Stability for the sake of stability is often overrated, but sometimes it has its purposes.
When you have the NBA’s best player and are consistently reaching the NBA Finals, that’s not the time for radical shakeups. The status quo is working.
But once that situation changes, other dominoes start falling.
The Miami Heat, to say the least, are in transition. With LeBron James in Cleveland, the Heat will look very different next season. At this point, might as well take care of everything now.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
Ron Rothstein and Bob McAdoo will no longer play significant roles on head coach Erik Spoelstra’s staff – and could be completely off the bench, according to league sources.
Those changes will clear the way for Juwan Howard to be promoted from his role in player development, league sources said.
“As far as being on the bench, they no longer will be,” said the source, who said the two have been offered the opportunity to remain with the team in other capacities. “The staff is evolving.”
“The fact is,” the source said, “they were part of Pat’s group.”
And I think Spoelstra is a very good coach. He deserves a chance to coach his own way, just as Riley would have wanted before he moved into the front office.
It’s an interesting departure from New York, where Phil Jackson seems to be taking a different approach. Maybe that will work for Jackson and the Knicks, but it’s definitely different. And remember, Spoelstra has earned a lot more trust than Derek Fisher, a first-time coach.
As far as Howard, he’s clearly a trusted voice in Miami. After three years with the Heat, he eased into retirement and player development last season. They know what they’re getting.