| | |  | | Has Riley's affection for the average P.J. Brown hurt the Heat's progress? |
No one ever questioned Pat Riley's knack for motivating players. His methodology, yes. But not the results.
But five years into his campaign to win a title in Miami, Riley's missteps in personnel matters have brought him to the brink of virtually having to start over.
In fact, it is fair to say that if the Heat don't get to the NBA Finals this spring, Riley will blow up the team and start over again. Even if he gets his team to the championship round for the first time, Riley may have to make major changes -- if he has the stomach to do it.
One Eastern Conference executive, requesting anonymity, said, "Pat's the typical case of the coach who over-reaches and wants to control personnel. Two things happen: The coach gets so mad at a guy he moves when he can't get value; the other side is he falls in love with a guy and doesn't have the heart to trade him."
Riley is the second example. He's held on to power forward P. J. Brown beyond all reason when he had a chance in two separate deals to freshen his roster and bring brilliance and excitement to a team that has been fairly criticized for being too predictable.
Only 16 months ago Golden State offered the Heat guard Latrell Sprewell in exchange for Brown and Dan Majerle. Riley refused to part with P.J., even though Knicks forward Kurt Thomas (an ex-Heat player) was out there for the taking at the middle class exception. Thomas wanted to come back. Instead, Riley ended up with Otis Thorpe, with whom he's been at odds.
Suppose Riley had pulled the trigger on Brown. His lineup would have been Alonzo Mourning, Thomas, Jamal Mashburn, Sprewell and Tim Hardaway. Try to defend that quintet.
A year ago Riley's affection for Brown led him to turn down the No. 1 pick in the draft from Vancouver. Riley could have gotten Lamar Odom or Steve Francis.
Neither of these deals will be around this time. Brown, 30, is a solid player coming off a season of 9.6 points, 7.5 rebounds. He's never going to be better than he is today and his value in the market place is limited.
If the Heat had Sprewell, the uncertainty of Hardaway would not be quite so painful. Sure, Hardaway is tough and capable of brilliance and, yes, he was able to come back from his sprained foot to play against the Knicks on Sunday. But the foot is incidental. Hardaway's future is going to be limited by his bum knee. It's bone on bone in there. It's not going to get better. It's why the Heat can only sign him for next season. Riley would be crazy to give him a long-term deal because Hardaway would be on his cap long after his career was over.
Mashburn could have been dealt last January for Larry Hughes, but now the capped-out Heat can't do better. Riley resisted the trade so Philadelphia went out and acquired Toni Kukoc.
We'll learn if Mashburn has what it takes this time. He shot a combined .366 in three previous playoffs with injuries to mitigate his poor performance. If he struggles again and the Heat are ousted by the Knicks in this series, where is Mashburn's trade value? He might as well stay now.
A few more things for Riley to ponder:
Brevin Knight is the only solid, veteran point guard available in the marketplace and Knight probably lacks the physical size to play Riley's demanding game.
That leaves it up to young Anthony Carter, who caught some eyes filling in for Hardaway this season. Trouble is the Heat can't give him more than the $2.25 middle class exception. His agent, Bill Duffy, says Carter will accept nothing less.
If Carter gets the money, Riley can't give it to Bruce Bowen. And if either gets the exception, Riley can't go after Isaiah Rider, which is a story in itself.
The exiled Hawks guard told friends in Portland he expects to be playing for the Heat next season. But he would want the exception as well. Minnesota's Kevin McHale, who had Rider his first three years in the league, says somebody will take a chance on the wayward guard. "The good thing about our league is, as many bridges as you burn, you've got to burn 29 to be out of it. He's burned a few. Like I've always said, though: ax-murderer by day, great player by night -- you've got a job."
But Rider could be undone by an undisciplined rookie named Rodney Buford, who for the second time this season was caught with marijuana, this time during a traffic stop on Miami Beach last week.
Buford and Rider probably don't know each other. But Heat owner Mickey Arison is a major cruise ship operator. Does he really want to show his employees in an industry that deals daily with U.S. Customs
that he is willing to hire another guy with misdemeanor dope convictions on his record?
Around The League
Knicks assistant coach Brendan Malone offered this bouquet on Patrick Ewing: "I came into the league 14 years ago with the Knicks and he was the hardest-working player on our team then. He still is the hardest-working player on our team now. And he has not stopped believing that he is an outstanding player. I think that's what carries him: his work ethic and his tremendous belief in himself as a player. Everyone wants to dismiss him and send him out to pasture. He refuses to listen to that."
Butch Carter says Mike Woodson and Isiah Thomas had ulterior motives for supporting Bobby Knight in opposition to his book. Ready for this? "Woody and Knight are investors in about 3,000 apartments in the Bloomington area," Carter said. He claimed that Thomas, mentioned for the Hawks' coaching job, is beholden to Knight because the Indiana coach is a hunting pal of Ted Turner. Poor Butch...
Jeffrey Denberg, who covers the NBA for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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