Should Riley Fire Himself?

Let the fire blaze - off the court that is. Because there is certainly no fire - or smoke for that matter - on the court.

Zo is out for the season and might be done for his career. Shaq is undergoing "non-traditional" treatments for his hip in LA. Wade's injury is, all of a sudden, being characterized as worse than previously thought. Jason Williams shaved his head.

It doesn't mean the Heat were going to be this bad, but it certainly means that they are definitely as bad as their record indicates. It is almost like a curse...perhaps the curse of the Toine-bino? That is for another discussion.

The question is starting to be asked: Skolnick ponders why not just give the reins to Spoelstra now; MiamiHeatwave was asking a poll about Jeff Van Gundy's possibility as a fit here in Miami. Yet Riley himself said the replacement would come from within.

Too bad Stan Van Gundy didn't stick to that 4 year promise he made his daughter and stayed on as a consultant for the Heat another season. He could have been inheriting this team, again, for good. Then again, would that really have happened - could the players really have been able to welcome SVG back after his burnout exit? Certainly Shaq, who chased him out of town to begin with, wouldn't.

Ron Rothstein is a fixed part of this team's past - not its future.

Erik Spoelstra, long regarded as a strong coaching talent, is just about right to be plucked. Why not give it to him now and let Riley console that hip of his and work on acquiring players that he doesn't have to worry about getting along with? Skolnick is right on with calling for Spoelstra to replace Riley. And even if Spoelstra fails miserably, very few will notice and Miami can always change coaches coming into next season.

I'd do it quicker than Keith Askins can say "right on". Why is it, everytime I see Keith, I expect his bowtie to spin in a circle? Maybe that might get these players to focus a bit more.

At any rate, a prime time coach under any normal circumstances would have been fired by now or on his way out the door. But Riley is having a hard time firing himself. He is afraid of what the public might think. Here's a clue - thank God! It would show the people that Riley has some perspective and that a healthy dose of self-criticism is there.

It isn't that Riley is a bad coach - by far. But when armed with what he has on hand, there isn't much he can do - he is used to a certain style of coaching. The rules were changed while he was out - quite literally. We can't expect him to take this team in a new direction. Yet on the other hand, he can't be expected to find the best talent for this team and coach it. He is more concerned with the personalities he has to deal with as a coach and that alone keeps him from making the deals he needs to make. See Smush Parker - the only reason this guy is not playing is because Riley, for whatever reason, can't coexist with him. That is a conflict of interest at best, and at worst the picture would be of a GM and a coach that can't work well together.

A change is not necessary, it is inevitable. Riley has to figure which job he wants to keep - team president or team coach. Because he cannot do both. It just doesn't work. And frankly, a legendary coach like himself shouldn't be subjected to the mediocre roster that his "GM" currently gave him. One of them has to be fired. Riley's eye for talent has a more enduring vision at this point than does his coaching, which seems to bleed lesser players dry of their energy with his legendary practices.

The idea is sound - make the change, or be changed. Embrace it, while you still have a chance.