Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Pat Riley Responds To Criticism Of Front-Office Decisions

Shandel Richardson

Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley addresses the crowd during the Pat Riley Court dedication ceremony at halftime at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley addresses the crowd during the Pat Riley Court dedication ceremony at halftime at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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Miami Heat team president Pat Riley only given a statement to address the Jimmy Butler speculation and criticism of his decision-making.

In a previously recorded interview, before the latest Jimmy Butler controversy, he provided some answer to the state of the team during an appearance on the Dan LaBatard Show. Among the questions he answered was how he handles the criticism from fans. Some are upset the Heat are in danger of losing Jimmy Butler. Others are made they waited too long to get rid of Butler.

At this point, Riley says he's just focused on keeping the Heat in contention in the Eastern Conference. He has no interest in paying attention to the criticisms.

"I haven't read it because I'm not on any social media site. I don't care. I had my ass kicked by the Celtics enough when I was coaching. They're a great, great team. They put together a great organization. They put together a great team. They've broken all the records financially. They've committed themselves. New York has gotten better and they're going for it. Philly is going for it. We're going for it, too. This is an important year for the Heat."

Riley said he wants to remain in the game because he is unsure what he would do without basketball.

"I don't worry about the critics say because maybe I am (old)," Riley said. "Maybe I should go somewhere and put my feet up. I would then become very compulsive excessive about doing something else. You don't want me in that state of mind."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here