Between a Pat and a Wade place

In this corner, standing 6 feet 4 inches from Schenectady, New York, a 5-time NBA champion, 3-time NBA coach of the Year, Hall of Fame Inductee and president of the Heat franchise ... Pat Riley.

And in the other corner, standing 6 feet 4 inches out of Robbins, Illinois, an NBA champion in 2006 and Finals MVP, reigning league scoring champion and face of the franchise ... Dwyane Wade.

If you thought the Ali-Tyson's Fight Night was the best battle of the ages to hit the street this summer, think again. Especially if this little Tit-for-Pat keeps up between Wade and Riley. The two have made what so far has been a pretty uneventful summer for the Heat plenty intriguing with this verbal sparring.

Actually, it's become a pretty one-sided ordeal since Riley went on the offensive on June 18 and said that no major roster moves could be done until he gets a commitment from Wade on an contract extension, which Wade becomes eligible to sign as early as Sunday.

Wade, feeling he's been rope-a-doped into a corner by Riley's stance, has since gone on a week-long counter-punching flurry to make sure everyone knows exactly how he feels about the Heat's perceived lack of activity in free agency and trades so far.

If you're a television, newspaper or radio journalist who hasn't heard Wade's side of the story (directly from the man himself), please step forward now. Anybody? Bueller? Nobody? OK, fine.

Riley wants to know for certain that Wade is here for the long haul before he does a major roster overhaul to get the Heat back into the title mix. Wade, who has one more guaranteed season on his contract, wants Riley to make the team a title contender now.

Who didn't see this coming?

For Riley, this was the danger of publicly making everything about 2010 for the past two seasons - almost as if the past two years didn't matter. By setting the franchise's watch on next summer, when there could be a major free-agent class of Wade, LeBron and Bosh, it has made July 1, 2010 the latest coming of Y2K.

And remember all the hype and hoopla and concern and money saving/spending that went into preparing for the world to change that day? Remember what actually happened? Nothing. Business as usual. Bueller.

For Wade, the danger of going so public with criticism of the team's direction and borderline calling out his current teammates is coming off like a player who forgot that he won it all in 2006 in this city, with this team and with this same man guiding the franchise. In that time, exactly how many titles have LeBron, Carmelo, Dwight, CP3, Amare or any of his closest NBA friends won? Again, Bueller.

The truth is Riley probably never should have publicly put this on Wade last month. And Wade shouldn't have launched his own campaign this month in response to Riley's comments.

But here we are. Between a Pat and a Wade place. Two powerful and influential men who are champions and want the best for the franchise. Wade said as much Thursday during a promotional golf event.

"We both want the same thing," Wade said. "We're just in two different positions. He has to deal with the money side of it. I have to deal with the playing side of it."

Wade also said Riley "opened up the wound" by suggestion that the only major activity this summer would be inactivity if Wade didn't extend. Egos have clashed. Each knows his success is tied to the other. 

Maybe they meet in the middle. Riley uses the mid-level exception to bring in some help now but bypasses the risky and major roster overhaul. Wade bypasses the extension this summer, reconsiders at the Feb. trade deadline and at least rules out signing with any team other than Miami next summer.

They got into this publicly. They should get out of it that way, too.

And as the clock ticks toward 12:01 Sunday morning, when that window opens for Wade to sign a three-year, $60 million contract extension, expect another Y2K moment.

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports)

Comments

[Queen Lames]

''I think people look at it and see it's not about the money,'' Wade said. ``If it was, I'd sign back [with Miami]. The Heat can pay me more money than any other team, so it's all about winning for me. And that's what I'm expecting more than anything.''

this says it all.Wade in a chicago uniform

[LM of Syd Aus]

Money talks and Bull Sh!t walks... Wade is here for life!!

[ebag]

let's get amare in a heat uniform already

[JESSE]

About time I'm feeling hopeful Pat The Rat is not going to be our Gm for long. Disturbing what a horrible job he has done. Overpayed J-will, signed walker to a horrible contract, traded Jamal for Eddie, Signed (Wright,Quinn,Diawara,Anthony,), Overpayed James Jones (AGAIN), let numerous key free agents go, and most mind bobbling of all!!! Made Walkers contract mistake even worst by trading for Mark Blunt!!!! That is freaking ludacris!! Who in their mind would want him on their team?? ok lets keep on. Let Posey go, let Kapono (Not much of a player but hey! he was knocking the 3's over here),Fired Stan, Hired Spo. Oh god let me stop I'm beginning to get sick! Good for the Heat Riles fighting a war he cant win because obviously Miami embraces Wade more than they do that scrub! They said it right in Espn "Riles for year has been playing catch up".

[JESSE]

And if somebody starts the "Oh but he got us the first banner" blah blah blah! He ain't do a damnnnn thhhaaaaannnnnngggg!!! Wade recruited Shaq. And Wade told him "You piece of poop plays got us wooped the first couple of games in Dallas, GIVE ME THE BALL AND WATCH WHAT I DO WITH IT!!!!"

[DMC]

Michael,

I don't get it....

Wade says he wants to see steps toward improvement before he signs...

but this is what I don't get...

does he think we AREN'T going to use all of that cap space to get as good as we possibly can get after we know he's locked in?

[Greg Gembe]

Jesse

"GIVE ME THE BALL AND WATCH WHAT I DO WITH IT!!!!"

How well did that work in game #7 vs Altanta this year? How well did that work for the Cavs vs Orlando when they put the ball in Lebron's hands and everybody stood around and 'witnessed' the Cavs lose?

You quoted ESPN and that pretty much sums up your basketball IQ. Riley a 'scrub'? Please. I don't have the space to even touch his NBA resume, and unlike current and past sports stars, his body of work off the court reflects his class also, not diminishes it. (Kobe, McNair, Irvin, Simpson, etc...)

Why does Wade think Riley doesn't have that same one singular goal of winning the Championship? He has repeatedly, not just the last month, stated the goal was to keep cap space open for 2010. That's why he hasn't bit into any big contracts for a short term fix.

Bring in AI this year, and get Bosh, NOT AMARE, in 2010...and keep hitting the Wizards GM to see if they would swap Caron Butler for that DC homeboy B-Easy. He's a possible future 20-10 playa......right!

[oh yeah]

JESSE,
you left out too much!!! what about the Rat passing on college pg of the year Jameer Nelson for Dorell Wright? when we needed a pg so badly?
what about 2001, when the Mason/Grant team played with such spirit and chemistry, and was headed for a nice playoff run? Zo comes off disabled list near end of season and greedy Pat, instead of leaving team intact and adding Zo as the best backup C in the game,(replacing Duane Causewell) instead destroys the chemistry of the team by making Zo the focus of the team and we get blown out in first playoff round? what about 2007, when Wade went down with major injuries, and the
team came together without him and ran off 9 straight (would have been longer but Shaq stopped hustling after they got assured a playoff spot) did Pat learn from his mistake of 2001 and insert Wade as best 6th man in the game when he returned so the chemistry wouldn't be disturbed? no way..greedy Pat again..threw Wade in as the focus and he was sub-par after injury and we got embarrassed by Bulls. not to mention he should have had Wade get his operation right away and be ready for the next season instead of jeapordizing the kid's whole career for the slim hope he would pull off another playoff miracle.
and who knows how far the Wade-Butler-Odom team we all loved might have gone if we built on it instead of sacrificing it for one Shaq title? who is to say with Wade playing as he did v. Mavs we wouldn't have won that year anyhow, and been a lot closer all the other years?
Yes, he's done some good things, but overall, i understand fully why they hated him in NY..,
and why he was voted the coach least popular among players to want to come play for. he is a greedy pig, willing to burn out careers for his own glory.

[oh yeah]

and while we are at it let's not forget Smush!

[oh yeah]

Gamba,
I agree with you too. Whatever Riley's faults,
he is not a"scrub" unless you want to call him that from his days as a bench player. but he was not a scrub, he was a pretty decent bench guy. and that has nothing to do with coaching. And he is a bright and articulate man, and he is willing to admit his mistakes, and is a class person. it's just that as a coach and gm he can't control his greed, and he makes errors in judgment accordingly. and i totally agree with you re putting the ball in any star's hands and everyone watches. it's madness, and hardly ever works. not even in 4th qtr. but Riley never stops going to it
with Wade. the only reason it worked v Mavs was that they stubbornly kept double-teaming Shaq instead of Wade. they never took the ball out of his hands for fear of Shaq. so that's the real value of a superstar..as a decoy. Kobe has learned that, Wade/Bron haven't.

[Greg Gembe]

Oh yeah

"Yes, he's done some good things, but overall, i understand fully why they hated him in NY..,"

When was the last time the Knicks were relevant?

oh yeah.....it was when Riley coached them.

Riley them to Game 7 vs the Rockets in the Championship. Those same Rockets who SWEPT the Magic the next year.

Homeboy, I can sit here and talk Riley's NBA career all day with you, but seriously, I've probably forgotten more than you ever knew. He's a winner, and no, not every move as a coach or GM has worked....but which coach/GM hasn't taken chances that didn't pan out? Did Riles know Dorrell Wright would be injury prone? Did he know Smush would blow a chance to play along side DWade in Miami, over some parking garage incident? C'mon man, do you respect ZO? Do you think ZO/Ewing/Magic/Thunder Dan and all those other players worked their butts off for someone they didn't respect?

Go back to your ESPN critiquing. They still hate Riley because his teams dared to battle against mjordan. Oh, how dare he. We've spent so much time and energy pumping him up as the greatest ever, and Riley's teams don't seem to bow in front of mj quite quick enough.

[Don]

About time I'm feeling hopeful Pat The Rat is not going to be our Gm for long. Disturbing what a horrible job he has done. Overpayed J-will, signed walker to a horrible contract, traded Jamal for Eddie, Signed (Wright,Quinn,Diawara,Anthony,), Overpayed James Jones (AGAIN), let numerous key free agents go, and most mind bobbling of all!!! Made Walkers contract mistake even worst by trading for Mark Blunt!!!! That is freaking ludacris!! Who in their mind would want him on their team?? ok lets keep on. Let Posey go, let Kapono (Not much of a player but hey! he was knocking the 3's over here),Fired Stan, Hired Spo. Oh god let me stop I'm beginning to get sick! Good for the Heat Riles fighting a war he cant win because obviously Miami embraces Wade more than they do that scrub! They said it right in Espn "Riles for year has been playing catch up".

Posted by: JESSE | July 09, 2009 at 11:06 PM
ARE U A NY FAN?
Pat Riley made us contenders from 96-01(zos injury) brought us back to a top team in 03, thru 2007, 1 bad yr, we are back in the playoffs. Ny hasnt been in the playoffs in 7 yrs. and many other teams have never been good. COME ON, this man brought us a title, won what 7 or so divisions, were contenders every yr during those zo teams, havent been a bad team longer than 2 yrs (02,03). Even precious KObe couldnt win a series since 04 until 08 when he got pao, not 1 playoff series.
GET OVER IT MAN< How can U bash PaT riley, we have been a great team for along time, even in down yrs, we come back from 15 and almost make the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Your just an idiot

[Don]

JEsse, all NBA Teams cannot stay on top. ala LA like I posted, your knicks who have been lousy for yrs and wont get lebron, look at OKC,Memphis,Clipps, Minny, MILW>< would they have not loved a pat riley making them contenders time and time again. He has built us over and over again, and we alawys are a solid playoff team, he went for broke in 05, and it paid off. period. they were older guys. Now, 1 down yr, we are poised to go on a 6-7 year run when he adds the next piece. When we win 3-4 more rings, and your Knicks are still in the lotto, then you can praise PAT THE RAT

[Don]

OH yeah, what has Kobe learned. he didnt win a playoff series until he got pao. AND, precious kobe fans , in 2005, with a decent bench , butler, and odom, precious kobe missed the playoffs. in 04, wade, with butler and odom took indy 6 games in the 2nd round. Precious kobe didnt win a playoff series till last summer, since the shaq trade. GET OVER IT. Its all about depth and talent.

[Don]

do u know how many franchises would have loved to be in our situation? come on, the 01 timing was all zos kidney, we would have had a great team wit zo in his prime, eddie, grant etc. in 04, passed on nelson huhhh. well, he got white choc in 2005 and we won a title. maybe if he drafts the 5 11 nelson we dont get chocolate, and we dont win the title. nelson looks good with hedo,lewis, and dwight around him, put him on a rebuilding team, and he is below avg. no one talked about nelson until this yr.

[Greg Gembe]

I wonder if Dorrell Wright would have contested Derek Fisher's three point shot that sent the championship game vs the Lakers to overtime. Hey, Jameel, you're up 3 with seconds to go....let him freakin' drive, but contest the 3. If he blows by you and makes a layup, you get the ball in bounds and win the freakin' game, maybe even the series. Yeah, Riley really messed that draft up.

[Dave]

For all the guys who love Riley and go on and on about his success all I have to say is what has he done LATELY? Coaching he was a disaster, as a GM he has been a disaster and the one championship we got was more a function of Wades gret play than anything Riles did. In 2009 Riley sucks. 2010 as if getting 2 max contract guys on the team will guarantee us anything. We need a team that has chemistry not just 2 stars who both need the ball.

[ebag]

what has riley done lately?

he turned a last place team into a playoff team in one season.

do you know how many last place teams have missed the playoffs for decades?

i am more worried about riley leaving this team then d-wade. there are plenty of superstars in this league, but very few competent g.m.'s

[gottaloveriles]

I've been a Heat fan since day one. Without a doubt the best thing to happen to this franchise was Pat Riley. The NBA in Miami would be a memory like the old Arena. So if you hate Riles you must hate the Heat. Maybe you idiots want Lewis/Shaeffel back.

[Ansel Floy]

You Heat fans who think Riley is a good GM kill me!! You think you will actually be better without Wade??!!! LMAO!!! Who has Riles brought in besides Shaq?? He traded away all his good players. Riles' time has past! No one plays his brand of Bball anymore! You are wasting D Wade in his prime by putting the onus on him EVERY SINGLE GAME to win the game. This years free agent market has some decent players. No one is saying you will win a chip but young players like a Paul Milsap from Utah, Hakeem Warrick, Channing Frye, Linas Leza, or heeellloooooo.....David Lee from the Knicks. There are players out there that can help right now that are young and won't break the bank. If you don't get Wade help you will continue to wear him down, and trust MIA fans there would be 31 other teams out there who would love to add a piece like a D Wade. You Put D Wade on a Chicago or a Minnesota and they win a chip! Do not take that dude for granted cause you do not replace that type of player easily! Seriously name me an impact pleayer besides Shaq that Riley has gotten since Wade has been there??

[JESSE]

You guys defending Riles are incredible lol!!!! I refuse to direct my attention to the nonsense you guys have posted. Riles SUCKS!!! END OF F-Ing STORY

[dsky0921]

Impact players Riley got after drafting Wade: James Posey (the NBA's golden boy for a couple seasons until he went to NO), Jason Williams (if he played better defense he'd be the perfect compliment to Wade), Gary Payton (hit the game winning shot to win a game in the finals, that's enough impact for me to be satisfied), Michael Beasley (will be an impact player). You may not like these guys but the fact of the matter is they had a severe impact on our trip to the Finals and we probably would have lost without them (especially Haslem's defense on Dirk). Not to mention players Riley brought in just before Wade entered the league (Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, etc.). Ignoring the guy's track record over the past 10 years or so is just ungrateful. He had some bad luck with Shaq after he quit on us and made a few bad moves and now everyone's ready to lynch the guy. I still have faith in Riley, he just needs the right deal to present itself. We couldn't have afforded to get any of the good FA's this off-season anyway, so everyone just chill, Riley has a plan.

[dsky0921]

Also while I really wished Marion could have worked out here, he just wasn't a good fit for our team which forced us to have a lot of money tied to a player that wasn't really working in our system...but can you really blame Riley for that? Marion was the only player available at the time with a contract that matched with Shaq's and who's team actually wanted Shaq (who was looking like he was ready to retire any second toward the end in Miami). Riley took what he could get in that situation and tried to at least parlay it into a big man that could help our team (again, he was really the only available player with a matching contract to Marion on a team who actually wanted Marion). Yes, the Ricky Davis and Mark Blount trade was a horrible move, but we were in desperation mode and Riley had to do something, he again took a risk on trying to improve the team immediately and it didn't work out. C'est la vie

[jeremiah]

This team will develop it's young players for another season to get them more experienced and playoff ready. As well as trying to teach Beasley how to play small foward. Then Riley will go after a star free agent in 2010 and at the very least he will come away with Carlos Boozer. If Wade decides to stay he'll have a great big man (Boozer,Bosh or Amare), Beasley, Chalmers, Cook and a few other role players. That is Riley's plan and Wade should try to show some patience.

[Ansel Floy]

And all those players you mentioned....GONE. All those players served their role, but your Chip never would of come beacuse of WADE! You expect Wade to commit when he see's nothing there. How many years you gonna wait on Beasly and Chalmers?? No doubt Beasly will be good, but when you have a SUPERSTAR you don't say, I am gonna wait, you continuously make moves to keep players around him. Orlando gave Bass something like a 4.3Million dollar contract. He helps for now and the future. If the plan is wait till 2010 to get another superstar that won't cut it becuase as you can see EVERYONE and they mama is banking on that. Many will overspend so you put yourself back in the same predicament. So what your saying is this past years 5th seed was a loss casue next year you probably won't make the playoffs if the roster remains the same. Everyone has gotten better, and on top of that you would be taking 2 more years off your superstar!! Like I said, there are players out there who are still young and you won't have to break the bank. Even if you get them you can still compete for next years free agent crop. Riley loves to overpay for veterans past their prime. He's still paying money to Antwan "twinkle toes" Walker. I guess you can see his plan...I guess. My plan is when you got a bonafide SUPERSTAR, you can't sit and wait and hope things turn your way. Every year your goal should be to at least make teh playoffs with a good mix of young players and vets so you never have to completely go into rebuilding phase. You ride that SUPERSTAR for as long as you can cause you never know when you'll get another one. As you can see Wade agrees cause he aint signin....so get ready to lose em next year!

[Ansel Floy]

With all do respect Chalmers and Beasly are at least another two years away. Also, look at all the good teams out there....the similar attribute they all share is DEPTH!!! MIA has no DEPTH! The free agents from this year who you don't have to overspend for will give you DEPTH! Orlando, LA, San Antonio, Portland, Houston, New Orleans, Boston, and to some degree Cleveland all have depth, and veterans mixed in with a good crop of young guys.

[jeremiah]

Kobe had to play with Kwame Brown, Luke Walton and Smush Parker in the starting lineup for 2 years, the only other good player was Odom. He also had to wait for Andrew Bynum to develope. You can say Gasol was their most valuable player 2nd to Kobe but they still needed Ariza, Bynum, Farmar, Vujacic, Walton and Odom. Beasley, Chalmers and Cook won't be the main pieces but you will need them next to Wade and whoever else they get Boozer, Bosh or Amare to truly compete and provide that DEPTH. If they could get a star right now without mortaging their future then go ahead but don't give evrything for one other player you could get a year from now.

[Ansel Floy]

HELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I am not talking about giving everything for one player. I said this years fre agents are not Bank breakers like next years will be. There is no more Hedo Turkoglu type free agents left that will garner 10+ Million a year. But there is the Brandon Bass type who Orlando got for a little over 4 million. Those are the tpe of players you build your depth around. With the guys out there you can get two of them for a combined 8 million a year that will play significant roles, are young or vets, that can make an impact. Then next year you go for your big time free agent. The way you want him to build is just go into next year will all your chips in like evereyone else. Next year you will end up paying anywhere between 12-15 million for one studd, when you can probably get 2 decent players this year and add to the depth for cheap. It's not the Boozers and Bosh's that add depth. It's like you said the Farmar, Vujacic, and Ariza's. do yourself a favor and take a look at this link http://www.nba.com/freeagents/2009/. You mean to tell me none of these players can't be had for little and still have money left for next year??

[mrcd37]

when you think about it the first bad trade was when he decided 2 trade c/f ike austin 4 g brent barry who didn't even make the playoff roster. even mj thought that was a joke, more like a gift(shocking)2 chicago.

[gottaloveriles]

What impact players has Riley brought here beside Shaq? You mean like Mourning, Hardaway, Dan Marleje, Mashburn, P.J Brown... that was just his first year, shall I go on? The Miami Heat was a joke before Pat Riley got here. A J-O-K-E. The Orlando Magic was the only successful franchise in Florida. In fact there were rumors that Miami was on the short list of franchises to be dissolved or sold out of state. What a fool you are. You have no awareness of the History of the franchise. If you know more than Pat Riley why waste your time here, apply for the job of GM, HA, Riley has forgotten more about basketball than you will ever hope to know. You are nothing but an utter moron talking out of their butt.

[Ansel Floy]

Dude, you said absolutely nothing in that post. My question was what impact players Riley brought in SINCE WADE HAS BEEN IN MIAMI besides Shaq? All the guys you mentioned was before Wade. Reading is fundamental! The funny thing is as you can see Riley loves overpriced vets past their prime, this is the first time he is actually going to try to develop young talent with Beasly and Chalmers. The bottom line is you can side with Riles all you want, but if he continues not to do anything you WILL lose your superstar. So back to the drawing board dude, calling people morons don't make for a good arguement. So my selecta wheeeeeel and come again!!!

[C.G.E]

Pat Riley is the Miami Heat, he took a big nothing and made the Heat into a top eight team in the east almost every year after his arrival. But but his approach of standing pat and banking on the plethera of talent in the 2010 FA class is a big mistake. His stance of not being able to make a move without Wade signing an extension is a cop out, and he knew dam well that Wade was not going to re-sign this summer. So the question is what exactly is Pat getting paid to do. Sit with his thumb in his ass till the season starts. Your not fielding a summer league team which I think is a big mistake because we are missing out on potential hidden gems and a chance for Beasley, Chalmers and Cook to show off how much they have improved. So far he has not shown any interest in any of the quality players who are on the trading block who can be had at a discount; do to the recent trend of dumping salary. We can only hope that Riley emerges from his three month vacation to get in the mix for Carlos Boozer or hell heres a thought sign some dam free agents. I surely hope that he isn't taking the 06-07 offseason approach and just bringing back the same team because to be honest with you this team without D-Wade would not be much better than a summer league team. Can someone pleease explain to me why we could not sign Charlie Frye who took a 2 yr 4 million dollar deal from the Suns. Hello Pat! Thats the veteran mininmum, (2 million a yr) what are you thinking about. There are still pretty good veterans to be had such as Bobby Jackson, Matt Barnes, Drew Gooden, Marquis Daniels, Desmond Mason, Flip Murray, Von Waffer and Chris Wilcox. Some of which would jump at the chance of coming to Miami even if it was just a one year test run. The owner even gave you the ok to exceed the luxury tax threshold so whats the hold up. The money is not coming out of your pocket so stop the B.S and get Wade the help he needs.

[Ansie B]

Thank you C.G.E......finally someone who has the balls to actually question what is going on and not just be the "typical fan" who just goes off of ESPN hype. To add to your list of free agents; Raymond Felton, Al Harrington, David Lee, Paul Millsap, Glen "Bib Baby" Davis, Leon Powe, Hakim Warrick, Marvin Williams, Ike Diogu, Linas Kleiza, Eddy Curry. One or two of these dudes, especially the younger ones, would help with rebuilding.

[gottaloveriles]

Pat is doing the right damn thing. You don't let the inmates run the asylum. Id prefer he trade Dwade then put the future of this franchise in the hands of a fragile player who in knocking on 30. Another knee injury and his nickname will be Flash "in a pan". And he'll look like a bufoon for not signing. His trade value will never be higher. Don't you think Pat has thought out every scenario? Pat is smarter than you!

[C.G.E]

The strategy to wait for 2010 can be a big make or break offseason for Pat Riley. The attraction of South Beach alone has not reeled in the top free agents in the past. An d the fact that there is no guarentee D-Wade will be here next year does not help our chances either. With Riley reluctant on spending any money this offseason it is becoming more and more of a reality that Wade could bolt after next season. If he does decide to go all in next offseason, his job could possibly be on the line if the heat does not put together a championship season or something close to it. With all the assets he will have at his disposal there would be no excuses barring a major injury or two. With two first round picks in a projected deep draft class and more than $50 million in cash for a free agent class that will most likely include Wade, James, Bosh, Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Dirk, Boozer, Hamilton, Peirce, and the list goes on. And you cannot forget about potential trades that may arise. So the fact that we will only have James Jones (Team Opt), Micheal Beasley, and Dequan Cook under contract means that the 2010 roster would be a direct reflection on just how much he has learned from his mistakes and depending on the teams success whether or not he is still a good evaluator of talent. This will also show whether he is still capable of putting all the pieces together to form a championship contender and not just a perennial playoff cameo.

[jeremiah]

There is no point ine even responding to you guys because you're impatient and you just won't get it. But let me break this done real easy step by step. First Riley needs to add a legit superstar to make this team a title contender. Ron Artest, Richard Jefferson, Vince Carter, Hedo Turkoglu and Ben Gordon are the biggest names this offseason and none is a star yet all carry 10 plus million dollars a year. Artest is the only guy that is at mid-level money and he is very volatile and wants to win now. Biggest thing is that like you all say about 2010 free agents, is that there is no guarentee we can lure those guys over here. So why take a shot on players that aren't going to put you at a championship level and might not even sign or be traded here. Everything in sports is a gamble and it's better to roll the dice on trying to get guys like Lebron, Bosh, Boozer, Amare, Joe Johnson, Tracy Mcgrady, Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard than it is to try to get the players I mentioned above. For those people that say that Wade is wasting another year let me remind you that it isn't like this team has hit it's ceiling at a first round playoff team. There is still a lot that can be improved apon just with the guys in house. Also many of you are saying that we are missing out on great role players but let me remind you that this team is built on great role players, guys like Haslem, Cook, Chalmers, James Jones, Moon, Magloire and Anthony should ring a bell. And it isn't like great role players come around once every decade, there are always some available every year in free agency or via trades. So it's pretty stupid to abandon ship on the 2010 plan for a Trevor Ariza, Brandon Bass, Marcin Gortat or Drew Gooden who all want or have gotten deals near or above the mid- level for more than 3 years. And besides role players only look good if they are surounding stars not when they are relied on to be the star. Last thing is that if you give these youngsters one more year to gel together and grow you'll put them and this team in better position if and when they get that 2nd star and become a championship caliber team.

[ebag]

whattup mike? first day of training camp and we don't get a blog?

[David]

"this says it all.Wade in a chicago uniform"

Swishful thinking.

[C.G.E]

I appreciate the support Ansie B. Jeremiah most of what you are saying may be true but first off I would not call Magloir, Anthony or Moon great role players. Dennis Rodman(Chicago, Pistons), Robert Horry, (who might be the greatest role player of all time with his clutch shooting, Houston, L.A., S.A.) Derek Fisher(L.A), P.J Brown(Miami, Boston, Charlotte), James Posey (Miami, Boston) those are great role players. Also D-Wade is 27 not 23 and he's not trying to wait one more year on a bunch of youngsters that may or may not pan out . I am not saying get rid of them but even though they have not reached their ceiling, Wade has and he knows that these are some of the best years of his life and he cannot squander away MVP type seasons on 40 win squads that get ousted in the first round of the playoffs. All I am saying is that we need to do something; whether its tommorrow or a month from now somethings got to change, we cannot come back with the same group of guys. I'm not talking about jepordizing the 2010 cap space and pulling a Memphis (traded for Zach Randolph) just making a big splash for the hell of it but Carlos Boozer is available and Utah is trying to dump his salary in order to re-sign Paul Millsap; his contract expires at the end of the season and we would not have to give up any of our young pieces to get him. Someone like a Rymond Felton, Rashad Mcants or a Bobby Jackson who can help mentor Chalmers or a Marquis Daniels or Matt Barnes who is a point forward type that can push J-Moon and J. Jones for P/T. An athletic big like Chris Wilcox or Drew Gooden and maybe even Al Harington who is a big man who can space the floor with his outside shooting, would not hurt our chances either. And if none of them want to except one year deals; which I think they would seeing how they don't have any other teams lining up to sign them,than they can keep it moving. Jeremiah the way your talking it is safe to assume that you do not believe that we will be title contenders next season (barring a blockbuster deal) which is fine because most realistic heat fans don't; including myself but the right mix of players can make a run at a title and not just a team that has two or three legit superstars. Just look at the squad A.I led to the finals against the Lakers or the Detroit Pistons team that took down five future hall of famers or you can look at the Rockets from last year who gave L.A all it could handle in a seven game series, who barring a freak injury to Yao Ming might have beat the team who went on to become the world champions. So you see we can still put together a decent squad and not jepordize our cap space for next season. But if Riley is stubborn and decides to stand pat and not make a few major or minor additions like D-Wade has requested then don't be shocked if he does bolts for another city and David's swishful thinking becomes a reality. Kobe complained and eventually got what he needed to get back to the finals. Granted they had Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza fall in there lap, whose to say that Boozer and a free agent or two could not do the same for us. On a side note gottaloveriles with a dumbass post like that you need to do us all a favor and go play in traffic.

[Ansie B]

First off i am not a Heat fan, I am a D Wade fan so sorry my point of view comes with a little less emotion about the team and city. A little more objective than those who live in MIA. I moved to ATL about a year and a half ago, and went to the playoff series this past year. What I saw was a team that should not have been a 5th seed. You talk about the role players they have now.....they wouldn't veen come off the becnh on any other championship team. Udon does his job but he is a bench player. i like Moon, Cook, and James Jones....sometimes, but teh fact is that some of the free agents you have out there are still under 25 and have playoff experience. Beasly and Chalmers are at least 2-3 years away from reaching there potential. I saw a team that was lucky to make the playoffs only because of D Wade, who by the way was robbed of 1st team Defense by an overhyped Kobe and Lebron. No way you don't make 1st team defense when you lead both of those players in steals and blocks.....but i digress.
Riles is wasting him!To "gottaloveriles".....it's all in your name. If you seriously think D Wade is the type of player that comes a dime a dozen you are truly insane and have not watched basketball for the last 20 years. You got a guy that if you stick a team around him you can win a chip EVERY year. Why you think Shaq worked, Shaq wasn't dominant he just took that constant double off D Wade! Stick with the plan and what....regress for a year. Putting all your eggs in 2010 will leave you in teh same predicament your in now, three yeasr from now! Instead Riles needs to build for consistency and the future. If you think MIA is making the playoffs with the roster as it currently exists i don't know what your smokin! Too many Eastern teams have gotten better. No one is sayiong don't go for players in 2010, but if you bank on it you will have too many teams competing for the same players, with all the teams that they belong to having an edge since they can pay them the most! Let me leave you with this article by Vince Thomas of NBA.com who poetically sums up the situation in MIA....."Get the man some help while he's still D. Wade, Riles. You owe it to him, league history and us fans":
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/vince_thomas/07/14/wade.decision/index.html

[Lamar Boomarang]

Actually, Pat Riley has seven NBA Championship rings. Five as HC, one as player (72) and one as AC (80).

There are plenty of people out here on the Left Coast who know what he meant to the Lakers, and still root for him in Miami.