Pat Riley Exposed

[handicappers]

This is adorable!

It must be the first time you've actually talked to a woman. Other than that mouldy sock-puppet you put your grandmas lipgloss on and call "Glenda"

Sweet dreams sugar puff, this has been fun!

Yeah, you're not creepy at all. A dude, pretending to be a woman, married to another dude, with a Grandma named Glen.

Sick people on the internet....and poofters.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

What makes you think i'm a man?!?

You're not very bright, are you?

Well I was guilty of thinking you were a man, myself, but I never really thought about it or cared either way and I never bothered to read your profile. I've got some ancestors that came from Great Britain in the 1700's and was there in 1975. You live in a beautiful part of the country

 

[handicappers]

Well I was guilty of thinking you were a man, myself, but I never really thought about it or cared either way and I never bothered to read your profile. I've got some ancestors that came from Great Britain in the 1700's and was there in 1975. You live in a beautiful part of the country

Great Britain is a beautiful part of Great Britain? Moron

 

[HurricaneDij39]

So put threads in the Fouled out if you don't agree with them from a sports related standpoint? Sounds legit.

Over a month later and this still sums it up.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

I'd love to see your real argument here.

First, Magic and Kareem actually won a title with the Lakers in 1980 with Paul Westhead as head coach.

Riley really did utterly tank the 2007-08 season for the Heat, and the following year, he refused to extend Shawn Marion's contract, so he traded him for a broken-down Jermaine O'Neal. And as a Pacers fan, you know how I feel about Jermaine.

It was absolutely gratifying to see Marion win his next title before Riley did...

Still waiting for @trojanfan12 's counter to this. Did Riley not tank the 2007-08 season? Did he not diss Shawn Marion just so he could deplete the franchise's entire payroll by 2010? Did he not get lucky when James, Wade, and Bosh colluded to take pay cuts to come to Miami?

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Still waiting for @trojanfan12 's counter to this. Did Riley not tank the 2007-08 season? Did he not diss Shawn Marion just so he could deplete the franchise's entire payroll by 2010? Did he not get lucky when James, Wade, and Bosh colluded to take pay cuts to come to Miami?

Oh I don't think there is any question Riley knew what was going to happen. I've always believed that. I saw Riley making moves the summer before and there was no question that he was dumping long term contracts and in fact If you go back and retrieve the history - you will see where Riley was dumping contracts even before that summer before Lebron signed. The NBA, has let it slide though - so it's past history

 

[trojanfan12]

Still waiting for @trojanfan12 's counter to this. Did Riley not tank the 2007-08 season? Did he not diss Shawn Marion just so he could deplete the franchise's entire payroll by 2010? Did he not get lucky when James, Wade, and Bosh colluded to take pay cuts to come to Miami?

Your response didn't counter a thing I said. What does Riley tanking a season have to do with what it takes to win championships? It's pretty obvious that Riley was aware of what Lebron, D-Wade and Bosh were up to, so he started clearing cap space so that he could sign them all.

Or do you think D-Wade just walked into Riley's office on the first day of free agency and said "Hey Pat, have I got a surprise for you."?

There was no luck involved. Lebron, D-Wade and Bosh decided they wanted to play together and Riley did what was necessary to make it happen.

As I said, it takes great players, coaches and a front office that is at least solid for a team to win a championship. What Riley and the Heat did only supports that.

And for the record, I was also happy that Marion and the Mavs beat the Heat. Don't confuse respect for Riley and understanding what was done with me actually supporting it or that Heat team.

I agree with your "built, not bought" mantra for the Pacers and that was part of why I didn't like that Heat team and always pulled for the Pacers when they played the Heat.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

Your response didn't counter a thing I said. What does Riley tanking a season have to do with what it takes to win championships? It's pretty obvious that Riley was aware of what Lebron, D-Wade and Bosh were up to, so he started clearing cap space so that he could sign them all.

Or do you think D-Wade just walked into Riley's office on the first day of free agency and said "Hey Pat, have I got a surprise for you."?

There was no luck involved. Lebron, D-Wade and Bosh decided they wanted to play together and Riley did what was necessary to make it happen.

As I said, it takes great players, coaches and a front office that is at least solid for a team to win a championship. What Riley and the Heat did only supports that.

And for the record, I was also happy that Marion and the Mavs beat the Heat. Don't confuse respect for Riley and understanding what was done with me actually supporting it or that Heat team.

I agree with your "built, not bought" mantra for the Pacers and that was part of why I didn't like that Heat team and always pulled for the Pacers when they played the Heat.

Point being, Riley blatantly tanked the 2008 season while other teams (including the Cavs) were busting thier asses trying to compete. That team was utterly lazy and bad at the same time. I remember because that was my first full year on the boards. Great executives don't tank. Did Popovich ever tank? He once fired a coach that started 3-15 in spit of injuries to David Robinson and Shawn Elliott.

In the new Adam Silver generation and the new CBA, teams won't be able to get away with that in this generation.

Marion WANTED to play for the Heat. Riley didn't value that, and it was only so he could empty the team's payroll for the summer of 2010. If Riley actually knew that James, Wade, and Bosh were all coming to Miami, that should actually be considered tampering.

I think it was karma and ultimately fitting that Marion got his next ring before Riley did.

 

[trojanfan12]

Point being, Riley blatantly tanked the 2008 season while other teams (including the Cavs) were busting thier asses trying to compete. That team was utterly lazy and bad at the same time. I remember because that was my first full year on the boards. Great executives don't tank.

Of course he did. Riley isn't the only GM to use tanking as a way to improve a team/clear cap space. Ainge has done the same thing in Boston and it's starting to pay dividends. Also, it doesn't matter whether anyone else, great or otherwise has tanked. It doesn't change the fact that what Riley and the Heat did worked.

Great executives don't tank. Did Popovich ever tank? He once fired a coach that started 3-15 in spit of injuries to David Robinson and Shawn Elliott.

Pop fired him, took over himself and the team finished with phenomenal 17-47 under him. While they had lost Robinson and Elliot, they still had a roster capable of winning more than 17 games, especially with a coach as good as Pop. But there was a player by the name of Tim Duncan who was going to be available. So yes, Pop has tanked.

End of the day, whether anyone likes it or not, what Riley and the Heat did worked as it resulted in 4 straight finals trips and 2 championships, which is all that matters. All the history books show is who won, not whether or not they tanked to put themselves in position to get there.

Marion WANTED to play for the Heat. Riley didn't value that, and it was only so he could empty the team's payroll for the summer of 2010. If Riley actually knew that James, Wade, and Bosh were all coming to Miami, that should actually be considered tampering.

Riley knowing and the NBA being able to prove it are 2 completely different things. Like I said, Do you honestly think that D-Wade just walked into Riley's office on the first day of free agency and said "Hey Pat, I've been talking to Lebron and Chris Bosh and they're on board to come to Miami"?

Also, if Wade as a player talks to Lebron and Bosh and reports to Riley that he thinks the Heat can get them, that's not technically tampering. It would only be tampering if Wade was acting under Riley's orders or Riley had conversations with those players before free agency. Either or both may have happened, but good luck proving it. Basically, Riley may have violated the spirit of the law, but not the letter of the law.

And again, I don't like it. That's why I was pulling for the Pacers (and pretty much everyone else the Heat played) as if I had been a lifelong fan of those teams.

I don't even like that the Lakers have been doing it for the past couple of years, but I understand why it's done and if it results in being contenders again in a couple of years, I'll make my peace with it, so to speak.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

If you say so. Sounds rather corrupt to me what Miami pulled off. There's a reason we had another lockout...

And that was to create a competitive balance.

 

[trojanfan12]

If you say so. Sounds rather corrupt to me what Miami pulled off. There's a reason we had another lockout...

And that was to create a competitive balance.

Oh, like I said, I don't like what they did. We are in complete agreement on that. I just acknowledge that it worked.

I get what you are saying and from a morality/true fair play perspective, I agree. The problem is, the NBA is a cut throat business and winning is the only thing that matters. Morality/fair play (at least as most fans view them) aren't really considerations.

As for the lockout, the jury is still out on how well that has worked.

 

[ChrisGar15]

...
Pop fired him, took over himself and the team finished with phenomenal 17-47 under him. While they had lost Robinson and Elliot, they still had a roster capable of winning more than 17 games, especially with a coach as good as Pop. But there was a player by the name of Tim Duncan who was going to be available. So yes, Pop has tanked.

I agree ... Pop tanked that year.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

I agree ... Pop tanked that year.

Sometimes there is no other way to rebuild - tanking to get Tim Duncan was the smartest move Popovich ever did. Look what he got out of it. He got Tony Parker in the draft as well -

 

[HurricaneDij39]

Sometimes there is no other way to rebuild - tanking to get Tim Duncan was the smartest move Popovich ever did. Look what he got out of it. He got Tony Parker in the draft as well -

#29 pick in 2001.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

#29 pick in 2001.

Two nice picks - I don't remember Parker being there in the year Duncan won his first title with Robinson, He came a few years later and man what a find.

 

[trojanfan12]

#29 pick in 2001.

Darn nice #29 pick too. Not often that you get a Hall of Famer that late.

 

[ChrisGar15]

Sometimes there is no other way to rebuild - tanking to get Tim Duncan was the smartest move Popovich ever did. Look what he got out of it. He got Tony Parker in the draft as well -

But mainly the Spurs got lucky. Celtics had a much better chance to get the #1 pick -- they had the worst record. Spurs had like the 3rd or 4th worse record.

Think about how the NBA would be different today if Boston had gotten Duncan.

 

[trojanfan12]

Think about how the NBA would be different today if Boston had gotten Duncan.

Noooooooo!!!

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Noooooooo!!!

There are some situations that you just have to say "Thank God that never happened" - You're a married man - you know what I'm talking about

 

[True Lakers Fan]

But mainly the Spurs got lucky. Celtics had a much better chance to get the #1 pick -- they had the worst record. Spurs had like the 3rd or 4th worse record.

Think about how the NBA would be different today if Boston had gotten Duncan.

I am really thankful that never happened - I prefer to see them losing every year for another 20 years or so