Getting Riled Up

Da Realist:

you know, it has just dawned on me that we haven't discussed pat riley and the miami heat. i guess because i was gone last week when the story was REALLY juicy. anyway, i think riley is a better coach. i think the heat would be better with him as the coach. i just don't see an ethical way for him to BE the coach without looking like (and being) a snake. thoughts?

Waldini:

You just said it. Everyone knows he's better suited to coach them but if he fired SVG, he would see a lot of backlash. S*** you dont think Shaq has been in Riles' ear about 'So when are you gonna takeover and lead us to the promised land?

On a side note, why did Lebron's close friends start a management company called Four Horsemen Management. If I were Ric, Arn,Tully, Ole, and James J Dillon, I'd be in the ear of Lebron's lawyer ASAP

Da Realist:

james j dillon! i haven't heard that name since 7th grade. :-)

HERE'S a question i've been wondering for a longtime. who better to ask than two long-time laker fans? whywas riley run out of LA in the first place?

Waldini:

You know he left during the era where Internet didn't exist and there were not a lot of Inside the NBA shows. Honestly, D may know better than me. AllI know is he said he was tired of coaching and decided he needed a break. I didnt have an issue with him leaving nor when he decided to start coaching again 2 yrs later.

In other news, just read that the Glove (although I call him the Mitten now) may be headed back to the Lakers. What is this,reunion city? So are you gonna tell me Karl is going to stop choppin wood & looking for Mexican mommies and come back too. Is Shaq optin out of his deal for a bigger reason? Hmmmm

Gangsta D:

Why the HELL would Payton come back to LA, knowing full well they're running the triangle and he is an imperfect fit. That doesn't make any sense. Does Phil have any input at all in personnel decisions?

As far as Riles is concerned, I think he saw the writing on the wall in LA. He knew they had maybe two more years of championship contention, then he'd have to rebuild. I doubt he wanted to go through that and diminish his Laker legacy. Besides, they had just lost to Phoenix in the second round, a series they shouldn't have loss but I saw it coming after struggling with Houston in the first round.

As far as the Heat goes, he CAN'T coach them without looking like a snake unless SVG dies. Obvioulsy Riles is a better coach, if he was coaching maybe the Heat get to the Finals last year. But he quit a week before the season started two years ago, and if he were to dump "the hedgehog" now, he'd never hear the end of it.

Da Realist:

yeah i remember what he said, but i remember a lot of"insiders" said the team stopped listening to him and they wanted him out. if this account is true, i wonder why. did it have anything to do with"overworking" them during the '89 playoffs that resulted in magic and byron being too injured to play in the finals?

and if he was run out by the players, who was their ringleader? magic? couldn't have been kareem becausethat was his last year. it just seemed kind of sudden because they didn't already have someone in reserve toreplace him. riley was replaced by whom? randy pfund? i know mike dunleavy was the coach in '91 butdid he replace riley?

Waldini:

Naw Dunleavy replaced Riles, and when Dunleavy left, Pfund replaced him

Considering Magic's history with coaches (see Paul Westhead 1980-81season), it's possible Magic coulda said he had enough with endorsements from Worthy, Scott, and other veteran Lakers. I dont know how overworked they were in '89 considering they swept everyone in the West before getting swept out by Detroit