Live blog: Miami Heat president Pat Riley assesses state of the franchise and the future
Miami Heat president Pat Riley addressed several issues in his annual postseason news conference.
Some highlights:
▪ Overall thoughts: “I have a pretty good idea of what we have and where we are headed. Despite the result of the Milwaukee series, which was bad - we got crushed in two games - we are ready to move forward. We know the position we’re in. We know we have the flexibility. We can go in a lot of different directions.
“The market will determine a lot of that as we move forward. I like the nucleus of our team. We have a great core with Jimmy [Butler] and Bam [Adebayo]; regardless of how they performed in the playoffs, we didn’t make a mistake on those guys. It doesn’t really make any difference what happens to you. It’s how you deal with it. Regardless of what happens in regular season or playoffs.”
▪ Asked if he wants to add a third big name this summer, he said: “We’ll see. Flexibility is a good way to go.”
The Heat could have $22 million to $28 million in space if it chooses to use that. Or Miami could operate as an over-the-cap team, keep its free agents and make sign-and-trades to add outside talent, plus use a $9.5 million exception.
“We made a decision last year is that what we would do is have room, to try to preserve room. And that’s what our plan was, and we worked at it as best as we could, to preserve room for this year. We’re going to have it. We’re not going to have a max slot, but we’re going to have a lot of room if we want to use that. But there’s so many other ways that you improve your team. Obviously we like our core. There are trades that you can make. There’s sign and trades, there’s free agency, we have room, exceptions.
“Whichever way you want to go, if you want to be a cap team or a room team, will direct us in that manner. I don’t think you can continue to defer your [salary-cap] room or your flexibility down the road. Somewhere you to have to make a decision on the two or three players that you think are your franchise anchors, other players around them who can complement them, and players that will really add a specific fix to what our weaknesses are.”
Of his two restricted free agents, Riley said Riley said Kendrick Nunn is “a hell of a player,” and said Duncan Robinson “could be considered the top shooter in the NBA.”
▪ He said he hasn’t spoken with OKC general manager Sam Presti about unlocking protections on the 2023 first-round pick: “We haven’t had those discussions,... have no understanding.”
That Heat pick due OKC that year is lottery-protected, and Miami and OKC must agree to unlock that protection to allow the Heat to trade first-round round picks in 2024, 2025, 2026 or 2027. At the moment, the Heat isn’t permitted to trade a future first-round pick.
▪ Asked if Bam Adebayo needs to immediately become an effective three-point shooter to increase the list of power rotation options who could be added to play with him, Riley said:
“It doesn’t need to happen quickly. Spo likes to use Bam with a stretch five or four. You might have to change. You might have to think about what’s next thing in the NBA to require you to stay with that kind of play. I’ll leave that to Spo and we will talk about it. “
Riley said “there’s a possibility” of playing Adebayo with another traditional big but “when it comes to what coach Spo is going to do when he pairs a front line together, it will be situational. These are questions that can be answered later on by him and what’s out there.
“There’s a possibility it could be big/big or possibility it could be similar to what you have in the past. If the impact of that pairing doesn’t impact winning, and you’re not winning at a high level, that’s something you have to think about.”
Riley acknowledged that “we got outrebounded incredibly bad” against Milwaukee.
▪ He said Tyler Herro is “a core player.... Maybe he had a sophomore jinx. He’s an exceptional ballhandler. Now he can raise on jumpers from almost anywhere.”
▪ He declined to discuss the likelihood of a max extension - or any extension - for Jimmy Butler, saying it hasn’t been discussed. Butler wants one, according to a source. He can opt out of his current deal in 13 months.
▪ Asked about Victor Oladipo’s future, he said: “When we made the trade, we knew there was a risk. He injured himself four games into this run. He’s like any other free agent on the team who sustained an injury; he will be rehabbing with us until he’s healthy enough to get out of that cast.
“He’s got to let it heal. We will monitor him, work with him, and then see what happens in August when we sit down to talk to him.”
▪ On Adebayo: “Spo has to evaluate how he uses Bam. Bam is one of our primary ball-handlers, gets us into offense. Sometimes there is a disconnect between running offense and really being effective as an offensive player.
“We have one of the highest character toughest guys in the league with a lot of talent, lot of upside. I wouldn’t let what happened against Milwaukee [affect] me in any way, shape or form... He will learn a lot from this failure over the summer.”
▪ Asked how long he wants to continue as team president, Riley was non-committal: “I’m getting ready for the Combine and then the summer league. I’m ready to move forward and try to make this team better. For all of our fans out there, it was so great to see the place packed and I’m really disappointed our fans didn’t get to see what the Heat really are like.”
He told the fans to “keep the faith.”
▪ Even though the Heat doesn’t have a draft pick, he said: “We will get a couple good players out of this year’s draft, I’m sure.” (He presumably mean undrafted rookies.)
▪ Asked the decision to extend Adebayo’s contract in November, a move that cost the Heat $12 million in cap space this summer:
“That was a decision he and his agent made. We did discuss every single option and scenario in front of him. He deserved it. He was up for it. He came off an All Star year, an NBA Finals year. When you get a great young player [you keep him].
“He has character, talent, great fit. You trust him. He did what was in his best interests. We tried to convince him this could be different [if he waited a year on the extension], but at the end of the day this is what the man deserved.”
▪ Riley said of the future: “I hope it’s a lot brighter than what he showed last week.”
He said “to our fans, we’ll be back.”
▪ Riley said Malik Allen “is an experienced coach now” and Caron Butler “has got greatness in him from a DNA standpoint, basketball standpoint, has a lot to offer. Both of those guys did a great job” on Spoelstra’s staff.
▪ On the Bucks tweeting after their Heat sweep that this isn’t the bubble, Riley said: “I would have never tweeted out something like that. I don’t know who gets credit for that tweet. We were the best team other than the Lakers last year and we ended up in the Finals. “
I take pride in the fact people will say the Heat and its culture were best suited for the disciplines needed in the bubble. OK, we had a little bit of an edge [from the bubble]. I don’t think it was solely the reason. ..
“I don’t look at it as a slight. But when people want to say something negative about it, that’s their problem.”
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 3:22 PM.
