Commissioner Stern on Riley's scouting

Commissioner David Stern weighed in on Heat coach and president Pat Riley missing several games last month while scouting for the upcoming NBA draft at the NCAA Tournament. Off all teams, the Heat has the highest probability of landing the top pick in the random, but weighted draft. Miami has a 25-percent chance of getting the top pick and is assured of no worse than the fourth choice.

"If I had the first draft pick, I'd want to sort of see it a little bit in the flesh, too. I don't have a problem with that," Stern said on a conference call with reporters Monday. "Usually the way our teams operate they can choose from one of six assistants who, in many cases, are responsible for interfacing with the players at various levels and have head coaching experience themselves. I don't see any great issue there."

For all the controversy and people who criticized Riley for scouting, the commissioner indicated he is not uncomfortable with Riley's choice.