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New depths Riley's Heat sink to bottom of Atlantic DivisionPosted: Thursday November 29, 2001 6:20 PM
The Miami Heat are 1 1/2 games behind the Washington Wizards in the Atlantic Division. Their 2-11 record is identical to that of the Memphis Grizzlies and only one game better than the Chicago Bulls. They're on a nine-game losing streak and have head coach/GM Pat Riley off to the worst start of his NBA coaching career. While Rod Strickland and Brian Grant have missed considerable playing time and Alonzo Mourning isn't the player he's been in the past, it's a much rougher start for the Heat than anyone could have anticipated. They're 2-7 at home, which is really devastating, and they have the worst record in their division. Just how bad is it for Riley and Co.? Cleveland has two of its five wins against the Heat this season. There are two big reasons for Miami's poor start. The Heat are struggling for most of their shots, and the defense isn't as tough as it's been in the past. When you're not scoring easily and you're not stopping your opponent, wins are going to be hard to come by. Riley is the coach and general manager, so it's his team -- it's all on his shoulders -- and the frustration must be mounting. He was fined $10,000 for criticizing officials after his team's 83-74 loss the Knicks on Nov. 15. "I've had it. The players have had it, and it's an absolute injustice," Riley said that night. "Say whatever you want about me whining and complaining, it's an absolute injustice. And that's all I have to say because we deserve a better shake [from] the officiating. The guys played hard and this has gone on for eight games. I tried to show some class. I'm showing none tonight." The Heat have had some terrible playoff performances, but they've always had good regular seasons to keep things afloat. With attendance severely slumping, though, the franchise really can't afford this kind of season. St. Louis solid choice for Hornets' new homeHornets co-owner Ray Woolridge says he's committed to finding a new home for his team before Jan. 1, and while the folks of Louisville thought they were the front-runners for acquiring the franchise, that may have changed. After meeting with St. Louis Blues owner Bill Laurie and Mayor Francis Slay on Wednesday, Wooridge declined to say which city he was leaning toward.
St. Louis also is a great sports town -- it has professional baseball, football and hockey -- and the fans are great. During its run as an NBA city, it had a pretty good franchise and some successful teams. The Bombers were one of the NBA's original teams in 1946-47, then the Hawks were there from 1955-56 until they moved to Atlanta in 1968. History hasn't always been kind to teams that replace an earlier franchise, but the Hornets would have a much better chance in St. Louis than in Louisville or Norfolk. Kobe's wallet a little lighter this seasonThe season is less than a month old, and Kobe Bryant has been fined a total of $12,500 by the league -- $5,000 for wearing his shorts too long and another $7,500 for "verbally abusing an official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner" following his ejection from a game against Golden State last week. The NBA's decision to enforce the uniform standard that shorts must be worn at least an inch above the knee seems a bit arbitrary. No fines had been levied for that infraction in four years. The reason vice president Stu Jackson laid down the law might have something to do with a merchandising agreement, but, in any case, it didn't have much to do with Kobe. As for the $7,500 fine, Kobe is very competitive, and he felt the Lakers were getting some bad calls. He's always into the game, and sometimes competitive guys get carried away. So despite these two instances, Kobe isn't going to be taking on the "troublemaker" label anytime soon. Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. He appears each Sunday on CNN/SI's This Week in the NBA.
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