Keeping the Horse Before the Cart

Pat Riley has returned to the Heat and already is getting comfy in his seat at the helm of the ship. After all, he did build the ship.

He's already calling out Shaq, whom Riley sees as the crucial piece in the championship machine that is the Miami Heat.

"He's got to take the next step forward...He's had enough games," Riley said. "He's in good enough shape where he's not hurting."

Now, I have to admit, when I first saw this I was going to trash Riley who has been out for a month. What right does he have to come back in here and start calling guys out?

Well, he has every right. He is the reason this team is as good as it is, and he is the reason that this team will move forward towards a second, repeat, championship.

Dan LeBatard, of the Miami Herald, wrote an article asking the question why Riley gets to return when he wants to. Maybe with the recent Tim Hardaway sound bite, LeBatard thinks he knows a thing or two about basketball - well, he "don't".

At least, he is missing the point.

Le Batard is right that Shaq respects Riley and will stay in shape for Riley - and that is precisely the reason why Riley can do whatever he wants for this team. Dan seems to understand that. But he misses a crucial point - this isn't about selfish needs or anything like that, it is simply about motivation.

You can say whatever you like about Riley's in-season disappearing act but you would be wrong. First of all, his stats - wins and losses - did not compile under Rothstein's name, but rather under Riley's. So, if the Heat bombed while Riley was out, it would still be Riley's good name being tarnished only it wouldn't have been through his efforts. Selfish?

No, just a part of his masterplan, perhaps.

What Riley did was demonstrate to his team what they had been demonstrating all season long - just quit and turn it on when you felt like it. The Heat were bloated, Riley has stated as much and even pointing the accusatory finger at himself. What happened when the Heat realized that Riley was gone and may be gone for the remainder of the season? They stepped it up - no matter what their motivation was, all of a sudden they actually had motivation.

Still see it as selfish?

Riley understands his team better than any fan or media member - beat writer or not - could ever. He understands them so deeply that he knows how to spot danger possibly even before it appears. Riley also understands that Shaq is the key to this team's success. Wade is going to come to play every night, it is who he is, but more importantly, he is young and still very hungry. Shaq has proven everything he needs to prove - so, how do you motivate him?

By making him a part of the action and raising the stakes.

Let's not forget, the two wins right up before the break were impressive. The Heat ran away from their competition both times in the 4th quarter. The most impressive part of that was the fact that they did that against the Spurs and even more impressive was that they went small and won without Shaq on the floor.

Impressive to everyone except Shaq, who reportedly jetted out of the locker room and avoided talking to the media. His frustration was visible, not being involved in the team's success when it mattered and being treated with kid gloves. Riley, understandably, will not allow that any further.

Pay close attention to what Riley says:

"I think the more Shaquille gets in shape, the more he feels comfortable with a lot of touches, the more he can get his head under the rim, I think we'll be as formidable as we were last year."

Now, notice what comes first - Shaq's physical fitness. Everything is predicated on that and Riley is probably the only coach in the entire world that can get Shaq to work on his conditioning. That, my friends, is keeping the horse before the cart. Because this cart, or this bandwagon, is only going to go as far as Shaq can tow it.

It was painful watching the Heat at times when Shaq did return. The offense was noticably slower and bogged down by his play at center. And the rest of the team was used to playing without him, and playing a more up-tempo style while running the ball.

So, how would you get Shaq to commit to getting into the flow of the game? How would you tell him that he is actually slowing the Heat down like an anchor?

You enlist Pat Riley whose mastery of understanding the professional athlete's ego and his ability to handle star players will get you exactly where you need to be. Riley isn't going out and saying Shaq is slowing us down, he is a shell of himself - for that would be ignorant anyway (and undoubtedly, you will hear such noise from other sources). He chalks it up to something Shaq couldn't control, his knee injury, and thus protects him from public blame.

Make no mistake, Shaq is crucial for the Heat's hopes. The window for championships depends upon him. This is Wade's team and he can greatly affect the outcome of any game - probably moreso than any player in the NBA. But it is Shaq's presence that enhances Wade's ability.

Riley couldn't have returned at a more crucial time, and with a more crucial message.