Pat Riley and the Miami Heat haven't made a ton of moves so far in the 2024 offseason, much to the chagrin of their fans who were hoping for a shakeup after a swift playoff exit vs the Boston Celtics in the first round this year. The Heat have proven time and time again that they are one of the NBA's toughest teams and can never be counted out, but at a certain point, it's fair to wonder just how committed Riley is to winning when he refuses to surround Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo with much premier talent.
One of the only notable moves of the offseason for the Heat this year was drafting big man Kel'el Ware out of Indiana in the first round of the draft, and recently, Ware shared a story where he wasn't afraid to ask Riley about his portrayal on the recent HBO series “Winning Time,” which discussed his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I can’t remember word for word but yeah, he didn’t like it, nah, he didn’t like it,” said Ware, via The OG's Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller.
Riley was portrayed in the series by actor Adrien Brody in a role that many felt was played a bit insecure and awkward when compared with Riley's real-life confident demeanor.
Ware also spoke on feeling Riley's presence in the room.
“I wasn’t intimidated by him but every time I looked at him, I was like damn, that’s Pat Riley right here,” said Ware.
“He's got that aura about him,” added Haslem.
Are the Heat's chances over?
While Pat Riley may still have aura, it's certainly fair to wonder at this point whether he has the right state of mind to be a successful team leader in the modern NBA. It could not be more clear to the average viewer that the Heat are in dire need of a third star to place next to Butler and Adebayo, but Riley thus far has refused to swing a trade for anyone of note, despite having seemingly plenty of avenues to do so.
There's also the fact that Butler is now entering his age 35 season, meaning it's certainly possible that his play could see an even sharper decline than it did a year ago, with the injuries expected to mount once again.
While Adebayo has turned himself into one of the best centers in the league, Miami currently seems to be at least a full tier below teams like the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference, who are already themselves a full tier below the reigning champion Boston Celtics.
While history has taught us never to count this Heat team out, it's getting harder and harder not to do so.
Follow Us
Subscribe
