When the time comes, how do the Miami Heat replace Pat Riley?
On July 23, 2018, the Miami Heat fanbase was met with an unsuspecting piece of news.
Chet Kammerer, Miami’s vice president of player personnel and assistant general manager, would be stepping down from his post ahead of the 2018-19 season.
Though Kammerer will still be working with Miami in a lessened role, his decision mirrors that of another team staple. Fox Sports Sun broadcaster Tony Fiorentino commentated his final season of Heat Basketball this year, having been with the organization since its first year.
A member of Miami’s front office, Kammerer has the seldom recognized role that, while having a metric ton of influence, doesn’t come with the same identification as the head coach, general manager or team president.
Despite frequently sitting adjacent to team president Pat Riley, Kammerer worked from the relative shadows. He manned scouting posts for Miami for the better part of 22 years, gathering notes on potential Heat pickups.
The Sun Sentinel reported that Kammerer was the mind behind many Miami prospects including Tyler Johnson, Rodney McGruder and the recently signed Duncan Robinson.
Though his decision is a logical one, Kammerer’s choice to step down is accompanied by a sobering nudge: age plays a huge role in career decisions.
Players are most often lambasted for not yielding to Father Time, but coaches and personnel fall victim just the same. Considering the NBA as a deep-rooted family, many of its most identifiable names walk through its hallowed halls for decades, endearing themselves to generations of fans.
"“This is always tough, when you feel like in some ways it’s time to turn the reins over to a younger group of men who are qualified to do your task,” said Kammerer to the Sun Sentinel. “And I’m still going to be involved. My role has basically changed, and I requested that change.”"
As in any line of work, the NBA’s connective tissue is filled with familial associations and long lineages. Fathers and sons have taken to the NBA’s hardwood consecutively (Karl Malone and his daughter Cheryl Ford were even simultaneously active in the NBA and WNBA respectively, in 2003-04).
Even Kammerer has steadily groomed his son Chad to follow in his footsteps. He currently serves as Miami’s director of scouting, previously sitting on Spoelstra’s bench as an assistant coach from 2008-2013.
Plenty of artistic mediums have captured the somber nature of time, but Jay-Z’s incantation on Memphis Bleek’s “Dear Summer” comes to mind.
"“I’m done for now, so one for now/ Possibly forever, we had fun together/ But like all good things we must come to an end/ please show the same love to my friends/ Dear Summer.”"
Though referring to warm months and long nights, Jay-Z’s sentiments stick to the heart of the NBA. For as much as players and personnel benefit from the NBA and its riches, all of their times come and go.
Dear Basketball
For the Miami Heat fanbase, too many players have come and gone in the team’s 30-year history.
But through most of the roster changes, there has been one constant: team president Pat Riley. Riley is 73 years old but doesn’t look a day over 61, his age when he won his first Heat championship in 2006.
While he’s as active as ever, even Riley’s most frequent press conversers recognize he’s in his career’s twilight.
"“There’s always something that sucks you back in,” Riley said at the season’s end. “You could tell yourself in September that, ‘this is my last year,’ but by the end of the season something happens to suck you back in… I’m an active participant and I want to stay that way.”"
But whenever Riley’s time does come, what does his replacement look like?
Riley lead Miami to three titles, one as a coach and two more as president. He was as instrumental in getting LeBron James to buy into head coach Erik Spoelstra’s plans in 2010 as he was in wrangling Shaquille O’Neal’s talents a half-decade prior.
Miami resembles a family-run operation as much as any NBA team could.
Owner Mickey Arison enlisted his son Nick as the team’s CEO. Father and Son Bill and Erik Foran team up as the Heat’s strength and conditioning coaches. As one of the NBA’s youngest organizations, keeping things in the family is all Miami knows.
For Riley’s eventual replacement then, the obvious suggestion is current senior vice president of basketball operations, Andy Elisburg.
Joining the team in its inaugural season, Elisburg is the team’s resident capologist. His knowledge directly supports Riley’s work. Figuring out exactly how to make the “Heatles” work financially was just one of his many projects.
But as entrenched as Elisburg is in the Heat’s day-to-day proceedings, he and most others on Miami’s payroll can’t single handedly fill Riley’s shoes.
Riley is the face of Miami.
Though he’s called “The Godfather” by legions of fans and players, his willingness to dive into the trenches to mediate and negotiate is unparalleled.
A former player himself, Riley knows how basketball works. His decorated trophy case boasts ties to three of the most iconic franchises in basketball – the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Heat.
His decades of hoops knowledge aren’t readily replaceable. Maybe Juwan Howard or Alonzo Mourning get a crack at filling in as president, but their resumes pale in comparison to the empires that Riley built.
Next: Miami Heat: Why fans are really disappointed with the team
Where Miami goes in selecting their next president is anybody’s guess. But for now, hoping for Riley’s good health and a pinch of extra cap space might be the best remedy.