The best of the Pat Riley press conference

Not much of an introduction necessary here…

The most important things Pat Riley said today, tweet by tweet….

First, this, in response to our question…

Pat Riley on whether he will finish with the Heat, in light of Lakers situation:

"Absolutely."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

"Absolutely" — Pat Riley's immediate response when @EthanJSkolnick asked if Riles would stay with the Heat for the rest of his career https://t.co/l1mH8FvBYw

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 13, 2019

And now, the rest, on the team..

Pat Riley opens: "The only thing I can say that hasn't been said by you or by coach…." Divides players into AOT, SOT, or NOT. All of the Time, Some of the Time or a Not (which you don't want to be)…. He's split the roster those 3 ways.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

Pat Riley has a L3GACY t-shirt with him.

"This was an All of the Time player. We drafted one in my 23 years, and thank God for that. As we look forward to the future, we've been at this a long time, we know how to do it."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

Pat Riley says he doesn't want to get into the backstory of "why this team was built for a short term run."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

Pat Riley says he had planned on a 2-3 window with young players they drafted, and "on-the-brink-to-make-it-veterans." Says they learned that they had a competitive team, "but it was a Some of the Time thing, and very rarely was it an All of the Time thing."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Riley says "we're going to figure it out…. Whether you believe me or not, we're right at the launching pad right now. It took us a couple years to pay back our student debt, or loans." Mentions borrowing to get the Big 3, with picks and money.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

Riley mentions having 7 of 8 first round picks and 4 of 8 second round picks.

"And possibility of deciding if you want to be a room team in 2020."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

Pat Riley: "There are a lot of different ways you can go, in terms of rebuilding the team fast… or having the patience and adding to our young players."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

Pat Riley calls it very disappointing.

Doesn't blame coaches. Says they put everything into it.

Is taking 10 notebooks to Malibu to figure out what went wrong.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

Riley on getting the 1st pick:

"My favorite emoji is to throw out shamrocks to all my friends. Just type in Irish and there it is."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Does Riley feel the Heat are positioned to acquire a star who says he wants to move.

"It doesn't make any difference what we have the ability to do. We can want anything but it doesn't make any difference. It's up to the player. It's up to them to choose where they want 2 go."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley asked if culture is eroding.

"No, I don't. I really don't. 1st of all, our culture, I set the template for it back in 1995, is academic. It's a culture that every professional team should start with. And they do. They want their players to be world class athletes 1st."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley acknowledges there was some slippage in culture.

"Tightening the screws…"

"There will be some change next year."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Riley: "The people on the business side were probably more crushed than us. Because they have to sell the product. We sell the culture. We sell on-court performance, especially at home. How we lost games at home at times REALLY upset me."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley praises the #OneLastDance marketing campaign.

Says it was better than Kareem's.

"This was pure love. And you know what it did, it muted the emotional disappointment on the part of the organization and the staff."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

Riley is saying what we said on several podcasts about Wade's retirement providing a distraction (the squirrel).

"Now it's back to reality."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley says he isn't for being bad for several years.

"it's hard to really finish in the bottom 5. I'd have to go everybody in the G-League."

Acknowledges he did it in 2003 and 2008.

"And that was in the best interests of the organization."

Time for that again?

"No."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley:

"We have done this since 1995. I don't want to sit here for 30 minutes and give you a litany of the transactions."

Says most were trades.

Says not to use the word "obstacles" around him.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley praising the same 6 players as Erik Spoelstra did…

Bam
Justise
Josh
DJJ
Yante
Duncan Robinson

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley on "tightening the screws" with Waiters and others.

"I won't be using a single screwdriver. I'll be using a Black and Decker."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley says it would be foolish thinking to say "that we can't get out of certain contracts."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley says every great team needs "2 transcendent superstars."

Either grow them or steal them.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Riley says if Bosh doesn't sick the day they acquired Dragic…

"I think we could have beat Cleveland."

"That locked us up financially, but now we're free, or getting there. There are no obstacles, there are only opportunities."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Riley says he wants Haslem to take his time to make a decision, but would like UD in the locker room.

On Dragic…. says he will discuss with agent and Goran about whether Goran plans to opt out….

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

Pat Riley acknowledges that when they were negotiating with Gordon Hayward, "I didn't want to be left with nobody."

Uses that to explain James Johnson re-signing.

Would have gotten 2 years if they had signed Hayward.

Says JJ had another deal out there.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley points out that other teams are stuck with worse contracts.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Riley calls Justise one of the players who "can get the Heat into offense."

"He has REALLY improved."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019

 

Pat Riley: "It was a great year. It really wasn't a great year, but this guy (D-Wade) made it very, very special."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019