Pat Riley leaned heavily on the themes of dedication and patience when he addressed the media Thursday in his role as president of the Miami Heat.
He was discussing the futures of Heat stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, each of whom can become a free agent in the aftermath of a decisive Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs, but some detected irony in Riley’s comments given his unceremonious departure from his job as Knicks coach two decades earlier.
In 1995, Riley was coming off his fourth season on the Knicks bench, a 55-win campaign that ended with a devastating postseason setback (sound familiar?) to the Indiana Pacers. He had a loaded team close to a championship breakthrough. But he faxed in his resignation on June 15, and it was not long before he had taken his talents to South Beach.
Here’s how The Post covered the shocking getaway at the time — in a particular bit of resonance, the back page screamed: “GUTLESS” — as written by Fred Kerber and Andy Soltis for the June 16 editions:
Knicks coach Pat Riley stunned the basketball world yesterday by quitting the team after four years full of fabulous victories and some heart-wrenching defeats.Â
Riley blamed a power struggle with the team’s management for his resignation, but the front office said the dispute was all about money.
Dave Checketts, who hired Riley in 1991, said the dapper coach walked away from a job that would have paid $2 million next year because he couldn’t get part ownership of the lucrative franchise.
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Riley’s announcement, issued in a press release, caught players off guard.
Patrick Ewing, the team’s star center, was “shocked and surprised” when he heard the news from a waiter in a restaurant, Checketts said.
Forward Charles Oakley recalled that last month “when we talked at the end of the season, I thought he was coming back next year.” So did most of his teammates.
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Riley made it clear he wanted changes in the 1995-’96 makeup of the Knicks.
Despite four straight 50-victory seasons, Riley said last month that “bad chemistry,” not lack of talent, was ruining the team.
Then there was the sidebar on potential replacements. A certain well-regarded coach of the Chicago Bulls was mentioned, but as the headline said, “Jackson mum on his plans.”