Riley Leaving Heat to Have Surgery

CornMonkey · 01-03-2007, 01:02 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2718720

Quote:

Miami Heat coach Pat Riley will take a leave of absence to have surgery on his right knee and hip.

The Chicago Tribune first reported that Riley would take a leave from the team, which plays the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday before embarking on a six-game Western road trip. A team spokesperson confirmed the leave of absence to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

According to ESPN's Hank Goldberg, Riley will have surgery on his right knee and hip and plans to return to the bench. The team was expected to hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

The Tribune reported that Riley informed the team of the decision on Wednesday morning.

Assistant Ron Rothstein will coach the team in his absence.

Riley spoke earlier in the week about the knee pain.

"I've got floating chips," he told the Sun-Sentinel. "I've got three or four things that have been floating in there for years. If I get it done, it'll be a day. There's just going to scope it and flush it out.

"I had an MRI the other day. It showed all these loose parts in there," Riley told the newspaper. "Lately it's been locking up and staying there."

The Heat, who have been without center Shaquille O'Neal, are off to a 13-17 start and out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference.

Riley returned to the bench in December 2005, replacing Stan Van Gundy and postponing a scheduled surgery for hip replacement. In September, Riley said he didn't expect to need the operation this season.

His condition apparently worsened in recent weeks. He often walks with a limp and has been on medication for the hip.

Riley has said he gets plenty of mail about how to handle the hip problem, including one package where someone sent him an artificial hip and explained how it works. Last fall he described his exercise regimen as "not intolerable."

Last season's title run was vindication for Riley, who made sweeping roster changes in 2005. The championship was Riley's seventh, and his fifth as a head coach.

Riley has a career record of 1,164-606.

nice timing riley. between the team tanking and having to deal with shaq, i'd have surgery too to try and divert all resposibility.

Sirrich3 · 01-03-2007, 09:01 PM

Hope he recovers quick...

VTGreg · 01-03-2007, 09:04 PM

Maybe he will name Stan Van Gundy the interim coach, let him take them to the playoffs and then replace him at the beginning of next season. Oh wait, he already did that once before.

Sirrich3 · 01-03-2007, 09:05 PM

I was thinking the same thing VT...

MikeD · 01-04-2007, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTGreg

Maybe he will name Stan Van Gundy the interim coach.

Or Ron Jeremy.

01-03-2007, 09:01 PM	#2
Sirrich3 Rear Admiral Upper Half Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: In Sunny Southern California Posts: 3,950	Hope he recovers quick... __________________

01-03-2007, 09:04 PM	#3
VTGreg Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 2,533	Maybe he will name Stan Van Gundy the interim coach, let him take them to the playoffs and then replace him at the beginning of next season. Oh wait, he already did that once before. __________________ It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress. Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.

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01-03-2007, 09:05 PM	#4
Sirrich3 Rear Admiral Upper Half Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: In Sunny Southern California Posts: 3,950	I was thinking the same thing VT...

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