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Riley feeling the Heat
Posted: Friday April 14, 2000 03:22 PM
Regardless of what happens in Friday night's home game against Indiana, the Heat could be in trouble. Point guard Tim Hardaway sat out Wednesday night's loss to Detroit with plantar fascitis in his left foot, a condition that often nags players for a long time. He already had been battling creaky knees, which have clearly robbed him of his trademark explosiveness. On the advice of teammate Jamal Mashburn, Hardaway recently began wearing a tendinitis strap on his left knee. Heat coach Pat Riley insists he's not concerned about his star point guard's health, but his actions suggest otherwise. In recent days Riley has made several public outbursts, questioning his team's effort, threatening changes and even blaming the refs for not letting his team play physical. Unfortunately for Riley, these motivational acts seem to be losing their effectiveness on his veteran team. Grizzlies accepting change
Don't look for Grizzlies star forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim to be playing anywhere other than Vancouver next season. Although Abdur-Rahim said earlier this season he'd request a trade should GM Stu Jackson and coach Lionel Hollins get the ax, he -- like everybody around the Grizzlies these days -- now seems resigned to it. "It's [Michael] Heisley's team now. He has to run it and do what he thinks is right," Abdur-Rahim says, referring to the team's new owner. "Everybody knows how I feel. So I guess I'll just leave it at that." Dick Versace, a friend of Heisley's, is expected to take over behind the bench next season. Billy Knight, currently Pacers' senior VP of basketball operations, is in line for the GM job. Versace reportedly has already talked to prospective assistants Mitchell Anderson and Jim Les, both of whom played for Versace at Bradley in the `80s, and to Sonics reserve forward Chuck Person, who played for Versace with the Pacers. Golden saintWarriors GM Garry St. Jean, who took over as coach on an interim basis last December, is a lock to return to the bench next season. Owner Chris Cohan added two years onto St. Jean's original five-year $5 million contract when he assumed double duty after replacing P.J. Carlesimo, and doesn't want to pay off another fired coach. Besides, St. Jean wants a chance a chance to coach a team not devastated by injury. Through Friday, the Warriors had lost 302 man-games this season, second most in the NBA. Assistant coach Rod Higgins, meanwhile, appears to be headed to a coaching/front office position with the Wizards. Dave Cowens, whom St. Jean added to his staff in midseason, could be a leading candidate to someday succeed St. Jean on the bench if and when he ever moves back upstairs to the front office. Sports Illustrated staff writer Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Look for his columns on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Click here to send Marty a comment.
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