Pat Riley is one of Isiah Thomas’ mentors, so it’s not surprising that Riles possesses some of the same survival instincts that Isiah is famous for flaunting.
According to reports out of Miami, Riley will announce later today that he’s stepping down as the Heat’s coach but will remain as team president. That’s a little better deal than the make-believe job Isiah managed to latch onto after being removed from his coach and president positions by Donnie Walsh, but you get the idea. It’s a pretty soft landing for Riley after winning 15 games this season with a team that won the NBA title only two years ago.
Riley is widely expected to name his assistant, Eric Spoelstra, to replace him on the bench. This is the same approach Riley used in 2003 when he stepped aside and promoted Stan Van Gundy to head coach. In that case, Riley got tired of sitting around watching film, so he pushed Van Gundy out and went back to the bench just in time to get all the credit for the Heat’s championship run with Shaq and Dwyane Wade. This time, there’s no such juggernaut to lure Riley back. The rebuilding process he’ll be overseeing as team president is a formidable and long-term job.
If Riley is finished coaching, he goes out with seven championships and 1,210 victories – third-most in league history. But Miami is 59-105 since winning Riley’s seventh title.