Riely's interview

[garship (一抹長紅照顏色)]

Riley:
It has been one of those great turnarounds, which I think we needed because of
the way we have struggled as a franchise and a team. When you get caught up in
the season and the last 10 weeks are very intense, successful, developing
basketball and end up in the second round of the playoffs against the best team
in the league, you feel very good about where you are headed. It gives you a
sense of hope because there has always been something looming over the
franchise, either being capped-out or Alonzo Mourning’s kidney illness. We are
past that time now; we are fresh, young, and exciting. Stan Van Gundy did a
great job and two of the most important things that we are going to try and
accomplish are to get Stan extended and to make sure that Randy Pfund, Chet
Krammerer, and Adam Simon are intact also. When you talk about Caron Butler,
Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, Rafer Alston, Malik Allen, and Rasual Butler, those
are the guys that Randy, Chet, and Adam have brought here. I have never made a
pick in my life without looking at Randy Pfund for advice. If he were to
mention a name, I would probably go with that name. So that is how much those
guys mean. Keeping the staff, after nine years, intact is one of the most
important things.

Ask:
Was it difficult for you to watch this season away from the court?

Answer:
I think when anybody is around anything for 21 years, you get addicted to things
, so overall it was very hard for me. I have no regrets about it and I was
absolutely involved with what was going on with the team. I was overly
emotional, but I was very involved.

Ask:
When you resigned, you had said that you felt the team was ready to turn the
corner. How did you know that, given what had gone on over the last few seasons
?

Answer:
I didn’t know how much we were going to win, but I knew we would be better
because of what had happened over the last three years. We knew that going into
last year that we were not a very good team, we were rebuilding and looking at
young players. We took the hit and ended up with Dwyane Wade, as we did the
year before with Caron Butler. Last year was really about going forward with
this team and rebuilding. When you look at what we have done this year and
where we have come from, then I think we have a great future, and that’s what
it’s all about.

Ask:
To get to the next level, does it still come down to getting the right big man?

Answer:
That’s right, it takes the right one. We have a big man in Brian Grant. We
have good big players. I think the team rebounded the ball extremely well
despite its length and size. What size does for you is incredible from the
defensive standpoint, but also from the half-court standpoint offensively.
We need to get size, we do not need to replace Brian Grant, we need to get
somebody to help him. It’s all part of building the team with the right parts.

Ask:
What type of skill free agent players will you be looking at?

Answer:
Talent. There are a lot of big guys out there across the board. Obviously we
need somebody that has got some bulk, wide shoulders, can take up some space,
has some athleticism, and can make a jump shot. A lot of it depends on how
Stan will feel comfortable, whether it’s an offensively skilled guy or a power
guy. You just don’t want to plug a big guy in there that doesn’t fit. We had
two seven-foot big guys this year, but Stan decided to go another way. We will
keep bringing people in here, but they must compliment what you already have.

Ask:
As far as stepping down at the beginning of the season, how difficult was it
this season watching the team when they started off 0-7 and were struggling?

Answer:
I just felt bad, really bad for Stan. It was a tough time for the team. I
remember vividly just about every one of those games. We kept getting guys hurt
and guys were out of the line-up. We also had one of the toughest schedules on
the road to start the season in nine years. There were a lot of things going on
at that time and the dynamics were not very good for a start up bid, but every
single week they got better. Their record got better and they kept battling. We
caught a favorable schedule late in the season when the team was really healthy
, playing well, and at home. Once I stepped aside, and once I felt Stan was on
his way, even though we were 0-7, I just felt like this team was going to grow.

Ask:
After watching Lamar Odom play the power forward position this season, do you
envision him there long term?

Answer:
We looked at him to play the power forward position. Once Stan inserted him
into the line-up, it really made our other players better. I think we would
have never seen Lamar’s rebounding skills at the small forward position; he
really impressed us as a rebounder in traffic and as a defensive rebounder.
He learned as he got a little bit stronger and tougher, he has really learned a
lot. With Lamar going from the small forward position in years past to the
power forward position this year, he has also created more versatility, which
was a pleasant surprise.

Ask:
How do you feel about Lamar Odom coming through for you and the franchise this
season when you took the risk and chance on him by signing him to the big
contract?

Answer:
He came through, he came through for himself. In this game you have to roll the
dice a little bit. We have done that, I haven’t been afraid to roll the dice
a little bit through trades. I think with the talent and player like that, you
have to take a hard look at it. It was crucial for us to sign a player, a good
player. We ranked him in the top five last year. We went after Elton Brand
first because he was the prototypical back to the basket post-up guy who I
thought we needed in the half-court game.
Lamar was on our radar screen all the time last year. Lamar is a godsend, he is
24 years old and has broken through this year for himself. He has improved his
maturing level, his talent level, and his versatility level. Everybody knew he
was a good player, we all knew he could play. I just felt that we needed that
kind of talent. It took us fourteen months to be able to get Caron Butler,
Dwyane Wade, and Lamar Odom. It was very important to fast track the rebuilding
process.

Ask:
Can Dwyane Wade evolve into one of the top players in the NBA?


Answer:
I think we have seen glimpses of that. There have been a number of games where
we get excited about that possibility. He has a lot of work to do and I have
always said, ‘there is no way to greatness, greatness is the way,’ you either
have it or you don’t. It comes from continuing to work hard. We have seen
glimpses of that and it excites us, the fans, the media, and his teammates too.
He is very special.

Ask:
Why was it so important to you to stay so completely out of the spotlight
throughout the season?

Answer:
When I said there needed to be a change, there needed to be a change. I believe
there needed to be one voice, there has always been one voice and I think it is
important. Since we have been together here over the last nine years, there
have been 216 general managers and coaches fired. I think continuity and
stability are very important. I also think who is out in front of the team is
the head coach and his voice has to be heard. I have the big picture in my mind
and my job is to get people focused on that and whatever influence I can have
on getting that, I will try to do that. This is really about Stan and Randy
Pfund now.


Ask:
How do you feel about the success of the team without being on the bench?


Answer:
I feel relieved. A relief from the standpoint of none of us in the front office
wanted to go through another bad year and that was possible even though we made
some changes. I don’t think this franchise needed another bad year. I think
the young players on our team, with also the veterans, have created the
curiosity with a lot of HEAT fans and have captured the imagination of the
public again, which we needed desperately.

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我年輕時的偶像，熱火軍神萊里，康健睿智如昔！

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                   婚姻、愛情、朋友、性；

                               夢想、自由、生命


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◆ From: 140.119.170.112
推 oplz:great article on Riley!
※ 編輯: garship         來自: 140.119.170.112      (05/28 16:16)
推 garship:Riley is the one, the only!!
推 yxian:感謝,看的挺過癮的 :)