Riley: Be patient with Winslow and Adebayo
President’s focus is getting Whiteside back from injury
MIAMI — Miami Heat president Pat Riley isn’t getting caught up with the small sample size, but he does appreciate the questions about his team’s defense and recent lottery picks.
“I’m not assessing anything right now,” Riley said Thursday, with the Heat 2-2 and center Hassan Whiteside out the past three games with a bone bruise on his left knee. “Let’s get Hassan back. That’s sort of a bummer.”
Riley was one of four members from the South Florida athletic realm inducted Thursday into the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s Sports Hall of Champions, in a ceremony held on the infield of Marlins Park.
Also inducted were former NHRA champion Darrell Gwynn, University of Miami baseball coach Jim Morris and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Carlos Alvarez.
With Justise Winslow uneven with his early-season play and Bam Adebayo somewhat schooled in Wednesday’s loss to the visiting Spurs, Riley preached patience with his two most recent lottery picks.
“They’re both young,” Riley said. “That’s the difference between lottery picks and not having not having lottery picks or picking in the 20s. Usually when we would do that, we would go for more of a veteran player. They’re both 21 and 19.
“But right now it’s just too early to assess. But I’m happy with both Justise and Bam. Listen, five years from now, I hope they’re going to be on the All-Star team.”
Riley said the team’s poor defensive metrics through the season’s opening days could be attributed, in part, to the increasing pace of the game. He said if that pace changes, so could the Heat’s defensive numbers.
“There’s a fine line that a coach has to make a decision, when you want to play a pace game,” he said. “Look, it was easy for me, it was so easy when I coached because I could stop the team by throwing two fingers in the air or a fist in the air and I would take 24 seconds off the shot clock, we would keep the score in the 80s.
“And sometimes when you’re breaking and running and going hard, and shots are flying, turnovers are happening, layups are being missed, whatever happens, what’s going on going the other way has to be valuable. So, I think once that yin and yang gets worked out, coach can either go forward further with it or he can pull back on it.”
Riley said offensive efficiency could lead to defensive deterrence.
“You can have the defensive disposition, but there’s a difference in the disposition to dominate the shot clock, because you’re going to control it on offense,” he said. “So when you control a shot clock on offense for many years like I did, then you can control your defense a lot better, because of the shots you’re taking and guys’ responsibilities.
“It’s a whole new world; it’s a different game. It really is. I’m excited to watch it, to watch it every single night. Some of the players in this league are exciting and talented and coaches have decided to go that way.”
Fiorentino fallout
ESPN broadcasters Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy used their national forum during Wednesday night’s broadcast of the Heat’s loss to the Spurs to vent about the Heat’s decision to break up the team’s longstanding television duo of Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino.
The Heat announced in June that “Tony Fiorentino, an original Miami Heat employee, will begin his 15th and final season as a member of the television broadcasting team when the team opens training camp in September,” with Reid remaining as the team’s play-by-play television voice.
During the second quarter of Wednesday’s broadcast, Van Gundy, who served as a Providence College assistant coach while Reid was a broadcaster there, addressed the Heat’s decision to open a search for a new television analyst.
“Mike,” he said, “I’ve got to mention this. You told me coming in, and I’m still astounded by it, that they are breaking up the Miami Heat tandem of Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino. They’re moving on from that great two, duo, that’s been with this franchise from the start?
“I can’t believe it. Sometimes you try to change and you go backward. I’m astounded that they’re breaking these guys up.”
Breen, who called the Heat’s championship victories in 2006, ’12 and ’13, then added his thoughts.
“Eric Reid, the play-byplay man, Tony Fiorentino, the former coach, the analyst, they’ve been together for over 20 years doing the local broadcasts for the Heat,” he said, “and not only are they just fantastic on the air, but they’re also, they’re beloved here. And I agree with you, I was shocked.”
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