Riley the Terrible

When Vladimir Putin agreed to step aside as president of Russia, he made sure one thing was clear: his successor would be his man.  He chose Dmitry Medvedev to succede him because Medvedev's rise was dependent on Putin.  And there remains little doubt that although the chairs will soon shift, Putin still holds the leash.

And so in Miami.  Is it little surprise that Riley promoted a coach who has no credibility of his own?  At 37 Erik Spoelstra will be the youngest coach in the Lig.  Is it any surprise that Riley found a man who would have no recourse, no independent power base to assert his authority?  Miami is as Riley does.  There will be no StanVan 2.0.  Riley may not be on the bench but he has made sure this time that he holds all the strings.