NBA News: Heat have nothing more than a play-in roster, says former Miami coach

The memory of their 2023 NBA Finals loss to the Denver Nuggets still lingers in Miami. The Heat came close to winning it all, only to be left with the bitter taste of defeat. This season, they’re looking for redemption, relying on their core players such as Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro. Yet, former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy believes they’ll fall short of those ambitions.

In a recent interview with TNT, Van Gundy shared his skepticism regarding the Heat’s chances in the Eastern Conference. “I really don’t understand what’s going on there,” he began, adding, “They’re really a win-now team, which I respect, and they haven’t put a roster around there that has a chance… To me, that’s a play-in roster again.”

Van Gundy elaborated on what he sees as the Heat‘s misstep: “I think they got lulled into a false sense of security by the run to the Finals two years ago. And it was a great run, but they didn’t have a great team, and they didn’t have a great year. That’s not a very good roster.” He added, “Obviously, if Jimmy (Butler) will be able to play 70 games, maybe it’s a little different.”

He continued by comparing Miami to other teams in the Eastern Conference: “If you compare them to the top three teams, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, they’re not even in the ballpark roster wise. I don’t think their roster is as good as Indiana, Orlando or Cleveland,” Van Gundy asserted. “No, their roster just doesn’t stack up. They seem like a team to me that has been reliant on Erik Spoelstra working miracles. You can only do that so much. They can make a deal in season of course, but at this point, it would be foolish to say they’re a contender.”

Shaquille O’Neal of the Miami Heat holds up his new #32 jersey over Coach Stan Van Gundy (L) during a press conference to offically announce his arrival to the Miami Heat July 20, 2004 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. O’Neal was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Heat for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler and a future first-round draft pick on July 14.

Van Gundy’s history with the Miami Heat

Van Gundy’s critique appears to target the Heat’s front office, particularly for the decisions that shaped their current roster. His perspective is informed by a long history with Miami’s president, Pat Riley.

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When Riley took over as the Heat’s head coach in 1995, he appointed Van Gundy as an assistant coach, a role he held for seven years. In 2003, Riley stepped down as head coach, handing the reins to Van Gundy. However, that stint was brief—Van Gundy resigned 12 games into the 2005-06 season, citing personal reasons.

Speculation arose that Riley intended to return to the bench, a theory later supported by Shaquille O’Neal in his book, Shaq Uncut: My Story. O’Neal wrote, “Stan got fired because Pat wanted to take over.” This history may shed light on the strong opinions Van Gundy holds about the team’s direction and management.