The Miami Heat are freshly bounced from the NBA Playoffs and should be looking towards the future. With contract extensions and new deals before them to sort through and potentially sign-off on, it’ll be necessary to get away from the results of this past season to clear their minds before making any rushed decisions.
With the thought of getting away from the noise being a theme, anything other than fallout from the season or the playoff sweep would be refreshing at the moment. Well, the Boston Celtics and the Duke Blue Devils basketball program have given that story.
When you look at both of those basketball programs, they are both about to undergo massive change. Long-time Celtics Executive, Danny Ainge, announced his retirement recently, setting up then-head coach, Brad Stevens, to be his successor in that role for Boston.
The Miami Heat have a ton to sort through at this moment, but when the moment comes for Pat Riley to say goodbye, who’s next?
In Durham, Coach Mike Krzyzewski is set to enter his final season as the men’s head basketball coach as well. With his exit, he has already anointed one of his former players as the next head guy there, Jon Scheyer.
What does any of this have to do with the Miami Heat though? Well, when you look at Pat Riley, the Miami Heat’s Godfather, he’s 76 years old.
He can’t continue to do what he does forever. When thinking about who might eventually replace him in that role, there is but one name that sits above all else.
Sorry to bury the lead there, but it’s only right and appropriate that Erik Spoelstra be the rightful successor as the Miami Heat’s basketball decision-maker once Riles decides to hang them up, if he wants it. The question is this though.
Would Spo continue to coach while doing that job? For how long would he coach, if so at all?
Those are both good questions but the fact remains, when Pat Riley is done as the guy that buys the groceries for the Miami Heat, Spo will be the next shopper in line. There really isn’t a reality or situation where someone else looks right doing it.
It’s just that simple.