Riley in '17 signed a five-year contract that keeps him with the Heat through the '20-21 seasonNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Former NBAer Dwyane Wade said that he "envisions Pat Riley continuing on with the work he has done" as Heat President "no matter the result of these NBA playoffs, and that even if the job became vacant, it is not one he would pursue," according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida SUN SENTINEL. Wade said of Riley, "He's going to still be around. ... I don't see him going anywhere." Winderman notes Wade was "quick to remove his name from any succession plan." Wade: "I live in California, man. I'm out here right now." He added, "When it comes to being president, you've got to learn that business. I can text Riley and say, 'Hey, I like this player. You should look at him.'" Wade: "You've got to know so much about the business. As players, we don't know about all that. I don't want that life right now" (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 9/24).
FUTURE LOOKS GOOD: ESPN’s Mark Jackson during last night's Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 said Riley has a “brilliant basketball mind and has done an incredible job with this Miami Heat organization” (“Celtics-Heat,” ESPN, 9/23). ESPN's Max Kellerman noted the "future is bright" for the Heat, with budding stars C Bam Adebayo and G Tyler Herro on the roster to complement veterans like F Jimmy Butler and G Goran Dragic. Kellerman: "It’s not only now, it’s going forward. They’re set up” (“First Take,” ESPN, 9/24).
