. It grabbed Mike Ditka, so much that he was willing to coach the New Orleans Saints. It even directed Vince Lombardi to quit as Packers GM and coach the Redskins. And, in the most extreme example, it convinced Brown to try his hand at it again, when he was 70 years of age and years removed from his last coaching job.
And now it lures Pat Riley, as most of us knew it would, eventually, no matter how happy he told us he was being the team president. The chalkboard and whistle and dry eraser always beckons. Daly called himself a "gym rat." It may have been uncomfortable watching him try to make chicken soup from the feathers he had to work with in Orlando and New Jersey after he left the Pistons, but that’s what he wanted and who were we to say, "You had your time in the sun in Detroit, Chuck -- time to give the young whippersnappers a shot"?
You see, being a coach isn’t what men like Pat Riley do. It’s what they are. And most of them return to it, sooner or later.
5 comments:
I agree totally and even in my season preview post at the old blog I predicted that Stan VanRonJeremyGundy Wouldn't last the season. I did say he would get fired though and not resign, but I agree with you, I think there is more to this "resignation" then we are being told. As in, like you said, Riley giving his "buddy" the chance to quit for "personal reasons" as opposed to just shit canning him!
Everyone knew this would happen. Some people even thought it would happen last year. If Riley ever wants a job in Miami, it's his. He could be 70 and ssay he wants to coach and they'll give it to him.
It will be interesting to see what Riley can do with this team. He put it together and I believe traded some key players for players better known for being distractions.
Dolphinfan echoes my thoughts: I think this might blow up for Riley the coach, because Riley the GM assembled a bunch of players, rather than putting together a team. This will be especially bad if Riley insists on playing the grinding style he used in New York and his first Miami coaching tenure.
Riley put this bunch of players together for one reason... to facilitate his move back to the bench. I all but guarantee that come the trade deadline Walker and possibly White Chocolate will be gone. He knew that this would be a bad mix and give him more of a reason, in the public eye, to justify returning to the bench. He was just buying time, assuming that the 1-2 punch of Wade and Shaq would be enough to get them thru the playoffs no matter how big a hole they dug themselves into in the beginning of the season. I really would be surprised if those guys survived the trade deadline, I really would.
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