Pat Riley is one of the greatest winners in NBA history. In his Hall of Fame career, he has presided over eight championship teams as head coach with the Los Angeles Lakers (five) and president/coach of the Miami Heat (three) — the franchise he has run since 1995.
In fact, Riley's brand is winning, evidenced by his famous “rings on the table” recruiting pitches in the summer of 2010, and his hands-on approach to curating a uniquely competitive #HeatCulture.
Perhaps then it should come as no shock to learn that Riley isn't exactly Sam Hinkie when it comes to roster-building. Rather than blow it up, Riley rightfully trusts his own process and ability to attract players like Jimmy Butler and construct consistently playoff-bound teams.
James surprised Riley by returning to Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, but tanking was never on Riley's mind, despite the fact that Dwayne Wade was past his prime and Chris Bosh's blood clot diagnosis in Feb. 2015 abruptly removed the best player from the team.
The Heat epitomized mediocrity in the five years post-LeBron and pre-Jimmy, averaging 41.8 wins per season and making the postseason twice. Most executives — and fans, probably — would strongly consider a full teardown in that type of scenario.
Not Riley. As SI's Michael Rosenberg points out:
But Riley once said there are two outcomes in basketball: winning and misery. He will never choose misery. He kept trying to win. He spent in free agency, traded draft picks for Goran Dragić, and kept the Heat afloat. It looked like a stubborn refusal to take his medicine, but it is the only way Riley knows, or wants to know.
Longtime #HeatCulture veteran Udonis Haslem echoed the competitive nature of Riley and his protege, head coach Erik Spoelstra, which has trickled down through the rest of the organization, formulating an identity associated with championship-caliber effort no matter the standings — both in practice and in front office decision-making.
“I know Pat. I know Spo. We ain’t wired like that,” Haslem says. “We ain’t wired to throw away a season. We ain’t wired to come in and work hard every day just to lose.”
Six years after James took his talents out of South Beach, Miami is up 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals while boasting one of the most creative, versatile, and promising rosters in basketball.
If Miami can defeat the Boston Celtics in Game 2 on Thursday, Riley's Heat will dramatically increase their chances of returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. Not a bad rebuild.
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