The 5 worst moves of the Pat Riley era

2. Ricky Davis and Mark Blount

October 24, 2007: Traded Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien and a 2009 first round pick (Ty Lawson) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Mark Blount and Ricky Davis.

Both Blount and Davis had shaky reputations as teammates when they arrived in Miami.

Davis, in particular, was regarded throughout his career as someone with outstanding talent but was infamous for his selfishness.

Blount certainly didn’t have the off-court reputation of Davis, but still was seen as a player who didn’t live up to his potential.

This transaction would result in Blount contributing just 89 games for the Heat over two seasons. He averaged just 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Davis returned 82 games for the Heat following this trade, but left after the season and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Given his checkered past, it seemed an unusual risk given Riley’s high standards and expectations of players.

Of course talent normally wins out.  Elite franchises such as the Heat seem to be the most likely destination for such players to succeed. Given the Heat’s history of culture and structure, the gamble of such a move could have paid off.

However, trading a first round pick for two malcontents was too high a risk. The fact that the draft pick ended up being Ty Lawson doesn’t ease the pain. Until last season, Lawson has been a highly productive point guard. That really highlights the risk of such a transaction.

The above video is an example of why this was not a typical Riley move.

Next: First-round pick disaster