COMMENTARY : Lame Duck Riley Heads Down South for the Money

Pat Riley came to New York four years ago and almost immediately restored credibility to Madison Square Garden and the Knicks. Now he has left town with much of his own credibility gone. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.

Riley did not have the contractual right to leave the Knicks for another team, or negotiate with another team, but did that anyway, in violation of NBA rules. He had friends approach the Miami Heat on his behalf, and then Riley himself wrote down a list of demands. All this happened during a season when Riley gave speeches about greed and selfishness, and questioned the dedication of his players.

During the same season when Riley gave speeches about the Knicks making a commitment to one another, he did all he could to get a commitment from Miami.

People always said that if Riley left the Knicks, it wouldn’t be about money. Then when Riley left the Knicks, all these experts said, oh no, this isn’t about money. Riley had decided he couldn’t win with this Knick team, and winning was supposed to be everything to him.

In the end, Riley is as obvious a hustler as Mike Keenan, who beat him out the door at the Garden by a year. They are equally dishonest about their reasons for leaving. The only difference is that Keenan at least produced a title.