Miami Het coach Erik Spoelstra is regarded as one of the better coaches in the league. He has taken a starless Heat squad and turned them into playoff contenders for the second straight year. Because of his good standing, Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that Spoelstra will likely take responsibility for Heat future plans when president Pat Riley retires, saying:
“At some point, Erik Spoelstra is a likely candidate to get some or all of Pat Riley's powers as Miami Heat president when Riley decides to retire. If for some reason he doesn't, some team will probably be interested in hiring him for both jobs elsewhere to get him away from the Heat. So it goes in the NBA.”
Spoelstra has certainly earned the right to have a say in how the organization is run. He has been with the Heat since 1995 when he started as their video coordinator. When he was promoted to head coach in 2008, he led the Heat back to the playoffs in the very next season.
Under Spoelstra, the team has had only one losing season and has won two championships. Aided by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Love, Spoelstra has etched out quite the career.
For those that claim he won just because he had a loaded team, proof to the contrary is right before their eyes. The heat went 44-38 last season, and have put together yet another solid campaign this year. They currently stand at 19-20, the sixth seed in the East.
In a star-driven league, Spoelstra has proven that a team can make noise in the NBA without a proven star.
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