Le Batard wrong on Riley

     Herald colleague Dan Le Batard and I are good friends, and part of the dynamic is mutual respect, and part of it is our shared thick skin against each other's occasional incredulity. We routinely challenge each other in private, and it grows from there. Dan is free to excoriate me on his radio show (and has, often directly to me on the air), and in turn I might occasionally point out in this forum when he has gone off the rails, such as in the column of his you'd find here.

      'Riley's timing arouses suspicion' is the online headline I saw. Although I'm not real sure that anyone is suspicious other than, apparently, Le Batard. Dan sees a nefarious, plotting, devious Pat Riley timing his return to the Heat to coincide with Shaq's good health and the team's rising fortunes.

     I see Riley coming back at a natural point in the season and one long-projected: the all-star break. And coming back when his doctors finally said OK (two weeks after he'd first hoped to). I believe Riley would be returning now even if Shaq were still out injured, and even if the team were still well under .500. Impossible to say who's right, of course, but cynicism based solely on scattershot suspicion is some of why a pretty sizable gulf exists between media and fans.

     The Heat's legendary coach is returning to the team after a six-week medical leave to attend to knee and hip surgeries -- plainly very good news both for Riley and for his team.

     We are working awfully hard to imagine it as anything else.

Comments

[dean]

le batard is wayyyyy right. riley is vermin. he has been for a long, long time. you can ask paul westhead, both van gundys, and now ron rothstein.

or, you can ask magic johnson, kareem, or pat ewing. never has a coach been more over rated than this backstabbing, two-face snake in the grass.

[gbenga ajisafe]

dean, next time you buy your weed, make sure its from a jamaican, instead of the chinese. because it sure sounds like you are smoking on some cheap canal street joint. the person you described above, is that pat riley? pat riley is the best move the heat ever made. he put the heat on the map. the best days of the heat were had under pat riley.pat riley won us the NBA championship. there is no better coach, GM, president in all of sport....like M.C. Search on the 'white rapper show,' "you need to step the f*&$k off."

[octavio de armas]

Pat Riley is to the Heat what Don Shula was for the Dolphins. They each put their teams on the map. He was just a man with health issues that needed to take care of them. LeBatard is the one smoking some weird stuff. He should get some oral sex with his girlfriend or boyfriend and relax.

[David Tucker]

Le Batard wrong? Gee...that's shocking...

[Jose Can-snitch-o]

LeBatard is walking fine line. Before he knows it, he'll turn into Jim Rome--loud, obnoxious, and blind.

Be careful, LeBaturd, cuidado.

Sincerely,
I'll stab you in the back.

[Jose Can-snitch-o]

I will say this: if Pat Riley is so 'great,' so 'magnificent,' then why in the hell did he give Antoine Walker a lengthy contract extension when he was brought here?

Didn't Riley learn about signing aging veterans on the downside of their careers with the Brian Grant debacle?

[dean]

senor snitch,

- do you remember the failed juwan howard courtship?

- how about the cowardly resignation with the knicks? riley FAXED it in. too scared to go face-to-face?

[Cote's An Old Fart]

Le Batard is right, Riley is a snack in the grass. The man acts with so little class in regards to his teams it surprises me that players still profess their undying love for him. History tells you the true nature of this man: the way he left in New York, what he did to Van Gundy, and now his convenient hiatus from a team that looked like it would get beat in the local AAU league.

And don't forget that every championship he ever won was with superstar players. He didn't make this team, Shaq did.

[hey there, how's your bacalao?]

I'm sure Dan is a nice guy, that's the perception, but sometimes he lets his perception cloud his reality when he meditates on and breaks down sports subjects; occasionally he is insensitive to people's health problems ...

[Pimpalin]

I hope Dorell Wright gets more action now that Riles is back. But I do somewhat agree with Dan. How quickly we forget his sudden departure not that long ago only to return when Shaq was inked. "Fuck you Stan, this is my ship now!"

But nothing turns my stomach more than Zo and his sellout ways for a few more million (pocket change to him) when he left our organization. We stood by him, supporting him, never gave him any type of shit during his illness. The entire community acted like his spiritual supporter. And then when he received the slightest of clearance to play, he sells out on the franchise that branded him only to earn a few nickels and dimes more up north.

At least we're paying him shit now, sellout bitch. How the Raptors are still paying his salary is beyond me...politics.

[BALLINN]

I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH LEBATARD...HOW ABOUT A COUPLE YARS AGO WHEN RILEY LEFT AFTER HE THOUGHT A TEAM WITH LAMAR ODOM AS ITS BEST PLAYER WOULD NEVER MAKE THE PLAYOFFS....FACT IS RILEY GOT LUCKY THAT SHAQ AND KOKE WERE FEUDING.. AND LUCKY THAT WADE WAS NOT CHOSEN BY THE PISTONS OR THE RAPTORS...LETS NOT COMPARE THIS GUY TO SHULA...SHULA IS MIAMI....RILEY IS NOT

[ccheat]

Yes - the article questioning Riley was way out of bounds. Check the responses to it.

So, one of the options for Riley to return was right after a 3 game losing streak?But the doctors said no.

Now he is coming back - pretty much on schedule - and its Riley up to his old tricks again?

The Heat are still a spotty team. Its assumed that Riley is only coming back because the Heat are now 'fixed'?The Heat have a long way to go to get back to the championship caliber team we saw last June.

If Riley is such a plotter, why would he return to face Houston and Dallas?Odds are, the Heat are going to have their hands full against both of those teams - especially considering that the Heat are not a consistently good team yet.

PS: go to Batard Article Post titled 'that was a bitter article'. It makes Batard look very foolish - and that post was posted before the Riley press conference. The things Batard comes out with (ex. Wade gave Riley the Trophy (and Michael Jordan didnt give Phil Jackson his trophies?) shows Batard to take this issue with Riley very personally.

[woody lifton]

The day Dan Lebetart is right is the same day you'll see a blue moon, pigs flying and and Bill Clinton admitting he did inhale. Riley is simply one of the best coaches and motivators and the history of sports. It's real simple Miami...if you want another Championship parade this June...you want Pat Riley as your coach...period....end of discussion...BTW...maybe we should have Lebetart investigate the killing of JFK...I'm he could uncover the real truth.

[Mcpost MacGGie]

I agree with all whatever "I love chalupas" Le-be-tard says. Why don't we just fire Riley and go back to good old days of the Humbuglar Gundy and Ron "Walker is my boy" Rothstein.

Get off Riley. He made the Heat. he can do whatever he wants.

[Bill]

I said the same thing as Dan Lebatard, just a day earlier.

http://thefloridamasochist.blogspot.com/2007/02/is-pat-riley-returning-to-heat.html

[TIKIJOJO]

If it wasn't for Riley, we'd be no different than the G.S. Warriors, completely irrelevant. The man has made some poor personnel decisions, but then again who hasn't?

Bottomline, he brought in Mourning, Shaq, and drafted Wade, the best player in the league right now....those moves got them a championship - something all Heat fans wanted.

Now, lebatard wants to throw stones at him for leaving to get some surgery? PLEASE!!! the man has earned the right to do whatever the F@#K he wants!!

[chino]

some of you guys are so out of it. this is not just playing basketball, this is a business and multi-millions of dollars are at stake. Pat is doing what he needs to in order to get those millions. got it?
some of you guys might not have enough gray matter to understand that though...

[Cristoph]

Like many sportswriters that need to justify their jobs, Batard makes comments simply to incite and invent controversy. Why not suggest that Riley didn't actually have surgery but claimed he did so he'd have a good excuse to slink off if the Heat didn't do well this year. Jeez. The man gave us a championship which is a lot more than can be said for 95+% of NBA coaches and executives.

[the shadow knows]

dean,

AGREED: pat riley runs away from the team when it is looking bad, and jumps back on when things are looking good. a pattern that is eveident to all who are not jaded fans of riley.

[anonymous]

What is with the people pointing out that coaches "win a championship with superstar players", Hello? don't most championships go to teams that have superstar players?? There doesn't seem to be much of a point in that one. Hence, all the superstars with rings. There are other points you can make against riley and other coaches, but I can't figure out the one about the "superstar players".

[anonymous]

As a matter of fact, its pretty f***in hard to win a championship WITHOUT at least 1 or 2 superstar players!! Name the last group of nobodies that hoisted the trophy without at least one superstar.

[anonymous]

And don't say the pistons, because they might not haved a shaq or kobe type "superstar" but Rasheed or Ben wallace are at least "stars" and thats close enough.

[papoute]

"And don't forget that every championship he ever won was with superstar players. He didn't make this team, Shaq did."

WTF are you talking about? that was the dumbest Sh*t I read so far let me ask you this Name one team that won the NBA championship without any superstars? talking about Shaq did who brought Shaq over? You actually think last years team would have won the Championship with Van Gundy? if that was the case we would have won it the year before. But his mis-management of the final 2 minutes cost us the game againts Detroit. LeBaturd Sucks ASS in his article he wrote would Pat Riley step down to have the sugery if the team was 25-2? No one knows the answer to that but if we were 25-2 and he step down to have the surgery we would be probably reading an article from Lebaturd that says "how can pat riley bail out on the team for surgery while they are 25-2" thats my opinion.

[ZB]

LISTEN MR. BASTARD...I'M SURE RILEY ENJOYED BEING IN PAIN AND TAKING THOSE PAIN KILLERS, AND JUST TO PISS YOU OFF DECIDED TO GO UNDER THE KNIFE TWO TIMES WITHIN A WEEK AND...JUST TO PISS YOU OFF DECINDING TO COME BACK AT THE ALL STAR BREAK ..JUST SO YOU CAN QUESTION THE TIMING OF HIS RETURN....GET REAL YOU A HOLE!

[marvin purser]

This team has too much integrity to play for a phony. Those on it can play for any team, but they are not bad mouthing Pat Riley. They are just glad he is back just like any injured player. Some sports newsmen remind me of fickle teenage girls wanting to be troublemakers just to get a rise out of those they loved the day before.

[monaud]

Dan is probably desperate for attention. He is obviously trying to incite a controversy that has no merit. I still like him very much, but I think he let his hatred of Riles cloud his judgment of reality. If this team has any chance of making a successful playoff run, Riles has to be at the helm. Just as much as we need D-Wade, Shaq and the rest of the gang, we need Riley. There many other great coaches that have coached great players and never won a championship. Riley has done it many times. He has that special ingredient a team needs to win championships. He also deserves credit for bringing in Zo, Shaq, D-Wade and everybody else. GO HEAT!!!

[cameron]

good rebuttal cote, you have redeemed yourself... slightly

[LE RETARD IS GAY]

LE RETARD WORST COLUMN EVERRR. WADE HANDED RILEY THE TITLE??? WHO DRAFTED WADE????? HE RETURNS WHEN SHAQ RETURNS? WHO TRADED FOR SHAQ????????? HE WON US THE ONLY TITLE IN MIAMI HEAT HISTORY?????? WHO CREATED THE TEAM THAT FINALLY WON IT????? WHO COACHED THE TEAM THAT FINALLY WON IT??????

PAT RILEY CAN RETURN FOR GAME 1 OF THE NBA FINALS IF HE LIKES, HE HAS EARNED THE RIGHT. LE RETARD SHOULD LEAVE THE HERALD AND SPEND HIS TIME AT ESPN AND PTI WITH THE OTHER GUYS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO BUT TALK TRASH ABOUT ANY TOPIC THEY CAN DREAM UP.

[Al]

I would not be a bit upset if Dan LeBatard took a leave of absence, even forever...

[papoute]

LMAOOOOOO AL ME NEITHER

[Tony]

Riley is a great coach. One word says it all:CHAMPIONSHIP!! Stan or his brother never won shit!! Only the cream of the crop in coaching has the ability to take a team over the top. Riley, Brown, Popovich, and Jackson are the best coaches this era of b-ball has seen. All the rest are acting, hoping some lucky bullshit will fall their way.

[the shadow knows]

tony,

scott skiles is acting like a darn god coach, winning with guard play and using the old celtic tactic of firepower (ben gordon) coming off the bench.

[the shadow knows]

SHOULD READ: darn good coach; skiles is good but not a deity

[papoute]

SKILES'S A GOOD COACH SO IS DANTONI YEAH THEY GET LOTS OF WINS DURING THE SEASON AND KEEP THE FANS HAPPY WITH THEIR STYLE OF PLAY BUT ONCE PLAYOFF COMES WHAT HAPPENES TO THOSE SO CALLED GOOD COACHES? USUALLY GET KNOCKED OUT OF THE FIRST OR SECOND ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS. THEY NEED TO WIN WHEN IT COUNTS AND SO FAR SKILES AINT DO SHIT!!

[james]

where are the response comments by readers on the bottom of the page of lebatard's article? looks like the herald took them down. was it because the response was overwhelmingly negative to the cynicial article? you're a newspaper, ever hear of the first amendment? please repost the comments.

[James]

Do you think it is a mistake for the US to play in the COPA America? I know we need to play against better teams such as Brazil, Argentina, Colombia but just go to the website of this years Copa America and you will see we are already not getting a fair shake, they don't have our Flag up as a team participating.

[Jason]

Either he's wrong or... maybe you're just a complete shill, homer, kiss ass, ect to the Heat. I know what I'm betting on. Le Batard is right on. Riley has earned the right to do what he wants, no one is saying he can't and no one knows his heart, but it's awfull convenient. By the way Heat fans, Nowitski was wrong, although he and the Mavs choked, we all know it was the borderline criminal officals who gave you the title, not the
Mavs! By the way, I hate the Mavs, I'm a Nugget fan and maybe next year when we are in Finals(not enough time to overcome the trades, suspensions and injuries this season)maybe we'll see ya and punk ya. But we all know Phoenix v Dallas will be the real Finals this year!

[Jason]

Couldn't let this pass! Hey papoute, you claim that Diantonni is great in the regular season and ususally gets knocked out in the 1st or 2nd round! Uh, call me crazy, BUT I COULD SWEAR THE SUNS MADE THE WCF (3RD ROUND IN CASE YOU CAN'T COUNT) THE LAST 2 YEARS! Both years, they had major injuries and still made it. Other than that, YOU'RE RIGHT ON! You people are classic, so long.

[gideon]

say what you want about Pat, but he is a master leader. If all the coaches he stabbed in the bag were so good where are they? have they won a title...you need finishers

[justin]

All you idiots bashing Riley and commending LeBatard are out of your mind. I know Dean hates the Heat because I have read some of his other material here in the past. I am pretty sure he is a red neck Mavs fan bitter over D Wade destroying them last year. The fact of the matter is basketball did not matter here before Riley arrived. The Heat used to be close to what the Panthers are now, which is off the radar. Riley built this thing up into one of the premier franchises in the league; the team that is on TV more than any other team. Without Riley, The AAA probably never gets built and the Heat may be playing in Oklahoma City right now. Riley drafted D Wade, traded for Zo, traded Eddie Jones for a year in return for 3 players that made hugge contributions in the playoff run last season, traded for Shaq, discovered guys like Bruce Bowen and Udonis Haslem. So what if Riley stepped down 4 years ago. He was burned out and 60 years old with a team going nowhere. He didn't owe us anything. He busted his ass for 10 years before that moment. Just be thankful the man came back, saved last season, and brought us the ring. When was the last time anybody down here involved in the local sports teams did 10% of what Riley accomplished? Probably Shula in the 1970's when half of the Riley bashers were not even born.

[dg]

Not allowing for intelligent questioning is what got Miami a Nictator. Pat did once fax a resignation while under contract. Maybe its all legit, maybe not, main point was the timing IS curious. Again.

The whole "never question authority" crowd around Heat and Dolphins is lame, unlike, say, NY, or any advanced big market, where more fans understand, welcome, media's role.

Pat's done a great job with the franchise. Yet, many who blindly support him, just saying he's a winner, end of story, forget, if just the year D Wade is hurt is changed from '05 to '06, same crowd is likely gung-ho for "champion" SVG, and saying how Pat hadn't won it in 20 years.

Pat's a great coach and it seems fair to believe him this time, but considering he's had this health problem for years, and yet didn't address over a summer break, its fair to wonder if he's been hedging his bets. Maybe he waits till next summer, to either sit, or, to coach, if the Heat were consistently cruising, or solidly awful.

[Danny LeBatard]

Greg Cote is my daddy.

[Heat fan in Orlando]

Bottom line is the Heat are finally at .500, Shaq is starting to play like his usual self, Williams is scheduled to come back after the All Star break and now is when Riley is going to throw Rothstein aside and take over again?!?!? I'd say it's a pattern!! He left us when the team didn't look that great. But Van Gundy took the Heat where Riley should have, the Eastern Conference Finals. And we were very close if it weren't for injuries.

And what happened the very next season?? Riley kicked Van Gundy out and decided he wanted to coach again. Riley did as so many other Heat fans did, give up on the team and come back when the team is starting to pick up.

Riley is no different than any other bandwagon heat fan out there.

[CaneAlmighty]

LeBatard is at it again.
Trying to fool people into buying his garbage by using his god given talent of being able to articulate anything into making sense.

People, don't fall in his trap. He sucks people in by hypnotizing them with fancy words.

The situation with Riley is actually very common place among athletes.

When athletes get injured they usually take time off to heal. If surgery is needed, they are put in IR.
Well, RILEY WAS INJURED. In essence he was in IR for a couple of months.

Why are people trying to make more of this then what it is?

[doctodd]

It is amazing how many of the people here can criticize a basketball coach when they themselves know little if anything about coaching basketball. And to say Zo was a sellout!!!!.....this is a business. He did what was best for him, not you. Sorry he hurt your feelings. Loyalty is crap....Dodgers fans complain about JD Drew opting out for mor e money and cry "NO LOYALTY", yet forget the Dodgers traded Loduca. Loyalty?!?!?!? Hypocrites.

T

[steve ortiz]

Why do people bash Riley so much I dont understand. First of all the man should be able to do what ever the hell he wants. He attracts good players and makes good trades and usually blockbuster trades. As soon as he came on board he got Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway and all of a sudden the Miami Heat, who were considered a joke in the league and probably non existing to any competitive team, was a force to be rekoned with. We had so hard break loses in the playoffs to the knicks and he suffered with blood, sweat and tears. He made the right decision to move away from coaching and concentrate on building the team. He got lucky with Wade but a little luck is always involved with good teams. The we finally get back to the Eastern Conference Finals and he pulls another daring move by bringing Gary Payton, Walker, and jason williams. For the person who blogged about Riley never winning without Superstars, well duh. Ask Phil Jackson how he is doing these days without Michael, Scottie, Shaq. Not so good and the only reason his lakers are not the worse in the league is because they got some guy named Kobe hogging all the spotlight. People wake up coaches dont win championships the players do and always will. Riley has build this team from the ground up and he is the face of the Miami Heat more than Wade and Shaq. No one cares when Shaq has to get surgery on a knee and misses the first half of the season because we all know he will be there when post season comes. Now riley who has been with this team and has been through the ups and downs wants to take some time off to surgically repair his hip and knee gets criticized because he only wants to coach a team who is winning. In my mind Riley can do whatever he wants because the regular season doesnt matter especially in the LEASTERN Conference uh I mean Eastern Conference. Wake up people stop complaining and give Pat Riley a standing ovation for coming back just in time to make another Championship run and shove the ball down the throats of Mark Cuban and Dirk Norwitzki. Dwayne Wade was right for saying Dirk aint a leader and he is right. Leaders rise to the occasion and make the shots when they count and when his team needs him. All he did was start complaining just like the rest of his team and by the end of game four they were talking like they lost the best of seven. GO Heat I will always be right behind them like a true fan does.

SGT Ortiz,
United States Army

[steve ortiz]

Why do people bash Riley so much I dont understand. First of all the man should be able to do what ever the hell he wants. He attracts good players and makes good trades and usually blockbuster trades. As soon as he came on board he got Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway and all of a sudden the Miami Heat, who were considered a joke in the league and probably non existing to any competitive team, was a force to be rekoned with. We had so hard break loses in the playoffs to the knicks and he suffered with blood, sweat and tears. He made the right decision to move away from coaching and concentrate on building the team. He got lucky with Wade but a little luck is always involved with good teams. The we finally get back to the Eastern Conference Finals and he pulls another daring move by bringing Gary Payton, Walker, and jason williams. For the person who blogged about Riley never winning without Superstars, well duh. Ask Phil Jackson how he is doing these days without Michael, Scottie, Shaq. Not so good and the only reason his lakers are not the worse in the league is because they got some guy named Kobe hogging all the spotlight. People wake up coaches dont win championships the players do and always will. Riley has build this team from the ground up and he is the face of the Miami Heat more than Wade and Shaq. No one cares when Shaq has to get surgery on a knee and misses the first half of the season because we all know he will be there when post season comes. Now riley who has been with this team and has been through the ups and downs wants to take some time off to surgically repair his hip and knee gets criticized because he only wants to coach a team who is winning. In my mind Riley can do whatever he wants because the regular season doesnt matter especially in the LEASTERN Conference uh I mean Eastern Conference. Wake up people stop complaining and give Pat Riley a standing ovation for coming back just in time to make another Championship run and shove the ball down the throats of Mark Cuban and Dirk Norwitzki. Dwayne Wade was right for saying Dirk aint a leader and he is right. Leaders rise to the occasion and make the shots when they count and when his team needs him. All he did was start complaining just like the rest of his team and by the end of game four they were talking like they lost the best of seven. GO Heat I will always be right behind them like a true fan does.

SGT Ortiz,
United States Army

[David Bissic]

I am writing to commend Greg Cote for his commentary concerning Pat Riley's return.

Dan Le Batard's commentary, on the other hand, was filled with extremely insensitive and uninformed remarks about Pat Riley being selfish. Has Le Batard ever lived with anyone who has needed and received hip replacement surgery? I have. My mother had to have it twice during her life time. She was in CONSTANT and EXTREME pain that could not be relieved by ANY medication. On top of that, she had to stand all day long because she was a teacher. Yes, she went as far as she could--without complaining. After she had the surgery, she day described the pain as being above that of all others. And I watched her suffer through this.

How can Le Batard look at a man who was suffering in not one but TWO of his major joints and be so insensitive, uncaring, and suspicious? We ALL know how competitive Pat Riley is. I am absolutely sure that he went absolutely as far as he absolutely could; the timing of all this was, in my opinion, coincidental. The man was in extreme pain and he could not take it any more. To suggest that his leaving was due to the team's winning or losing indicates the presence of a certain coldness in Le Batard. But then again, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

[Oliver]

Dan LeBatard is gay, he is gay like amachei and enjoys the company of gay men, who cares when riles comes back, riles is team president and owns 4 nba rings as a head coach, and one as an assistant, he knows what he is doings, riles is the modern day vince lombardi , bill parcells, bill belechick, red auerbach, and casey stengel rolled up into one coach.

[Eric]

The funny thing about Lebatard is that he sits there and says that the coaches don't have an impact in the game. How it doesn't really matter who is coaching a team. Then he goes and makes a big deal about Riley going to have surgery and when he comes back. If what he says about coaches is true then who cares when Riley comes back? Why make such a big deal about it? That's my opinion