Pat Riley says Butler beef got "ugly" but won't apologize for refusing new contract
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Heat President Pat Riley says he won't apologize for refusing to give Jimmy Butler a contract extension last year, which led to the disgruntled star forcing his way out of Miami.
Why it matters: During his end-of-season press conference Friday, Riley said the Butler saga — in which he was repeatedly suspended for violating team rules and then traded away to Golden State — "had a tremendous impact on our team."
- Miami finished with a 37-45 record and were swept in the first round of the playoffs in a historically bad performance.
Friction point: Riley defended how he handled Butler's contract dispute but conceded it got "ugly."
- "The buck stops with me, I'll take that hit if you want it."
- Riley, the 80-year-old nine-time NBA champion as a player, coach and executive, said the way you can treat players has changed since he was first in the league.
- Referring to comments he made last season, telling Butler to keep his mouth "shut" after bad-mouthing a Celtics team that had just defeated the Heat, Riley said he didn't find anything wrong with them.
- "I [would] always say that to the players if I was coaching, 'Keep your mouth shut, I'll see you next training camp.' But it's different today with players."
The big picture: Riley said he will remember Butler for willing the Heat to two NBA Finals.
- "He played his ass off, his heart out for us."
- "When you get two alphas in the same room, sometimes it doesn't work."
Here's what else Riley addressed
On his age: "I just turned 80 and I'm proud of it. The new 80 is the new 60. I feel great, I'm competitive as hell."
On rolling out the same team next season: "We probably won't run it back… but players aren't just going to show up, you have to make deals."
- "There are some lateral trades you can make that could enhance the team. … Do we inject an alpha? A great, great player to help maximize our performance in those double-digit leads that were lost? It could be that simple."
- "If that talent can help and he's humble, then fine."
On coach Erik Spoelstra: "I see the strain and stress on him like I've never seen it before. This takes a toll."
On fixing Heat's offensive struggles: "[Spoelstra will] figure this out. He knows we need to, first, we need to defend. And he needs to make whatever kind of changes he needs to make when it comes to the offense."
On Tyler Herro, who has two years left on his contract but is eligible for a three-year, $149.7 million extension: "He's one of the most ignitable guys offensively in the league. … He's pivotal for us as an offensive player, we just need more around him that can do a little of what he does. … I hope he can stay here the rest of his career and we can build a team that he's part of."
- "Definitely Tyler is deserving of the thought of an extension."