While the Lakers "made a very public mess of the family business recently," the Heat have shown "stability atop" their organization, according to Dan Le Batard of the MIAMI HERALD. Like the Lakers with Owner Jerry Buss and Exec VP/Player Personnel Jim Buss, the Heat "also is run by a father-son tandem" in Owner Mickey Arison and CEO Nick Arison. But there "have been no ego fights or public messiness here even as Nick Arison has climbed over the years from former Heat ball boy to Heat CEO." The Heat have "no such issues at least in part because the guy who is actually in charge doesn't need anyone to know it." Nick Arison "is not interested in the lights or the glory." Le Batard: "Like father, like son. They're in it for the winning, basketball as a bond." There has been "three-pronged agreement between [Heat President Pat] Riley and the Arisons on all the major basketball decisions since Nick came into power." Micky Arison "told Riley a long time ago, as Nick was coming up, doing the organizational grunt work, that Nick would one day be running the team." What Riley "didn't know is that it would be quite this soon." Nick Arison had "earned it by working in every part of the family business over the past decade." He had "internships in arena operations, community affairs, sales and marketing." It is a "tribute to how small his ego is that he is very quietly running the loudest sports show in town" (MIAMI HERALD, 11/25).
