Pat Riley Wants to Keep the Miami Heat Together for 8-10 Years


It’s a good life—Pat Riley says he wakes up at 11 a.m. most days, walks into his office and finds that he has nothing else to do but gawk at the magnificent team he has assembled (Riley claims that he lets head coach Erik Spoelstra sweat out the daily grind instead). The master plan is to keep the core group intact for a very long and dominant stretch. Per the Sun-Sentinel: “It’s the ultimate dream for me,’ Riley said. ‘It really is. The timing was perfect as far as my age. I haven’t coached for five years. I knew after 2008, the 15-win season, that that was it. But I never realized that I was going to have an opportunity to watch and thoroughly enjoy just the players on the practice court, watching them warming up, watching them playing the game, watch them celebrate, watch them have fun. It’s just been an absolute godsend for me at this stage in my career.’ Riley, who was speaking at the Heat’s annual Family Festival on Sunday, said the next step is turning his attention toward keeping this team together for a few more years. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will become free agents after next season. ‘I want to keep bringing in pieces that are going to complement them and hope we can have one of those 10-year rides,’ Riley said. ‘You think about every team, the Celtics in the 60s, the Lakers in the 80s, the Bulls (in the 90s) and then again the Spurs, those guys have been together for eight, nine, 10 years. If we can keep this group together for eight, nine, 10 years, we’re all going to have some fun. Don’t ever take it for granted. This is a special time.'”