History Repeats Itself: Pat Riley Won't Rule Out Coaching Again

In case people don't remember, Pat Riley is a bit of an "opportunist," to put it nicely. And that's putting it very nicely. Fifteen years ago, he left the Knicks on very bad terms after the Heat offered him a king's random to leave. Seven years ago, with the Heat floundering, Riley left coaching because he supposedly lost the passion. Five years ago, with the Heat once again a championship contender, Riley undermined Stan Van Gundy, one of the best coaches in the league, and took his job back in the middle of the season. Two years ago, with the Heat at the bottom of the league, he quit again.

So you'd think that Riley, knowing the negative reputation he's earned for being a frontrunner, would realize he needed to stay in the background this time and let his protege Erik Spolestra do his job. Instead, he's saying stuff like this:

Asked if he could rule out coaching again, Riley said, ``Why should I give an answer to that? Why should [a reporter] demand from me what I want to do with the rest of my life and to make a commitment that if I do something two months from now, I will get lambasted for doing it or not doing it.

``Don't lay that on me. I will do whatever is in the best interests of building a team here. Period. Whatever it takes. I will let you fill in the blanks. Don't allow me the opportunity that I can't coach again.''

Sounds familiar? It should, because Riley did this five years ago too. Spolestra might want to prepare his "I wanted to spend more time with my family" excuse in advance. It'll save time down the road.