Riley not finished yet
Heat president Pat Riley said Monday he will coach the team three more seasons, and insisted he's ''not done'' reshaping the team's roster this summer.
''This is what I love doing,'' he said, adding it was a difficult decision to continue coaching and one that ``I put a lot of thought into.''
Riley, 62, said he spoke with owner Micky Arison and decided, ``I don't want to be a one-and-done guy every year. I have three years left on my contract, and I will try to coach those out unless somebody else makes a decision on me. That's a commitment I want to make to the organization. . . .
``After the two rebuilding years, I was absolutely burnt. Three or four years ago, I was looking to get out of it totally. I don't feel that way anymore. When I was going through those two years of losing, I just wanted to go to Mt. Everest. I didn't have any joy. That's changed.''
Riley, who said he has no health problems, said it's ''purely coincidental'' that Shaquille O'Neal's contract also runs three more years and that Dwyane Wade can opt out of his contract at that point, too.
Riley addressed several other issues:
• Riley -- whose biggest offseason moves were adding Smush Parker and Penny Hardaway -- indicated he continues to pursue trades.
''We have $14-$20 million in one-year contracts if I wanted to add them all up and do something,'' he said. (That would include Jason Williams at $8.9 million and Michael Doleac at $3.13 million, plus several other smaller contracts.)
''There are a lot of discussions going on, and it's not just about free agents,'' he said. ``We're not finished by any stretch of the imagination. . .
``I understand the prognosticators who are saying we are taking a step back while everybody else is taking a step forward. We feel like we're right in the game and looking real hard at doing some things that are going to help this team. You know me. We're not going to stop. We'll find somebody. We're still a very, very good team. I'm happy to go to training camp with what I have.''
• Asked if Williams will enter camp as the starting point guard, Riley said the position is a ''wide-open'' competition between Williams and Smush Parker.
Williams has missed 44 games during the past two seasons. ''We need a guy . . . that's out there 70 games a year at least,'' Riley said. ``Jason has worked extremely hard. We send therapists to see him [in Orlando] every two weeks. He's in great health, he says right now. We need stability night in and night out.
``If Jason is healthy enough to compete every day in practice and compete every game, it will be a great battle. . . . Smush Parker can make the three. He has size.''
• Riley said he would be ''happy'' starting Antoine Walker on opening night if a small forward isn't netted via trade, pointing out he was the Heat's starter at that position during its championship run. But he said Walker ''definitely is going to have to have a better year than last year.'' Riley said there's a chance Dorell Wright could start at small forward, noting he has grown to 6-10 ½ and might be ready for a ``break-out year.''
He said the team ''likes'' restricted free agent Mickael Pietrus ''because of his defensive abilities. The only way it's going to happen is with a sign-and-trade. We've talked a lot about the possibilities with him.'' But discussions between the Heat and Golden State haven't produced a deal, and Pietrus is exploring another undisclosed option, his agent said.
• Riley didn't sound optimistic about re-signing James Posey: ''We're in conversations, but the reality is the reality. . . . We don't want to be a big-tax team.'' (The Heat is about $1 million above the $68 million tax threshold.)
• Riley didn't save the Heat's entire $5.3 million midlevel exception for a small forward, such as Pietrus, because point guard ''was a greater need.'' Smush Parker got $2.2 million of the exception.
• Though Boston (Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen), New York (Zach Randolph) and Orlando (Rashard Lewis) made major acquisitions, Riley pointed out ''a couple'' of those teams also lost ''a tremendous amount of assets to get them'' and mentioned the Magic, which lost Grant Hill and Darko Milicic.
Asserting his team is ''right up there with the rest'' of the quality teams in the East, Riley said he doesn't think Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland have improved. ''They got a year older,'' he said. ``Our best player was 50 percent at the end of the year. We weren't a very good team last year. It doesn't mean we can't be what we were the year [before]. Don't let last year's exit change your thinking.''
Of the Heat's relatively quiet offseason, Riley said, ''It's not for lack of trying'' and also said the team probably waited too long for a response from point guard Mo Williams, who re-signed with Milwaukee.
• Riley said he extended to Eddie Jones the same $1.8 million offer that Jones accepted from Dallas. ''I told Eddie I wanted him back at our exit meeting,'' Riley said. ``For some reason, he moved on.''
• Riley expects a mid-November return from Wade, who had knee and shoulder surgery.
• Of Hardaway's signing, Riley said, ``Penny will bring us what Eddie [did]. He's in great shape, a playmaker. He can really help a team. He's been great with [rookies] Jeremy Richardson and Daequan Cook.''
• Riley said he wants to speak with Gary Payton, who is not expected back, before commenting about him.
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