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Pat Riley veered from his values in dealing with Dwyane Wade

By Simon Smith

Aug 8, 2014; Springfield, MA, USA; Seven-time NBA All-Star player Alonzo Mourning is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame by presenter Hall of Fame coaches Pat Riley ( 08) and John Thompson ( 99) during the 2014 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Springfield Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2014; Springfield, MA, USA; Seven-time NBA All-Star player Alonzo Mourning is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame by presenter Hall of Fame coaches Pat Riley ( 08) and John Thompson ( 99) during the 2014 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Springfield Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Miami Heat’s team president was openly remorseful about not being able to re-sign Dwyane Wade this summer.

Miami Heat president and Godfather Pat Riley began his annual mid-summer press conference in a very sombre manner. He stated bluntly that for both he and the franchise it had been “a tough summer, period”.

Clearly, the loss of Dwyane Wade was at the top of the list, and it was plain to see how hurt Riley was from Wade’s departure, simply stating he was “floored” by his decision.

However, he did argue that he couldn’t afford for the team to be “paralyzed” when trying to appease to Wade’s wishes whilst also trying to forge ahead and build another contender.

Riley then went on to quote five agreements that he says he tries to abide by. He couldn’t remember the name of the person whom he was attributing these values. The person in question is Don Miguel Ruiz, a current spiritual author and teacher who was born in Mexico and now resides in San Diego.

Whilst quoting these values, Riley stated that the Heat had failed three out of the five values this summer. The values are as follows:

  1. Be impeccable with your word.
  2. Don’t take anything personally.
  3. Don’t make assumptions.
  4. Always do your best.
  5. Be skeptical, but learn to listen.

These values have been laid out in great length in two best-selling books released by Ruiz.

Without attempting to delve into great depth their meaning, two of the three in which Riley stated he had failed tend to stand out.

No. 3, “Don’t make assumptions”, clearly would have to refer to the Wade stalemate and subsequent departure.

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Although Wade played hardball just the summer prior and was more than likely to do so again, particularly with the booming salary cap commencing this coming season, the Heat and Riley would have understandably assumed that they did not believe things would eventuate like this.

Wade, a proclaimed “Heat Lifer”, had spent all 13 seasons of his hall-of-fame career in Miami, and was quite simply the face of Miami and South Florida sports.

The fact that the difference in contracts offered between the Heat and the Chicago Bulls was just a few million dollars cut Riley very deep. As he detailed in his press conference, Riley explained he did have other “priorities”, namely the re-signing of Hassan Whiteside and the pursuit of free-agent Kevin Durant.

Wade clearly felt unloved and almost as an afterthought comparatively to the pursuits of Whiteside and Durant.

And whilst the Heat’s monetary offer was more than adequate for a player who will turn 35 this coming season, Riley assumed that the memories of celebrating three championships and his standing in the community would sway Wade to remain with the Heat and overlook any hurt feelings.

Riley gambled and failed. Wade felt undervalued and that he deserved better when taking into consideration the financial sacrifices he has made at various time to assist the franchise to build championship teams.

Which leads us to the second value, which Riley stated blankly he felt he’d failed: “Always do your best.” Riley explained that he wishes he had done the extra work in trying to appease Wade and satisfy his wishes to be cherished by the organization.

Meeting Wade at the airport in New York prior to meeting with owner Micky Arison and even trekking to the Mediterranean to catch up with him on vacation are a couple of examples Riley gave in which he regretted not doing, and therefore felt as though he could’ve done more.

Whether they would’ve made a difference in convincing Wade is a guess, but it definitely wouldn’t have done any harm.

The best summation of Riley’s actions and the eventual divorce between the Heat and Wade is found in Dan Le Batard’s excellent column. In the article, Le Batard states, “Ultimately, Miami made enough of an effort to appear like it was making enough of an effort. Riley didn’t get where he is doing negotiations with his heart.”

So although Riley stated he had regret over his inactivity this summer, ultimately he wanted to have control of the franchise, and not Wade. He certainly wanted to keep Wade, but not at any price.

more: Riley says the Heat will compete for the playoffs

It certainly wasn’t his number one priority, and therein lies the dilemma: Wade felt like he should’ve treated as number one, but Riley had other ideas.

The second part of that quote, “Riley didn’t get where he is doing negotiations with his heart” should calm most Heat fans.

Although at the moment it is hard to digest, Riley is fully aware of his surroundings and will always do what is best for the organization.

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