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MIAMI – For the first time in over a year, Miami Heat President Pat Riley addressed the media at length on Friday at Kaseya Center, reflecting on the past season and touching on future thought.
Among the topics addressed during his annual State of the Heat session:
– Of his comment a year ago on choosing not to extend Jimmy Butler in the offseason, Riley said. “I’m not going to apologize for saying no on the contract extension.”
– As for how it played out with Butler from that point, Riley said, “It’s over. It’s done. I wish him well.”
– But he also said, “There’s no doubt what happened with Jimmy had a tremendous impact on our team. The buck stopped with me. I’ll take that hit. What happened in the regular season, I don’t want to discuss.”
– As Butler plays on in the playoffs with the Golden State Warriors, Riley said, “I wish him well. Good luck to him. And I hope deep down in his heart, he wishes us well too.”
– Of where his team heads next, Riley said, “I think we do have to make changes. There’s no doubt. There has to be some change.”
– He added, “Change is the highest form of sanity.”
– As for the ability to do so, he said, “We have a lot of flexibility. That’s where the blueprint is going to come from this summer.”
– And, yes, he said there is a path, “We’ve always found a way to rebuild the team.”
– He added, “I’m going to live on my track record.”
– Of his team’s lack of scoring in recent years, Riley said of Erik Spoelstra, “He’ll figure this out.”
(This story will be updated).
Continue reading...
Among the topics addressed during his annual State of the Heat session:
– Of his comment a year ago on choosing not to extend Jimmy Butler in the offseason, Riley said. “I’m not going to apologize for saying no on the contract extension.”
– As for how it played out with Butler from that point, Riley said, “It’s over. It’s done. I wish him well.”
– But he also said, “There’s no doubt what happened with Jimmy had a tremendous impact on our team. The buck stopped with me. I’ll take that hit. What happened in the regular season, I don’t want to discuss.”
– As Butler plays on in the playoffs with the Golden State Warriors, Riley said, “I wish him well. Good luck to him. And I hope deep down in his heart, he wishes us well too.”
– Of where his team heads next, Riley said, “I think we do have to make changes. There’s no doubt. There has to be some change.”
– He added, “Change is the highest form of sanity.”
– As for the ability to do so, he said, “We have a lot of flexibility. That’s where the blueprint is going to come from this summer.”
– And, yes, he said there is a path, “We’ve always found a way to rebuild the team.”
– He added, “I’m going to live on my track record.”
– Of his team’s lack of scoring in recent years, Riley said of Erik Spoelstra, “He’ll figure this out.”
(This story will be updated).
Continue reading...
