Pat Riley SHATTERS Heat’s Complacency with Brutal Honesty | Roster Overhaul Imminent?

Pat Riley SHATTERS Heat’s Complacency with Brutal Honesty | Roster Overhaul Imminent?

Pat Riley spoke to media early Friday, talked about Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and the future of the team. But did he give an outline of how the team will rebuild for title contention? We’ll tell you on today’s episode of Locked on Heat. [Music] You are Locked on Heat, your daily Miami Heat podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. All right, welcome to Locked on Heat, your daily podcast on the Miami Heat. Whether you’re tuning in on YouTube or on your favorite podcast app, thanks for making Locked on Heat your first listen every day. I’m Wes Goldberg here with David Rmill. Both of us are credentialed Heat Media members who cover this team every day. For daily content on the Heat, click that subscribe button on YouTube. Make sure you’re following us on your podcast app. It’s the offseason for the Heat, but not for us. We are still going strong 5 days a week, so follow us along. Uh have a great show for you today. We are reacting to Pat Riley’s annual press conference. a ton of stuff to get to. We talked about Tyler Hero’s future, uh, his recommendation, maybe more than recommendation for Eric Spolstra and how Spo should approach the summer and what he’s doing, uh, and the future, more importantly, of the Miami Heat. He also addressed the elephant, uh, the Jimmy Butler trade shaped elephant in the room. So, a bunch of stuff to get to in what is usually a pretty eventful press conference. What we did not get, David, was any players being told to shut their mouths. Um, nothing too fiery from Pat Riley. I think if anything, what stuck out to me was uh the sober reflection that I think Pat Riley took on the roster and on the season. There was nothing there that sounded like um posturing to me necessarily. I think he was truthful in saying that the team disappointed last year, that those two losses to Cleveland were humbling the the the the playoff loss in particular the two blowout losses to end that series and uh the fact that changes are likely on the horizon. So, I’m going to play the clip and we can react to it here. Well, I think we do have to make changes. There’s there’s no doubt there has to be some change. And so until you change the way you go about doing the things that you do to win, if you don’t win, you have to go about making changes to make sure that you can win. I don’t know if that makes sense to you or not, but uh you know, change is the highest form of sanity. It’s in the present moment right now. We know what we have have to do. We know what we just experienced. Did that make any sense? Did that make any sense to you, David? did actually. I I I recognize what he’s trying to say there. But this was, as you hinted, a a notably dramafree press conference. In fact, very different and even in format. Reporters caught off guard when Riley opened the floor immediately to questions. No blanket statement, no 20 minute kind of overview and his perspective on the season. It just kind of got baked into whatever responses he was giving to reporter questions. But uh he he usually has a lot more to say and he didn’t talk about anything. He didn’t talk about his thoughts on the season. He didn’t give his thoughts kind of just where we’re unfortunately he does tend to kind of go long on some of his responses and he’s kind of just given as much rope as possible and and see where he takes the conversation and then that’s when he answers questions. But this was different. He’s like sits down, takes that first question immediately for Myra and is ready to roll. And he’s about half as long as the press conference usually is too. This was maybe 30 30 plusish minutes. Yeah, 35 minutes. Yeah, I mean it’s usually, you know, 45 65 minutes, something like that. Yeah, definitely. Um, but to to answer the question about the change, I I found that kind of refreshing and I I would say that maybe the the more um what’s the word I’m looking for? Maybe the the more cynical fans would say, “Duh, of course we need change.” Or something along those lines. But you have to understand from the Riley’s perspective and from any front office personnel’s perspective, they’re going to be as optimistic and positive about their team as possible. They put it together. They felt strongly about it. They were hoping for something at least outwardly. Yes. And and so they’re not going to go there and say, “Yeah, I knew we were going to suck from day one and I kind of just rolled with it anyway.” So that’s not what they’re going to say. But at by the same token, looking at where they are right now as a team and looking at what they have to do for the future, he’s perfectly cognizant of the idea that they need to do something not drastic, but certainly make changes on on a pretty wide scale, I think. And and we’ll get into those later on because he had a lot to say about the players on this roster, how they can compete with other teams across the league and things of that sort. And I think that’s where his mindset is in terms of what changes he’s Well, let’s do it now. I mean, when he talks about changes, what does he mean? Because does does he mean rebuild and tank based on the comments today? No. Um that’s not surprising. Um he said that this is a team that does not tank. Um and he almost you can see him like grimace as he even uses the word in a pretty dramatic fashion. I was like is this is this just acting? Uh but yeah, I think he mentioned he he openly mentioned talking about adding a a star player and he he used the word uh great player, he used the word talented player, he used even the word alpha at separate times, but I think he’s he very clearly kept the door open in ter in adding a star player several times during this press conference. He also mentioned possibly some lateral moves and mention and talked about uh for an example when they went out and traded for Andre Vagodala and Solomon Hill and Jay Crowder before that bubble run and how that changed uh and helped propel the team to the finals that year. And so when he’s talking about changes, I think everything, not everything, but a lot of things are on the table. And uh I think what people are going to want to know most of about is, hey, are you going to go out and and try to put some chips on the table and go get a star? And he was asked directly about, hey, Tyler Hero’s 25, Bam’s 27. Would you are you looking to add somebody within that time frame or would you be open to adding an aging star? And nobody mentioned Kevin Durant’s name, you know, directly, but I don’t I mean, Kevin Durant would be the aging star that we all know is is is going to be out there this summer. And he said, right, Riley said, quote, “I still think an aging player can play. I’m not against that.” No. End quote. Uh he also mentioned at a separate time, if it’s talent that can help and he’s humble, that’s fine. If it translates to winning, that’s all that counts. End quote. So, in terms of the star trades, that’s what he had to say. And I thought, again, that was pretty eye opening. And I I think, look, they didn’t mention Kevin Durant’s name, but I think the Heat are going to I expect the Heat to uh to make that phone call this summer at the very least. And I just want to clarify something in case for the fans that didn’t or weren’t able to tune into the the presser or even if they did see it because he did use the word rebuild on a number of occasions, but he doesn’t view the term rebuild in the same way that our fan base does. Think of it as Yes, exactly. They’re looking at at adding more pieces, adding some players, adding a star level player. It’s not the blow up that everybody wants or expects or anything like that. That’s not that’s that’s what it comes to has been associated with the term rebuild around the league circles. But for Riley’s perspective, a rebuild is this is where we were one year and we were going to keep most of the same players like he views the difference between 2000 and 2003 and 2004 as a rebuild because they traded away key players to acquire Shaquille O’Neal. Most people would not view that as a rebuild because you were able to keep Dwayne and everybody else and things of that sort. But you did rebuild his version of the roster into something completely different and recognizing that Dwayne was so good that you had to add another key star in order to build and towards title contention. So that’s that’s what he’s looking at. Uh the humble term was an interesting one because I feel like it’s almost like a veiled shot at Jimmy and the ego that cames that came with Jimmy. Um yeah, I don’t know who it was. That felt pretty direct to me. I mean, you could have you could have said, you know what, it might have been just as much about Kyle Lowry, too, you know, and the idea that between Kyle and and Jimmy both, those were two pretty big egos to try and manage on this team. And that’s not what this franchise wants to be about. That’s not what they’re trying to take on. And and as I said before and as you and I both talked about in the previous episode about Kevin Durant, like we don’t think KD h I mean he certainly has an ego as any NBA superstar is is going to have but not to the same degree where he’s going to try and you know rock the boat considerably the same. I think when when he says humble, I think what he means is he doesn’t want to star a player that’s going to make it all about him. Mhm. And by the end of this Jimmy Butler experience, Jimmy was clearly making it all about him, right? And I don’t even mean to, you know, whatever he was. Kevin Durant, to your point, isn’t that guy. Kevin Durant is he makes it about him when he’s a free agent, but he’s very Yeah. Right. Like he’s the servant. That’s what he That’s great pull on that. Um Yeah. So I I I think that he’s open to that. I think he’s open to everything. I I just to me it’s the part where he says that we need changes. And it does. I I think you can’t predict it, right? Um, you know, he did mention at some point something along the lines of, hey, like players have to make the decision to come to your team. You know, he did make a point to point that out. Um, so you can’t go so far as to predict changes. You never know what’s going to happen, but I could predict that they’re going to try to make changes and that’s all we can really do right now. And so any Heat fan that wants a changes and you after the season, you have to change things. We talked about it after the after the loss. That’s the kind of loss that necessitates change and Riley didn’t run from that and I appreciated that. Yeah, I agree. Um um can I can I share one more quote with you? Absolutely. Quote, “There are some lateral trades that can be made to improve the team. Do we inject an alpha, a great great player to help maximize our performance in those double-digit leads that were lost? It could be that simple.” End quote. Um so again, that just underscores the fact that hey, lateral moves, star moves, all of it. Yes. Like I I think when when Pat Riley was essentially asked, “Would you do this, would you do that, would you do this,” he said, “Yes, all of the above.” D all of the above. That was his answer. So, you know, one thing I think we could talk about is like, what does that actually mean? Because in order for you to acquire superstar, you might have to blow up what you consider to be the current core of this team. But he’s also talking about making peripheral moves or adding those kind of secondary role players, higher level role players than what’s currently on the roster. So, what does that mean for the players that are currently on this team? And is anybody safe from any potential trades moving forward? And I think that’s something we can talk about in the next segment. Let’s do it. Today’s episode is brought to you by Dash Pass. NBA fans, you know what time it is. It’s playoff season, which means big performances and even bigger rewards. Door Dash is bringing the heat with a slam dunk deal for Dash Pass members during the 2025 NBA playoffs. It’s called They Swoosh, You Score. Anytime a player drops 50 or more points in a playoff game, Dash Pass members score a free threepiece crispy tender combo from Wingstop the very next day. Just place an order of $20 or more. Use the code Wingstop at checkout and that combo is crispy, delicious, and totally free. Offer now valid, I’m sorry. The offer is valid from noon to midnight the day after the game in terms to apply. What’s your go-to move after an epic game? Sometimes you want to order wings and relive the highlights. Well, guess what? Imagine being rewarded with free food just because someone went off for 50 points. And if you’ve ever looked at delivery fees and thought, “Ah, there’s got to be a better way.” Well, with Dash Pass, you get zero delivery fees and exclusive perks like this one. How much would you save over the course of a season? So, here’s the play. Sign up for Dash Pass. Unlock this and more exclusive deals all season long. And when any player scores 50 plus points in a playoff game, Dash Pass members can grab a free threepiece chick crispy tender combo from Wingstop the next day with a $20 plus order and code wingstop 50. That’s Wingstop 50. That’s Dash Pass, your door to more savings, more flavor, and more ways to win terms to a pot. We’ll be right [Music] back. So, what do you think the changes are, David? I mean, I I think this team I think personally what this team will set out to do is they make the call on Kevin Durant. Yeah. I here’s the thing is it feel this team needs to kind of do something before the trade deadline. Okay. Or I’m sorry, before the trade deadline. Before the draft. They have to have something in order before the draft because if they’re going to use that 20th overall pick in the trade, then they have to have some sort of understanding with another team. Hey, we’re using number we’re using this 20th 20th pick overall for you. We’re essentially going to select this player for you. Make sure you tell us who you want when we’re on the clock and then obviously we’ll trade this player to you afterwards. And then that essentially acts as that third first round pick that they could move and then if they do it on draft night or if if the con if the trade is consummated after draft night then they can also include that 2032 pick. So they kind of have to do all of these things like the order of operations here matters in other words. Yeah. And the sooner the better. The problem with that is we know Kevin Durant is available. We don’t really know who else is available. There’s speculation about Giannis, Jarant, Trey Young, LaMelo Ball, Zion Williamson, all these players. There’s speculation plenty. We have no idea that any of those guys are going to get traded. So Kevin Durant’s the only one that we know. And I think that’s got to be the first phone call if you’re Miami. And then beyond that, you figure out the rest of the roster. You mentioned the the Shaq trade. I think that’s a good maybe analogy of what’s going on here because instead of Dwayne Wade and all-timer, they have two really good cornerstones in Bam and Tyler, right? And then I think what Riley would really like to do is almost a combination of the 2004 off seasonason and then the 2005 offseason where in ‘ 04 he got the big star Shaq and then in ‘ 05 uh what what do you call it then? Swords and Shields, Gary Payton, um Jason Williams, James Posey, he just went and I think that’s what you could view as lateral moves, even though obviously it turned out to be an improvement. But role players, in other words, like go let’s go fill out the the supporting cast. Really hard to do. Very, very difficult to do. But I kind of imagine some kind of combination, a little bit of that would be the ideal offseason. No, I I think that’s exactly right. I I think you’re looking at turning over 80% of the roster and I don’t know what that entails but that’s I think the view is we know what we have here. We’ve seen what we have over the last couple seasons and I think maybe two players on this roster are safe and that’s Bam Debio and Tyler Hero and then everybody else is kind of up for grabs. Does that include Khalil Wear? As high as I think they believe his ceiling to be I I think it kind of does. I think he might be included in that that kind of maybe they don’t view him as having star potential or as somebody who can move the needle considerably or maybe he’s just a good piece that might help you acquire the s superstar that will put you over the edge like and and I get that perspective. We can break that down into any further detail if necessary. But I mean you’re basically looking to acquire a superstar as you said that’s the first order of operations right there and then from there it’s okay do we get a shot blocking center if we had to include where in a trade do we acquire more shooting more defensive-minded perimeter players that 3 and D type guys that can or a point guard etc somebody who’s going to be able to hand the ball or be our floor general something along those lines I think it’s a really good way of putting it is you want to try and package the off seasonason of 2024 2024 and 2025 together so they can get the star and at the same time build out the rest of the roster simultaneously. It’s it seems like he’s thinking huge changes need to be made. At least that’s the way we’re interpreting it. And so I that everything’s on the table, right? Yeah. That he’s like, “Hey, this this team sucked.” And the other part that I loved about it was him saying, and I’ve been telling people this because there was this I storyline out there that the Heat figured out that the regular season doesn’t matter. Pat Riley was like, “We really care about the regular season.” He just said it. And I loved it. Oh my god. If you’re a potential season ticket holder, that’s exactly what you wanted to hear, isn’t it? It’s, oh my god, they’re not gonna just win 45 games, back their way in through the playing tournament and just hope a miracle happens in the playoffs every year. This team, he said, we want to be a number four, number three, number two seed. And that’s what he’s and that’s how he’s talking about. this team is so far from that that even just adding a star unless it’s like Giannis obviously, but like just adding one other highle player probably isn’t enough to take this team to that point where we’re talking about a team that can win 55 games, which is essentially what he’s talking about, 50 plus games a year. This team is whatever what 13 wins below that. That’s a that’s a that’s a hill to climb. That’s a hill to climb and it’s going to take more than just one addition. All right, we got a bunch to move on to here, though. He talked also about Tyler Hero’s extension. He was asked about it. Um, I found this answer fascinating. David, before we get into it, here is the clip. The most ignitable guys offensively in the league, and we’re happy to have him. He’s 25, 26 years old. He’s coming off an all-star year, and he was voted in by the coaches. That means something. And um and so he’s he’s pivotal for us as an offensive player. We just need more uh around him that can do a little bit of what he does because now he’s getting beat up. He’s getting schemed, overly schemed, and and so we’ll learn a lot about that. And so, you know, Tyler is a player and I hope he could stay here the rest of his career and that we can build the team that he’s part of because So, there’s a really interesting thing that I took away from that, but let’s start with the basics here. Yeah. Used the word pivotal and then said, “I hope he’s here long term.” Y uh that is a pretty strong supportive stance of Pat Riley for Tyler Herro and indicates that they want him here long term. He went on to say basically though that doesn’t mean that they have to offer him the extension right away. He said um he was asked about the extension and he said quote, “He answered that question perfectly last week. He’s okay. He’s okay either way. We’ve already talked about it. I’ve talked about it with Tyler. You’ll see what happens as we plan. Definitely Tyler is deserving of the thought of an extension.” Um but he said it doesn’t mean that we’re definitely going to do it, but we’ll discuss it. And he talked to Hero about it um so it sounds like not this summer, next summer. Do you think this is different in terms of how the front office finally views Tyler? Because they’ve always kind of talked him up during these offseason pressers, but at the same time, his name has been historically linked through a number of different trades almost every offseason except last simply because they had no idea what there was going was going to happen with Jimmy Butler and there was no star available. And now that he’s had this kind of rise of a season, do they view him internally as a a foundational piece or a piece that you have to build around? Because that’s kind of what I got from his comments there. It’s like you want to build a team or want what Tyler can do. And that being the case, I don’t think we’ve ever gotten that strong a a confirmation of of his value or his perceived value within the organization because it’s always been, well, Tyler can do this and we like what Tyler can do, but we’re also making calls to Portland to see if Tyler can get his, you know, get him shipped out to for for, you know, Damon Lillard or or Kevin Durant or whomever was available, Donovan Mitchell, etc. So, this feels a little different. This feels like our plan is to add a third star to complement what Bam and Tyler can do and kind of flesh out the rest of the roster that way, not include Tyler in any pursuit of a superstar. It’s a great call. Yeah, I I 100%. I think this was basically a fullthroated support of who Tyler Herro is. I think the reason why you’ve seen even Tyler Herro’s status within the organization change and improve is Pat Riley went out last summer and the same way he challenged Jimmy Butler, he challenged Tyler Herro. And one player responded one way and the other player responded in another way. And Tyler Herro said, “You think I’m fragile? That’s fine. I’m going to play a career-high in games. I’m going to be top 10 in the league in minutes played, and I’m going to completely change my game.” you don’t you you want me to be off the ball, Eric Spolstra? Fine. I’ll play off the ball. That’s fine. And he was very honest and upfront about how that worked in his exit interview. And he’s like, and then suddenly I had a career year. Isn’t that crazy? And everybody was like, “Yeah, dude. That’s what everybody’s trying to tell you the whole time.” But um yeah, this was it was he he was challenged. He rose to the occasion. Yeah. Like you get a raise, dude. Like that’s how it works, right? Like all of a sudden you’re you’re thought of a little bit differently in the organization. The Jimmy Butler parallels to that though, I think, are really interesting. I want to talk about that after this, plus a few other loose ends from Pat’s press conference. We’ll talk about it all here next on Locked on Heat. Today’s episode is brought to you by Amazon Fire TV. Did you know that your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Well, you can turn any TV into your gaming entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices. No console required. You just grab your paired controller and you subscribe or sign into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with EA Play included and you’re ready to play. And you can dive into hundreds of premium titles from EA Sports College Football 25 to about and Call of Duty Black Ops as easily as you stream your favorite shows. It’s gaming made simple and it’s all on your Fire TV. With uh 4K streaming, you can watch more than 1.5 million movies and TV episodes from your favorite subscribed services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, Max, and so much more. You can play high quality Xbox games at a fraction of the cost of a console. Do you already have a console? Well, a Fire TV Stick 4K device is more affordable and easier to travel with, allowing you to take your or your kids games wherever you plug in. If you’re somebody who’s looking to gain a little more experience to the gaming field, well, guess what? This is the right way to start. So, head over to amazon.com/firetvlockon to get started. That’s amazon.com/firetvlockon. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller are required. available on select devices including Fire TV Stick 4K second gen, Fire TV Stick 4K Max first and second gen, and Fire TV Cube third gen. We’ll be right back. So, what really stuck out to me about that was the parallels between how he talked about Tyler Herro’s extension versus how he talked about Jimmy Butler’s extension last summer. And yes, basically said the same thing. We’re not going to talk about the extension this summer. We’ll talk about it next summer. Wait, that’s what he said. It’s what he said to Jimmy Butler last summer and it’s what he said about Tyler Herro this summer essentially. Now, when he talked about Jimmy Butler’s extension last summer and was asked about Jimmy Butler, um he obviously had the explosive you should shut your mouth things and all that stuff and he did not he actually mentioned that today and did not apologize for that and did not apologize for anything in terms of how the Jimmy Butler situation was handled. I think that was a little misplayed, but I guess it’s not surprising from coming from Pat Riley, who called himself an alpha today also. Um, but uh, yeah, I thought that the front office needed to be held accountable, and I don’t think he held himself accountable to that at all, but whatever. The past is the past. He also quickly tried to move on. He, you know, Ira asked him a question about Jimmy Butler right away, and he said, “Here it is. Let’s not have any more things.” He and he kind of politely asked, “Can we just not talk about it anymore? I’m ready to move on.” And that was the messaging and I get it. Um, but the way that he talked about Jimmy Butler last summer versus how he talked about Tyler Herro this summer, even though he’s essentially saying the same thing, felt very different in vibe, right? It was, “We love Tyler Hero, we want him to be here long term. We’re also going to have to put these conversations about extensions to next summer. We’ve already talked about it, which is also a big difference because at that point when Pat Riley talked to us last summer, him and Jimmy Poler had not talked about the extension. Um, and he’s already had a conversation with Tyler Herro and it sounds like everything’s copetic and everybody’s on the same page. Yeah, it’s a the iron fist and the velvet glove. It’s, you know, soft on the outside and on the inside, same message. we’re not going to deal with this now, but we we love you and we appreciate what you’ve done and what you bring to the table and how we view you is different and and maybe it’s just a by virtue of Tyler and his improvement, the fact that they drafted him and they kind of view him as one of their guys. I don’t think they had any necessary animosity towards Jimmy, but I think what you’ve said before and what we’ve talked about, you know, a lot is that there was Jimmy fatigue throughout the franchise. You know, it was a little there was just a lot to deal with there in terms of what he wanted and how he acted and his somewhat abrasive nature and and I that’s just who Jimmy is and and that’s at fine at first it’s something you can kind of accept because I mean the payoff was tremendous. You got a great player. It was able to take you to great lengths etc. But after five and a half seasons and continuously demanding and and not frankly living up to what was expected of you as a leader for this team, enough was enough. And so I think they’re they’re happy and ready to move on. But that conversely, they think highly of Tyler and they see him as a player that can continue building and continue growing and will be a part of this version of this team in the near future. Anything else on Jimmy Butler before we move on to some other loose ends? Like I said, he didn’t really talk about it. I have one more quote for you. He said, uh, he was asked sort of about the culture and everything like that. And he said, quote, “Just because there were some issues this year that weren’t culture oriented, but were player oriented with Butler, I’ll never change my thoughts on culture.” End quote. I mean, yeah, it it it feels like he kind of just dug his heels in the sand a little bit this year, more than any other. Like, I I don’t know that every every presser of these kind of has a little give and take. this felt a lot more like I’m just this is who I am and and this is who we are as a team and we’re not apologizing nor do we feel sorry about it even if it hasn’t translated into the kind of success we want and I don’t know that I think he mishandled it and personally at least I don’t think he mishandled the the pseudo conversation about Jimmy because he just I mean again I I feel like what Pat Riley is saying is that we tried to handle it differently we thought it was going to work out differently and Jimmy didn’t care and that’s it. There was nothing that we could do differently. At least that’s what I’m interpreting from it in terms of his explanation. I was kind of into it. Like I said, I know I got on here uh yesterday the last episode we published and said that this organization needs to be held accountable in all these things and I do believe that like I there is accountability there. They screwed it up like the season didn’t go well. They’re they have blame like they share blame pie, you know? Yeah. Um, but I also kind of love that Pat Riley just came out and said, “It’s our culture. If you don’t like it, the hell with you. Jimmy Butler’s not a part of this anymore. I hope he’s I hope he’s I I wish him nothing well. I hope in deep down in his heart somewhere he wishes us well.” You know, that was kind of an interesting Yeah, that was a fun quote. I was like, “You know what? Good. Dig your heels in Pat Riley.” That was the right way to put it. I was I was into it. I was in it. I like, “Hey, tighten the screws on the culture. Let’s go. This is what we’re doing. Humble superstars, all that stuff.” I was into it. Um, a couple loose ends here. He was asked about the luxury tax. We talked about this as a pressing question uh in our preview of Pat Riley’s press conference. He was asked about it. Um he did say that they’re going to try to avoid it. Um I appreciated that forthcoming answer. Uh they can’t they have to avoid it one of these next two years or else they enter the repeater tax uh which is extremely punitive for a lot of different reasons um including team building reasons and uh they can’t do it. So it’s either going to be this year or next year. And Pat Riley basically said that. Um, my guess is that they’ll try to avoid it this year because it’s just going to be way you, it’s right in front of you. You know how to do it. They’re $9 million away from the luxury tax right now, but that’s only with 13 players under contract. So, you know, based on considering changes are going to happen this summer, or they’re going to try to make changes this summer. They’re close enough where you have to be um cognizant of how close you are, but I also think that they’re going to try to make those changes while also staying under the tax potentially. Um, what does that mean for DaVon Mitchell? I think is interesting. What does that mean for Duncan Robinson is interesting because they can wave him and save $10 million and create another $10 million worth of cushion there. Uh, what does it mean for Terry Rosier who his contract is expiring, but if you wave and stretch him, you could save about 16 $17 million in the short term, but then, you know, you tack on an $8 million payment for the next two years while Rosier is not on your roster. So, um, you know, Andy Ellburg, that’s that’s what he’s going to get paid to figure out. Yeah. Um, uh, what else? What else really stood out there? Yeah, the Sper stuff. Yeah. Oh, we also I didn’t mention that Pat has no intention of retiring, right? I don’t think we addressed that. Yeah. He he was asked as he always is, uh, no plans to retire. First time we as we heard a question about Spoi moving into a front office role and he said no, absolutely not. So, he shut he shut all that down as we expected. You and I both predicted he would be asked and we both predicted he would shut it down immediately and that’s exactly what happened. So, um speaking of Spo, uh I I’m going to take a little bit of a victory lap here because people kept asking us on the show like, “Hey, why is Eric Spolster not coaching?” Well, you know, it wasn’t his best coaching season. He he’s admitted that. We’ve talked about it a lot. Um and I just said like I think this guy needs a vacation like nobody else has ever needed a vacation. It has been a crazy three years. The stuff in his personal life is well documented and out there. you know, the divorce, all the other stuff. It’s out there. And he’s dealing with that. He dealt with uh the finals run in 2023, the divorce shortly after that, then the coaching uh disappointing year last year, then going right from that to the Olympics, and then right from the Olympics back to this season, and then all the Jimmy Butler drama starting in November, December, and then the real drama starting to percolate and kind of boil over in January, and then the trade talks between January and February, and then a 10-game losing streak, and then everything that happened. I’m like, “This guy needs a freaking break.” No wonder he forgot he had a timeout at the end of one of these games, you know, and so I think he just his brain snapped a little bit and I kept saying, “This guy just needs to get away from basketball and go to a beach and get a pinina colada in his hand.” And I thought it was really interesting that Pat Riley, I know I’m taking a little bit of a victory lap here, but I thought it was interesting that Pat Riley uh said, quote, “I’ve seen this strain and stress on him like I’ve never seen before. He needs a break and he needs time to reflect.” End quote. Yep. And he and he’s he mentioned that Spo is either going to Hawaii or he’s in Hawaii right now. But that Hawaii a beach at Hawaii is planned for Eric Spoler. I think that’s exactly what he needs. That’s awesome. Yeah. I I think look, it’s humanity. I mean, we we know what a workaholic that Spo is. He’s driven, etc. But, you know, the the plan is every time there’s an off season, they basically tell their players the same thing. take a week or two off, go connect with families, go on vacations, you know, do what you have to do if you’re planning like a marriage or a wedding or whatever. Whatever it is that you want to do, this is the time period for you to do it. And then come back in two weeks and let’s get locked and loaded and ready to go. And that’s I I would I would say that Spo has rarely taken those two weeks that they give those players that he probably heads right back into the office. Even after a long finals run or a short playoff run, it doesn’t matter. He goes back in there. He starts immediately scouting. Starts looking at college players. Start looking at potential free agents. Starts working with his whatever players are still under contract. His break last year was going to Vegas and and running camp for the Olympic team. I mean, yeah, you’re this guy’s a total sicko. Yeah. So for him to be able to just decompress kind of just don’t even look at basketball and you and I were joking that he’s probably watching playoff games and scouting college film right now while he’s in his hotel room locked up in Hawaii getting nothing but room service. I would tell him like dude nothing you don’t even look at anything round for like I don’t just nothing orange or round. No nets. Nothing basketball. Don’t even look at wood. No hardwood on floors like all tiles. all carpets like yeah just get away Pat sends somebody from the front office or like a private investigator make sure that he’s not doing all these things or reporting back to him and saying yeah he’s been locked up in his hotel room for the last five hours he’s got the on payroll in Hawaii just like yeah he’s he’s got his iPad at the bar every night looking at college film I hope not it’s good for Su he needs it a good chance for him to kind of unwind and and and with that renewed energy he’ll have a better season and he’ll be with a different roster too, you know. Yeah. And you know how it is like you got to get away for some you got to get away from something like literally get away from something in order to have epiphanies, right? It’s like why your best it’s why your best ideas come to you in the shower. It’s you walk away from the desk and you’re like, “Oh, that’s right. That’s that that’s that thing I should have done.” Um it just feels like Eric Spolster has never done that. It or not never, but hasn’t had a chance to do that in a very long time. Fair enough. Yeah. So yeah. Um, interesting press conference. I thought very effective. Um, I think one that should excite Heat fans. Again, the predictions of changes coming given where we’re at, they have to happen. And, uh, I think this is going to be a really active offseason for the Heat and therefore it’ll be a very active offseason for you and me. Um, that’ll do it for us today. Thanks for making Lock on Eat your first listen today. For your second listen, check out Lockdown NBA Game Night. Every game, every night, until an NBA champion is crowned. at local analysis on a national scale. Find NBA Game Night unlocked on NBA on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts.

Miami Heat’s Future: Pat Riley’s Bold Vision and Roster Shake-Up

Is the Miami Heat on the brink of a major transformation? Pat Riley’s recent press conference has sparked speculation about potential roster changes, with the Heat president emphasizing the need for a fresh approach. As the team navigates the complexities of the NBA, Riley’s comments on Tyler Herro’s pivotal role and the Jimmy Butler situation are creating waves. The discussion also touches on Erik Spoelstra’s need for a break, highlighting the pressures of leading a top-tier team.

Wes Goldberg and David Ramil talk about what Riley’s changes could look like, why Kevin Durant looks like a stronger possibility and more.

Timestamps

0:00 Intro: Pat Riley’s press conference on Heat’s future
5:30 Riley open to adding aging star player
16:16 Riley emphasizes importance of regular season
26:03 Riley’s differing approaches to Butler and Herro
31:25 Spoelstra needs a vacation after stressful season

Become a Locked On Heat Insider on Subtext! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonheat

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-heat/

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/nba

📲 Follow Locked On Heat on Twitter
Locked On Heat https://twitter.com/LockedOnHeat
David Ramil https://twitter.com/dramil13
Wes Goldberg https://twitter.com/wcgoldberg

📸 Follow Locked On Heat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lockedonheat/

📺 Follow Locked On NBA: https://linktr.ee/lockedonnba

📢 Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! | Offers from our sponsors: lockedonpodcasts.com/offers

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k
Did you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.

CarGurus
Buy or sell your next car today with CarGurus at CarGurus.com to make sure your big deal is the best deal.

WayFair
After the holiday hustle, there’s nothing like giving your home a little TLC. Give your home the refresh it needs with Wayfair. Head to Wayfair.com right now. Wayfair. Every style. Every home.

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNBA at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Right now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#miamiheat #heat #nba #tylerherro #bamadebayo