How’s this for lazy Friday afternoon news. Four days before the season is to begin, Pat Riley has resigned as head coach of the Miami Heat.

Riley ranks second in NBA history with 1,110 victories, and he led the Los Angeles Lakers to four championships in the 1980s. But the Heat missed the playoffs the past two years, finishing at the bottom of the Atlantic Division at 25-57 last season.

He will be replaced as Miami’s coach by Stan Van Gundy, his top assistant the past several seasons and the younger brother of Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy.

“It’s the first time I feel it’s right in the last three years,” Riley said. “It’s right for me to. It’s time.”

The move is not health-related, Riley said, adding that he made the decision Wednesday.

He will stay on as the Heat’s president.

His legacy? Another Van Gundy! There has to be something more going on here.

  • Crossposted at Sportsblog
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