Riley Is Okay With Wade Playing In Olympics

This has been a very tough season for the Miami Heat in general, and President and head coach Pat Riley in particular. Sometimes I question whether the stress of probably one of the wost season’s he has ever experienced have effected the legendary coach’s grip on reality. The “Miami Herald” reported that Riley says he is fine with All-Star guard Dwyane Wade playing in this Summer’s Beijing Olympics. Riley told the paper “He wants to win a gold medal. I’m not going to fight with him over that. I just hope that he understands the risk that he takes by doing that.”

Coach, with all due respect exactly what risk are you talking about? That he could miss playing next year for another team that is 11-45 (that’s a .196 winning percentage) and may not have any prospects of getting appreciably better next year? Coach you have a team that less than 2 years ago won the NBA Finals and now have the worst record in the Association. Other than D-Wade you have no assets other than the weather to make the team attractive to prospective free agents, no matter how much money you have free under the cap. And don’t think that players have not noticed the way you verbally abused veteran Antoine Walker before you shipped him off to “Upper Slobovia” AKA the Minnesota Timberwolves. Or the way you have allowed point guard Smush Parker to suffer in limbo since the end of November. We reap what we sow coach.