Ex-Heat Coach Criticizes Miami's Front Office For False Sense Of Security

Anthony Pasciolla | Oct 15, 2024

Mar 4, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley applauds Chris Bosh during a brief ceremony during the game between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Between the infamous coaching tenures of Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra, the Miami Heat were led by Stan Van Gundy for a few years.

He led the Heat to a successful campaign in 2005, where the team finished with a record of 59-23. Van Gundy remains close with Miami's team president, leaving his recent remark about their woes in the front office as a bit of a shock.

“I really don’t understand what’s going on there," Van Gundy began during a TNT conference call. "They’re really a win-now team, which I respect, and they haven’t put a roster around there that has a chance. I think they got lulled into a false sense of security by the run to the Finals two years ago."

Van Gundy proposes valid points. Veteran star Jimmy Butler being at the helm puts them in no other position but to contend for a title. The lack of major acquisitions since acquiring Butler in 2019, however, reflects quite the opposite. Guards Goran Dragic and Terry Rozier are two of the biggest names brought in, but neither are team-shifting players.

"And it was a great run, but they didn’t have a great team, and they didn’t have a great year," Van Gundy said. "That’s not a very good roster. To me, that’s a play-in roster again.”

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Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.