The Heat go long
Riley says they will also lead to roster flexibility for the future
Signings stabilize their roster.
MIAMI — The contradiction shows the wheels never stop spinning for Pat Riley and the Miami Heat, even with the roster nowlargely settled.
Having locked up James Johnson, Dion Waiters and Kelly Olynyk to four-year contracts, theHeat have a roster farmore stable thanwhenloaded with one-year contracts a year ago.
“I think,” Riley said, “the team deserves a chance to groworganically.”
And yet, in the next breath, the Heat president began talking about currency to perhaps aggregate for something bigger.
“And,” he continued, “I think even though we have some long-term contracts, they are assets. We don’t look at our players like assets, but they are assets.”
Remember, this the same executive who turned one season with Lamar Odom and two with Caron Butler into Shaquille O’Neal.
“If something comes along somewhere along theway, there are opportunities to do other things,” Riley said of what he has formulated this offseason. “I don’t have plans to do that, but you need those kinds of assets.”
Riley paused and smiled at the small group of reporters in his AmericanAirlines Arena office.
“That,” he said with a laugh as he turned to his vice president of media relations,