Pat Riley was not going to let it happen. He was not going to go out having failed in giving it one last chance. He was not going to watch the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, his two biggest nemeses, win two of the last three NBA titles without making one more run of his own.
The 81-year-old Hall of Famer is in my mind the greatest of all-time when it comes to success along all three platforms: player, coach, executive. And look beyond the nine NBA titles.
This is a man who led the Lakers, Knicks and Heat to the NBA Finals 15 times as coach and/or president. Winning multiple titles with L.A. and Miami.
Riley would have been a Hall of Famer as a coach even if he had never become an executive, and as an executive even if he had never coached. Add in a nine-year NBA career after All-American honors at Kentucky, and no one has done it better.
Others certainly have won more as a player, as a coach, as an executive. But Phil Jackson never won as an executive. Jerry West never won as a coach. Red Auerbach never played in the NBA.
When the Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors started, it was believed — no, expected — the Heat would be in the mix. After all, Pat Riley didn’t earn his reputation by sitting quietly when Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway and Eddie Jones and Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James and Chris Bosh and Goran Dragic and Jimmy Butler all were available or looking for new addresses.
And he surely was not going to start counting his rings and sitting back, feet up, hair slicked back, looking over the blue Atlantic with Chris, his wife for more than 55 years, and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon by his side.
Not with a chance to land a two-time MVP and 10-time All-Star whose skills are so unique at 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan that he’s been labeled the Greek Freak.
Miami Heat land Greek Freak in blockbuster trade on eve of NBA Draft
The news came, not unexpectedly, late June 22, less than 24 hours before the start of the NBA draft. The Heat and Milwaukee Bucks finalized a deal that included six players and four picks plus a pick swap. The key figures being Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami; Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware to Milwaukee. The Heat also gave up three first-round picks.
Riley is at the top of South Florida’s Mount Rushmore when it comes to sports. That will not change by however this last gamble plays out.
Some might say Riley was desperate gambling on a player entering his 14th season who will be 32 in December and coming off a limited season in which his numbers slipped while being plagued by calf and knee issues.
All that and soon eligible for contract extensions of three or four years for $214 million to $275 million.
But the Heat have been stuck in purgatory for many years, a regular in the play-in games of late. Miami did not make the playoffs last season for the first time since 2019.
And Riley acknowledged that following last season saying, “The last three to four years, with the exception of when we went to the finals (in 2023), I’m not proud of.” He threw in words like “pissed,” “disappointed” and “disgruntled” to describe his mood.
Given that and Riley’s age, Giannis was the perfect target for one last run.
Pat Riley takes gamble in one last attempt at another title
Now, it’s up to Riley, GM Andy Elisburg and coach Erik Spoelstra to push this team beyond its limits.
And there will be a few.
Giannis and 6-9 Bam Adebayo are not exactly complementary centerpieces. And they will eat about 65 percent of the Heat’s cap space next year, a number that will rise.
Those restrictions, from pairing two superstars who each will consume a lot of paint space to adding quality depth, will be a challenge.
But one Riley has faced, and conquered, in the past.
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Pat Riley’s last big swing? Why Heat traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Reporting by Tom D’Angelo, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tom D'Angelo, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
