Re: Miami Heat 2005-06
Tämä saattaa auttaa Shaqinkin peliä, sillä Riley on kuitenkin valmentanut Kareemia, Ewingia ja Alonzoa.
Saattaa ja varmasti auttaakin. Showtimellakin oli Magic ja Worthy mutta pallo meni Kareemin kautta. Haastattelusta päätellen idea on nytkin toimia samoin. Käyttää O'Nealia tehokkaasti ja oikein.
Jää nyt nähtäväksi miten paljon vaihdosta on apua, riittääkö rahkeet Miamilla mestaruusjahtiin?
Magic warns Heat to get ready to work
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
December 12, 2005
DALLAS (AP) -- Smiling wide and laughing mischievously, Magic Johnson offered a message Monday to Shaquille O'Neal and the rest of the players on the Miami Heat: Get ready to work hard, to be yelled at and to be led by a terrific coach, Pat Riley.
"Pat is going to push and push and push," Johnson said hours after Riley took over from Stan Van Gundy. "If those guys aren't mentally tough, they're in for a rude awakening. Awwww, man -- they all should have hoped that Van Gundy stayed. That's for real because it's a new day starting tomorrow in that practice. Trust me. ...
"Some people are going to have to grow some tough skin they hadn't had to grow before," Johnson added. "Pat is a direct guy. That's going to really be different than everyone is used to. And he's going to say it in a way they're not used to a coach saying it and right in their face. ... He just wants you to play the game the right way."
Johnson knows from experience, having played nine seasons for Riley on the Los Angeles Lakers during their "Showtime" era. Those teams reached the NBA Finals seven times and won four championships. Riley later coached the New York Knicks and Heat, along the way bolstering his reputation as a demanding boss who likes long, grueling practices.
Cackling again, Johnson noted that no one gets special treatment.
"He doesn't mind singling out anybody, that's from Shaq on down," said Johnson, who was in town to watch the Lakers play the Mavericks. "You get one set of rules. That's everybody, from the superstar to the last guy."
From the front office, Riley saw the Heat come within minutes of reaching the finals last year. He then rebuilt the roster over the summer, adding the likes of Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey to support superstars O'Neal and Dwyane Wade.
With the new crew only 11-10, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he doesn't think anyone should be surprised by the switch.
"I think Pat's going to do what's best for the organization," Jackson said. "He brought these players in and I think he's going to try getting them going in the right direction."
Before Jackson returned from his own layoff to coach this season, he asked Riley whether he was ready to come back, too.
"He talked about not having the energy perhaps to return," Jackson said. "Now it's a 60-game season for him, so he's in pretty good shape."
So is ABC. The network's Christmas afternoon matchup of Jackson, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers against O'Neal and the Heat just got even more sizzle.
"Phil Jackson and Pat Riley on the sidelines? Both teams should be motivated," said Lamar Odom, who was among the players Riley traded to the Lakers for O'Neal.
Before Riley swung that blockbuster deal for Miami in July 2004, there was talk he might try replacing Jackson as coach of the Lakers, in part to work with O'Neal.
"When it became apparent that we weren't going to re-up with Shaquille and he was going to be in the trade market, I think (Riley) went back and did the next best thing and traded for Shaq," Jackson said. "It was probably the right thing to do."