Can Riley Inspire Miami’s Underachievers?

The Miami Heat, long a pushover for Pat Riley, now represents his toughest test as a coach.

Riley, who has a lifetime record of 23-4 against the Heat, became the team’s coach in September when he signed a contract for part ownership and $15 million over five years.

Heat fans consider him a bargain--someone who can inspire a team of underachievers. The last hiring of a coach to generate so much fanfare in Miami took place 25 years ago, when Don Shula came to town.

Two years later, Shula’s Dolphins went 17-0. Riley, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to four world championships, declines to predict how quickly he can turn the Heat into a winner.

“I’m not going to make any dramatic statements about where I see this team in the future,” Riley says. “Any kind of outlandish statements about where this team will be would be foolish. I guarantee one thing: We’ll work hard.”

Such caution is well-advised. Since the expansion team was founded in 1988, Miami has had one winning season--42-40 in 1993-94. Last year, the Heat went 32-50.

Riley is unaccustomed to such failure. His lifetime winning percentage is .715, double the success rate of Miami’s all-time .357 record.

In 13 seasons with the Lakers and New York Knicks, Riley never won fewer than 50 games; Miami has never won more than 42. He has won 137 playoff games; Miami has won two.

“The challenge is great,” says Riley, 50. “It’s about raising the ante and playing for higher stakes.”

The challenge, in fact, is the greatest of Riley’s career. With the Lakers he inherited Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. With the Knicks he inherited Patrick Ewing. With the Heat he inherits Matt Geiger.

But Riley professes to relish his new role.

“Situations that are certain can bring a level of comfort,” he says. “Situations that are uncertain are a little more exciting.”

For the first time, the future Hall of Fame coach finds himself without a future Hall of Fame player, but the Heat has talent. Glen Rice and Billy Owens are potential All-Stars, and young guards Khalid Reeves and Sasha Danilovic show promise.

After languishing last season under coaches Kevin Loughery and Alvin Gentry, the Heat are eager for a fresh start under Riley.

“Here’s a coach who knows how to win,” center Kevin Willis says. “I can’t wait to get things going.”

Riley departed New York amid much acrimony. Blaming Madison Square Garden president Dave Checketts, Riley said he felt manipulated, threatened and frustrated by a battle over control of the Knicks. In response, Checketts said Riley bailed out on New York.

Riley had a year left on his contract when he faxed his resignation to management June 15. Four days later, with the Miami job vacant, Heat executive vice president Dave Wohl held a news conference saying the team wanted to explore hiring Riley.

The Knicks filed tampering charges. The teams reach a compromise Sept. 1, with Miami giving New York $1 million and a first-round draft choice in exchange for the right to sign Riley.

The first game this season between Miami and New York, it should be noted, is scheduled for Dec. 19.

“I’m simply a person who wants to be committed to an organization that wants to win,” Riley says, “and I’ll commit myself to that person who wants to win.”

Wohl, more than most, appreciates what Riley can mean to Miami. Wohl was an assistant coach with the Heat when they lost the first 17 games in franchise history, and he was an assistant under Riley when the Lakers won the 1985 NBA title.

“He can give us things that we couldn’t have before,” Wohl says. “Any time you’ve been with an organization such as the Lakers, you want that feeling again.”

Even if Riley’s arrival fails to improve Miami’s record dramatically this season, he’ll provide other benefits. Led by the game’s most glamorous coach, the Heat will no longer wither in the shadow of their in-state rival, the Orlando Magic. Ticket sales will likely rise for a team that often played before several thousand empty seats at home last season.

And by showing a commitment to winning, owner Micky Arison bolstered his campaign for a new arena.

“Micky Arison has proven to everybody that he wants to raise the level of consciousness in this city and improve the team,” Riley says. “He wants a first-class organization here.”

As the setting for the introduction of Riley as the Heat’s coach, Arison chose a room called the Dynasty Lounge aboard an ocean liner he owns, the S.S. Imagination. Riley talked about his dream of a championship parade down Biscayne Boulevard. Heat fans--including Steffi Graf--praised the hiring.

Since then, media coverage of Riley has been so frenzied that a local columnist finally suggested an embargo on references to the coach’s Armani suits.

Riley mania has come to Miami.

“Why that has been created is borne out of what happened in the past,” Riley says. “I’ve got a lot of wins next to my name, but I never made a jumper or took a rebound. I’ve been blessed to be a part of great teams and great players.

“If that follows me around and creates some expectations, so be it, because I think it’s about exceeding expectations. That’s the challenge in anything you do.”