Is Riley the right coach for the Heat?

There has been a lot of speculation lately about whether or not Pat Riley will step down from the President's booth and sit on the bench to coach. Much has been said about Riley's desire to coach again in the media. In fact, Riley has taken a much more 'participatory' role in coaching and developing players and this lone act, no matter how it was dissected, has seem to trigger this recent rash of speculation.

Will he or won't he?

The real question ought to be: should he?

Would the Heat really benefit from Pat Riley the coach? I am not so sure.

Think back to when the Heat were dominant - it was the late 90's. Their style of play was typified by Zo's fierce interior defense and bulging biceps, along with Timmy Hardaway's heart and dagger three pointers. They grinded you down for 48 minutes, and their offense sputtered along the way. The Heat didnt seek to blow you out, they wanted to break your nose, blind you and suffocate you. It was the same for the Knicks at that time, the original for the Heat copy as created by the architect Pat Riley.

In fact, Riley coming back to coach this Heat team shouldn't be a surprise. This is the same guy who left New York depicted as a villain and a traitor on his way to Miami to cash in on what he wanted. There is an interesting parallel between Riley's arrival in Miami and Shaq's arrival last summer. Both have promised championships to Miami. And both have the leverage to see their demands realized.

But the question remains, should Riley coach this Heat team? Is he the best coaching option for the Heat? Again, I think no. Stan Van Gundy in two seasons had not only fostered unbelievable clubhouse chemistry - to the point that Caron Butler and Lamar Odom even got teary eyed about leaving - but was able to bring out the best performance possible from two entirely different teams. It isn't Stan's fault that Shaq got injured with bruised thighs. It isn't Stan's fault that Wade tweaked his ribs in Game 5. It isn't Stan's fault that Damon Jones was playing on a bad wheel. But somehow, losing Game 7 has forced everyone to lose their minds. Could Riley have somehow dug down and got that team to win Game 7?

In case you may have forgotten, Pat Riley hasn't been too successful in deciding games, either. Check that '98 season. Or that '99 season. And even that '00 season.

Not to mention, the current personnell on the Heat is still very young. Players like Rasual Butler, Qyntel Woods, Wayne Simien, Dorrell Wright and Matt Walsh are all very young and need to develop. Exposing them to grueling practices and focusing on defense-or-die tactics will only suffocate their games and their developments.

Riley had it right when he quit at the beginning of the '03 season. He said the Heat needed a 'new voice' and a new direction. He didn't feel that he was the best man for the job, but instead laid it upon an unsuspecting Stan Van Gundy. Riley was right then, why wouldn't he be right now by maintaining that line of thinking and staying out of coaching? Times have changed, and it is not certain that this current Heat team would benefit from Riley back in as coach. And Riley knew that before.