Inside The Heat

Retirement Is Last Thing On Miami Heat Boss Pat Riley's Mind

Bryan Townes|
Dec 6, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley sits in the arena prior to the game between the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Dec 6, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley sits in the arena prior to the game between the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Despite a second consecutive disappointing and stressful regular season, Miami Heat’s Pat Riley is still motivated and focused on helping this franchise succeed. 

On March. 20, Riley turned 80. At the post-season press conference, he explained he is still committed to the Heat’s future and helping the organization return to its competitive history.

“I just turned 80 and I’m proud of it,” Riley said. “The new 80 is the new 60, so that’s how I look at it. I feel great. I am competitive as (expletive). I love being in the bowl. I’m an Irish guy, so there’s a depressive disorder I have by being just Irish and hating losing because it makes me miserable. When you're miserable, you get a little bit depressed. I mean, we all have that in us. All of us have a depressive disorder when things go bad, but I got a little depressed after those two games. Mickey, Nick, and I met, and they have been very good to me. They said, ‘Carry on, Pat.’ And I am going to carry on and try to make this thing better.”

Following two embarrassing blowouts at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Riley reflected on how the remaining postseason games resulted in many unexpected outcomes. While the Heat may seem far from their competitive runs with Jimmy Butler, multiple other teams have been exposed in the playoffs as much more flawed than in the regular season.

NBA ANALYST SAYS MIAMI HEAT SHOULD FOLLOW LEAD OF WESTERN CONFERENCE CONTENDER

Ever since Pat Riley took over operations for the Miami Heat, they have prided themselves on maximizing each roster's potential.

Despite several teams in their franchise history failing to meet a respectable win total for a season, the Heat have never tanked for a higher draft pick. However, after back-to-back first-round exits without Jimmy Butler playing, ESPN's Bobby Marks suggests starting to rebuild through the draft may be a more realistic option than getting another star.

“I think either player is going to be a challenge,” Marks said. “I think they are probably going to be in the back line of teams that have more available, certainly, when we are talking about maybe Houston as one of those teams that have young players and draft picks. I think the big question in Miami, and this is not their DNA, is whether they would ever use the R-word, which is rebuild. I think that is something that is very hard, threading the needle. They have been a Play-In consistently the last few years. Would they ever consider taking a step back, potentially taking the Oklahoma City approach?”

The Heat have drafted in the middle or late first round for the last few years. Their last top-five draft pick was Michael Beasley in 2008. Before, they got Dwyane Wade, with the No. 5 pick in the 2003 draft. Building through higher draft picks may be the best option going forward due to a lack of assets compared to other teams going after star players.

DWYANE WADE SAYS JIMMY BUTLER’S EXIT LEFT MIAMI HEAT “EXPOSED”

Without Jimmy Butler or another star player, the Miami Heat were relegated to a first-round exit in two consecutive postseasons.

On the Wy Network, Dwyane Wade broke down the Heat’s current situation following their 138-83 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also explained how being outclassed to this extent showed the impact Jimmy Butler had on the franchise.

“When I heard Tyler Herro say, ‘we will not get swept’, I was like, y’all are already swept,” Wade joked. “I have to talk to my brother Bam, my little brother. We sat right in here when UD was here, and we got on FaceTime with Bam. And Bam said he wants that smoke. And I sat right back on that FaceTime and was like, you don’t want that Cleveland smoke dawg. ‘Nah, we want that smoke.’ Well, y’all got smoked. I will say this to give my organization some credit. To go through what they went through this year with losing their best player, I think now we really started to see what Jimmy Butler really meant to the Miami Heat and what he now means for Golden State. But for any organization to lose a guy like that, it exposes you.”

Without Butler, the Heat finished the season with a 12-25 record since the trade deadline. During their losing stretch, they experienced their infamous 10-game losing streak, which was worse than any other stretch with Butler on the team. Now they have clarity heading into the offseason with an obvious goal of acquiring a new star to build around.

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at btownesjr@gmail.com or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook

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Bryan Townes
BRYAN TOWNES

Bryan attended Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia with a focus on sports management. While he didn't grow up an NBA fan, he became one after playing the popular NBA2K video game. From Jimmy Butler to Ray Allen to Chris Bosh, Bryan has followed the Heat for the past several years.

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