It's time for Pat Riley to come down from the president's box suite and coach the Miami Heat. There was so much anticipation coming off the summer free agent acquisitions that a 6-4 start just won't cut it. Coach Eric Spoelstra is a good guy and a company man. He started with the Heat 16 years ago and understands the organization from top to bottom, but he's in way over his head. Dealing with multiple superstar egos that have expectations out of this world is more than he can handle.
Pat Riley is much more equipped for the task at hand. He's played or coached on 7 championship teams and knows what it takes to win. He is the architect of the Miami project and ultimately responsible for its success or failure. In his heart he always wanted to coach this team, but felt it was only right to give his protege the first crack at driving the ship. Eric Spoelstra has come up short however and now it's time for a change.
This is not an indictment on Eric Spoelstra's coaching ability. He knows the X's and O's as well as anybody. The problem is the superstar trio assembled in Miami hasn't responded to his leadership. Ordinarily the Miami Heat would show patience letting the team come together and gel, but there's no time for that. The target has been on their backs since Lebron announced he was taking his talents down to South Beach and the pressure to put a dominant team on the floor is mounting. A .500 record won't get it done.
The transition won't be pretty and some will argue Pat Riley is putting his own agenda in front of what's best for the team. In the end the main focus is to win championships and Pat Riley gives them the best chance to do so. Sorry Eric. It's nothing personal.
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