It doesn't appear there's going to be any loss of respect between the Miami Heat and Klay Thompson. After his signing was announced by the Heat, Pat Riley didn't hold back any words in his initial glowing remarks for the sharpshooting veteran.
“Klay is one of the most iconic players to ever suit up in the NBA. A four-time battle tested World Champion who will fit perfectly into his role as an all-around player at both ends of the court. We all talk about his shooting skill, but there is so much more he brings to the game. We are blessed that Klay chose the Heat in our quest to challenge for championships.”
You'd have to imagine that it is only going to be more of the case when Miami officially holds his introductory press conference later this week.
Klay Thompson is bringing a proven record and championship pedigree to Miami
Honestly, how could you blame Riley or the Heat? There are times when organizations release quotes like this to make a player feel good, or to offer the right amount of respect. However, there are no lies detected in this statement from Riley. Not this time around.
Thompson is everything Riley said he was, and more.
He's won four NBA Championships and will probably go down as the second-or-third-best shooter in NBA history. Even though he's not the elite defender he once was, he's also not exactly going to be a traffic cone on the other end of the floor.
And as long as he can still hit open 3-point shots, there's reason to believe that he could feast on the offensive end of the floor alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
The skill set is there, and he fits exactly what the Heat is missing. At this point, you just have to trust Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to figure it out. And, based on his track record, the overwhelming odds are that he will.
So Riley and the Heat are just rolling out the red carpet for Thompson just because. This is a proven player who has deserved it. As big a deal as it was when the Heat acquired Ray Allen back in 2012, Thompson has a chance to have a similar (if not a bigger) impact.
Again, it remains to be seen how this will all play out for Miami, but there's reason to believe that Thompson could help emerge as somewhat of a missing piece for the Heat. The front office still certainly has work to do, but the addition of Thompson can't be overlooked. It was a huge move.
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