Veteran Heat place title hopes in seasoned hands

	While Stan Van Gundy may have shared a similar coaching acumen as Pat Riley, he didn't exude the same star power. Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
	MAILBAG Submit a comment or question for Chris. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Conspiracy theorists love a story like the one that unfolded in Miami earlier this week.

Pat Riley did it; he finally axed Stan Van Gundy ... I heard he's been planning this for months ... I heard Micky Arison wanted Stan gone ... I heard David Stern begged Riles to come back.

Stories like this are perfect fodder for the theorists, an embattled coach exiled by his mentor for failing to live up to expectations.

Except that's not what happened. According to well-placed sources within the Miami organization, the story being peddled by Riley and Van Gundy qualifies as the gospel truth, that Van Gundy -- a devout family man -- simply grew weary of the long hours and the time spent away from his wife and four children. He made a choice, these sources say, and we should respect his decision.

Are the rumors difficult to ignore? Certainly. Riley himself stoked the flame. In June the Heat president announced that he would be taking a more active role in the day-to-day operations of the team. He followed that jab to Van Gundy's chin with a solid left hook when he added that the coaching bug still bites him on occasion.

Compelling evidence that Van Gundy had one foot out the door? Maybe, but only if you don't know Riley. Say what you want about his Hollywood aura, but Riley didn't make his name in the typical Tinseltown way -- by backstabbing everyone around him, especially loyal lieutenants. Van Gundy is a Riley guy, a veritable clone whose personal success would serve to further reflect his mentor's greatness. Riley didn't want Stan to fail ... how could he? If Van Gundy failed as a coach, then Riley failed as a teacher. And it wouldn't help to place the blame on Van Gundy when Riley the GM exploded Miami's team chemistry in the offseason by dumping valuable role players in favor of a rotisserie team.

Circumstances aside, Riley's return to the bench adds a star quality to the coaching ranks few can compete with. "Pat coming back means the top two coaches [Larry Brown and Phil Jackson], becomes a Big Three," says one Eastern Conference scout. "The guy is that good." Moreover, Riley has always been an meticulous game planner -- on road trips he often created a make-shift office in the showers and curtained off the entrance for hours. He takes over a veteran group that recognizes these next few years might be its best shot at a championship. These players thought Van Gundy could get them there. They know Riley can.

Forget the stuff about Riley not having read a playbook in two years. "What would he need to catch up on in the playbook," says the scout. "He and Stan run the exact same plays." What you should remember is that no matter how much success Riley enjoys out of the gate, he will be doing it with a healthy Shaquille O'Neal, who has missed 18 games this season with an ankle injury. "They're absolutely going to go on a run," says the scout. "But it will be more about Shaq than Pat Riley."

And Van Gundy's next move? The 46-year-old coach will probably settle into a consultant's role, a la Rudy Tomjanovich with the Lakers, and continue to collect a sizable paycheck from the Heat. As far as coaching, Van Gundy qualifies as a coaching tweener: too successful to go back to being an assistant but not seasoned enough to warrant another head coaching job. Likely Van Gundy will spend a year in the front office before seeking out a lead assistant role that could lead to another head coaching opportunity.