MIAMI — If any teams were thinking about luring Miami coach Erik Spoelstra away after this season, Pat Riley says they now can forget about it.
Riley, the Heat president, announced Friday that Spoelstra's contract has been extended. While Riley wouldn't reveal any terms, Spoelstra's deal no longer expires after this season.
"He would have never been a lame-coach even though (the media) would have made him one. The guy in the last year of a contract," Riley said. "So that wasn't the reason why we did it. The reason why we did it is we wanted to extend him and keep him in the family and not have somebody come and steal him away from us. I mean it sincerely."
Riley said the deal was done "recently," but wouldn't be specific. As of Dec. 9, the first day of training camp, Spoelstra's deal had not yet been extended.
Spoelstra, 41, is entering his fourth season with the Heat, and has a 148-98 career mark. He led Miami last season to the NBA Finals, where the Heat fell 4-2 to the Dallas Mavericks.
"I think he's so much more comfortable in his own skin now," Riley said of the growth of Spoelstra, who joined the Heat in 1995 as a video coordinator and rose through the ranks as a scout and assistant coach before becoming head coach in 2008. "Contrary to what people might think, I am not a helicopter flying over the top of him all the time. I give him tremendous freedom and space because I trust the fact that he's in there working every day. He is somebody who is very innovative and he's not afraid to take some risk. I think he knows exactly what his message is to his players.
"The experience last year, being in the Finals and going down to the game that made the difference in your season and going through that and that pain, will help him. So I think he's grown leaps and bounds and he's the perfect coach for this team."
Riley, who coached the Lakers to four titles in the 1980s and led the Heat to a crown in 2006, is a Hall of Famer. He wouldn't be surprised if Spoelstra one day joins him in Springfield, Mass.
"We have one of the great young coaches in the league that's an absolute member of this family and has been for a long time," Riley said. "And so we want him to become a Hall of Famer."
Riley has assured that Spoelstra won't be leaving the Heat family anytime soon.
Riley, the Heat president, announced Friday that Spoelstra's contract has been extended. While Riley wouldn't reveal any terms, Spoelstra's deal no longer expires after this season.
"He would have never been a lame-coach even though (the media) would have made him one. The guy in the last year of a contract," Riley said. "So that wasn't the reason why we did it. The reason why we did it is we wanted to extend him and keep him in the family and not have somebody come and steal him away from us. I mean it sincerely."
Riley said the deal was done "recently," but wouldn't be specific. As of Dec. 9, the first day of training camp, Spoelstra's deal had not yet been extended.
Spoelstra, 41, is entering his fourth season with the Heat, and has a 148-98 career mark. He led Miami last season to the NBA Finals, where the Heat fell 4-2 to the Dallas Mavericks.
"I think he's so much more comfortable in his own skin now," Riley said of the growth of Spoelstra, who joined the Heat in 1995 as a video coordinator and rose through the ranks as a scout and assistant coach before becoming head coach in 2008. "Contrary to what people might think, I am not a helicopter flying over the top of him all the time. I give him tremendous freedom and space because I trust the fact that he's in there working every day. He is somebody who is very innovative and he's not afraid to take some risk. I think he knows exactly what his message is to his players.
"The experience last year, being in the Finals and going down to the game that made the difference in your season and going through that and that pain, will help him. So I think he's grown leaps and bounds and he's the perfect coach for this team."
Riley, who coached the Lakers to four titles in the 1980s and led the Heat to a crown in 2006, is a Hall of Famer. He wouldn't be surprised if Spoelstra one day joins him in Springfield, Mass.
"We have one of the great young coaches in the league that's an absolute member of this family and has been for a long time," Riley said. "And so we want him to become a Hall of Famer."
Riley has assured that Spoelstra won't be leaving the Heat family anytime soon.
