Inside The Heat

Front-office and staff stability a key factor in Miami Heat's success

Several key Miami Heat figures have been within the organization for at least 20 years

Shandel Richardson

Stability is often considered one of the strongest factors in success.

No organization can attest to that more than the Miami Heat. The Heat are among the league's best at maintaining staff and it has resulted in three NBA championships and 18 playoff appearances since the 1995-96 season. The organization has an impeccable track record with stability, starting at the top with team president Pat Riley.

Riley has been with the franchise for 25 years, and has done a solid job keeping the continuity. Just take a glance down the front-office and staff list.

General manager Andy Elisburg has been around for the team's 32-year existence. Former Heat player Keith Askins, now director of college and pro scouting, is in his 30th season. Trainer Jay Sabol (29 years), coach Erik Spoelstra (25) and vice president of basketball operations Chet Kammerer (24) are also longtime employees. 

Spoelstra recently said he couldn't imagine himself working for another team. Former player Shane Battier, the vice president of basketball development and analytics, is likely the next to call the Heat organization home for the next several years.

The consistency is why it was an easy decision for assistant general manager Adam Simon to once again turn down an offer to join another team earlier this week. The Chicago Bulls were reportedly pursuing him to help begin overhauling the staff so it would resemble the Heat.

Simon, who played a large role in discovering rookie Kendrick Nunn, wanted no part in the new because he is comfortable with the old. With the Heat set to make another postseason appearance when the coronavirus suspension ends, there is no reason to expect changes anytime soon. 

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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

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