Erik Spoelstra Will Shine as Heat Coach This Season

It’s hard to quantify what makes a good coach with so many variables in place. Given a core of untalented, disinterested athletes, how is anyone – from Popovich to Riley – expected to succeed? Or flip the narrative and give someone a superstar-laden team the question then becomes: are they a really good coach or merely getting what’s expected out of great players?

Appreciation of coaches is arbitrary and highly subjective, and even the most elite among them have their critics. Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat is no different in this regard.

A successful four-year run has Spoelstra among the current greats of the NBA; a recent poll has him ranked fourth in today’s crop of coaches. But even his peers seem to appreciate what Spoelstra has done. As Stan Van Gundy recently told Sport Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins, “I’ll take my grandkids to see him in the Hall of Fame someday.”

Was the Heat’s success due to “Coach Spo” or was it because he led a team that at one point featured four future Hall-of-Famers? The lost paragraphs in Spoelstra’s career story arc are the two years in which he made the playoffs in Miami prior to the “Big 3” era, unexpectedly guiding a team of Dwyane Wade and role players into the postseason.

Perhaps that is Spoelstra’s greatest ability as a coach, being able to get the most of whatever talent level he has. Finding a way to maximize what you can get out of either Jermaine O’Neal (not much) or LeBron James (four MVP-level seasons).

This season will likely be Spoelstra’s greatest challenge; a period of transition, the shadow of James hanging over the team, combining new and old players and carving out which roles they play best. Yet, perhaps for the first time in his six-year tenure, Spoelstra will largely be considered the best man for the job.

Much of the local criticism of Spo was undeserved. He was young and relatively-unknown and he was replacing one of the greatest coaches in NBA history in Pat Riley. It didn’t help that Riley, still capable and exuding an unmatched air of confidence and power, was just sliding away from the sideline into a full-time role as team president after years of excelling in both capacities. Fans hoped for a slip-up to immediately begin chants of “Fire Spoelstra,” welcoming the opportunity to bring Riley back as coach after being the face of the franchise for over a decade.

But Spoelstra never wavered, at least not publicly, and welcomed the challenge of coaching Miami even with Riley’s office – and powerful presence – just a short distance away.

He successfully dealt with that distraction six years ago. And with the ghost of James likely to haunt Miami during the season, Spoelstra’s experience makes him the ideal leader for this team.

I’m guilty of the same criticism of Spoelstra; I’d never gone as far as clamoring for his dismissal but I couldn’t help but compare him to Riley. The years before Pat was lured away from the New York Knicks were vague and nebulous. The team had no identity – even with great talent – and the carousel of coaches didn’t help. But when Riley joined the Heat and immediately traded away their best player (Glen Rice) for a young cornerstone (Alonzo Mourning), this franchise would never be the same.

Moreover, there really is something to the Riley presence. It doesn’t go unnoticed by superstar millionaires. From James to Luol Deng to countless more, he has a way of making an impression on athletes that generally go through life being unimpressed. In contrast to Spoelstra, he motivates you to greatness; Mourning and Earvin “Magic” Johnson have spoken often about being willing to run through a brick wall for Riley.

As great as that particular trait is, what Spoelstra brings to the table this season is far more important. If you haven’t read the Jenkins piece, do yourself a favor and get to it (after finishing this, of course). It provides great insight on Spo’s history, upbringing and the path he’s taken to the head coaching chair. The gist is that everything Spoelstra achieved – from his limited skills as a player to his ascension in the Heat organization – came from tireless dedication and hard work.

He’s not unemotional even if he seems it in comparison to Riley; he’s just reserved and constantly analyzing the game being played. He may not have a well-rehearsed speech ready to fire you up, but his attention to detail will have you prepared for what inevitably happens. And if you don’t understand how to do something in practice, at a very-fit 43 years old, he’ll get on the court and show you.

For a team that needs to find a new identity, one based on toughness, constant effort and dedication, Spoelstra is finally the best man for the job.

And if never gets you so excited to run through a brick wall, at least he’ll show you a number of ways to tear it down. For a team that might not be as talented as others but has a lot to prove, it’s the perfect approach to a successful season.