Miami Heat President Pat Riley is in Sioux Falls for the annual Chamber of Commerce ceremony. This year he was chosen as the keynote speaker for the event.
Around 19 hundred people crammed into the convention center in Sioux Falls to hear the President of the Miami Heat give a few words and answer questions. Pat Riley now has ties with Sioux Falls because of the recent hybrid partnership between the Miami Heat and the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Riley says he is very excited with the new partnership and can't wait for the season to begin. He says the NBA Developmental League is going to benefit the Heat in the long-term.
"The most important thing is to develop players; not let them get to the Philippians or get to China or to India or to Europe or to Argentina, but to keep them here. So, I think we're making strides and I think this is the perfect organization for us to be affiliated with," Riley says.
Riley says the Heat made a tough decision this off-season in letting South Dakota native Mike Miller go. He says Miller was a good player but the team saved nearly $17 million by releasing him. Riley says the leadership of guys like Lebron James should help the team move on from some of the off-season adjustments, while continuing to play at a high level. The Miami Heat President says James legacy right now is obviously very high, but how he ranks historically is not yet known.
"I think Lebron, obviously you can argue it. I don't like to make these kinds of arguments, could be considered the best player today in the game. Where he is in history, that will only be determined at the end of his career, maybe even years later," Riley says.
Riley also plans to tour the Sanford Pentagon, home of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, before returning to home to Miami. He says he has a lot of confidence in the people surrounding both the Skyforce and Heat. Riley says he hopes to have a long and healthy relationship with Sioux Falls in the future.
