Udonis Haslem does not easily succumb to fear.
The Heat culture legend is preparing to begin his 20th NBA season, and he gives no ground. Haslem, who is not a man easily frightened, acknowledged in a recent interview that when he first joined the Heat, he shied away from speaking with Pat Riley due to his mob-like, Godfather feel.
"Pat Riley, the icon, you should check out some gangster s***. I've never been afraid of a man, but I don't think I spoke to Pat throughout my first two seasons with the Miami Heat. Simply put, the shoes, jeans, and slicked-back hair were unpleasant. Godfather was on. I saw all that nonsense. The first several years, in my opinion, were simply uncomfortable. I believe that everyone has correctly identified Pat Riley in the image. He's just a godfather who f******. No matter what circumstances he finds himself in, Pat Riley is a winner like myself. He wasn't the best player in basketball. I have made it clear how things began that he wasn't the best coach. He made the most of the chance. The limit was the sky.
That accurately describes Riley - he has established himself as a success in basketball at every level. Although he can be scary, he is intelligent, cunning, and possibly the finest recruiter of any front office employee in the league. Before LeBron James moved to Miami, he flashed his five championship rings in front of the player.
Miami is one of the few NBA cities where top free agents are eager to join teams, and Riley and the culture he helped the Heat establish are key factors in this (the weather, lifestyle, and no state income tax also help). The Heat are still title contenders this year; they had the best record in the conference last year, and if Jimmy Butler had hit a clutch three-pointer against the Celtics in the playoffs, we might be talking about a Finals team. However, the Heat lost P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris this offseason, while other East teams improved. There are uncertainties.
Pat Riley and Udonis Haslem will undoubtedly guide them, though. Those guys are communicating now.
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