Former Heat Star Compares Nets Coaching Situation to Erik Spoelstra & Pat Riley Era

Getty Eddie House #55 of the Miami Heat talks with teammates LeBron James #6 and Dwyane Wade #3 against the Washington Wizards

Somehow, the Brooklyn Nets made it out of their tumultuous offseason retaining their big three of Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving. All three Nets stars were included in trade rumors this offseason, but all made amends with the team and will return to Brooklyn next season. Irving after a contentious contract negotiation is anticipated to return next season. Durant as well had an offseason of rumors after his trade request which even got escalated to Durant giving an ultimatum that asked the Nets to fire Joe Tsai and Sean Marks and Steve Nash for him to return to Brooklyn. 

However, Durant, Durant’s team, Marks, Nash, and the Tsai’s met, and it culminated in the Nets superstar rescinding his trade request and returning to Brooklyn. Durant isn’t the first superstar to demand his coach to be fired, star players have been known to get coaches fired in the past, but teams have handled it differently. The Nets were applauded recently for how they handled the Durant trade request and ultimatum and were able to keep their star locked in long term. One former Miami Heat player during the big three era recently spoke out about another situation where the team stood with their coach despite star player pushback. 

Eddie House on Heat Coaching Drama

Former big three era Heat guard Eddie House joined “The Odd Couple” podcast to explain the harsh reality of being a head coach with a star player that may want him out.

“It’s different when you’re a coach,” House said. “If you cannot get the superstar guy to buy into what you are doing, it is almost a failed cause.

“On every single team I’ve played on, even the team I played on with Bron, they were this close, they wanted Spo (Spoelstra) out, but Pat was like, ‘Hell, no! That’s my guy, and we gonna win with him.’ It took another leader to say, ‘No, this is how it goes.’ That’s Pat Riley I’m talking about,” House said. 

House detailed and talked about the Heat leadership and how they were able to convince their superstar core to trust in Erik Spoelstra. The big three were said to have hoped for Pat Riley to return to the coaching ranks and lead the big three Heat. 

Riley on Heat Players Wanting Spoelstra Out

Pat Riley spoke about the situation on the Heat coaching situation and how it was resolved before the Heat began the big three championship era. 

“They wanted to know what was going to happen with Erik,” Riley said regarding what occurred during the Heat’s pitch to James in 2010. “They wondered if I was going to be coaching. I said, ‘Look, Erik is the head coach, that’s it. I support him. I’m not interested in coaching.’

“The thought was in their mind at times that maybe I would come back and coach, I think. But I was truly done, I didn’t want to get back into it, and Erik is a hell of a coach. He was coming off two good playoff years, but he had not been coaching three superstars. And then with the whole LeBron effect, it would have been a tough transition for any head coach with two years of experience.”

Executive Applauds Nets for Handling of Durant Trade Request

The Heat were able to convince their stars to give Spoelstra time and play for him, and it resulted in a couple of championship teams. The Nets hope with the recent news of Durant’s return, that the team can do the same. One executive applauded Brooklyn for their handling of Durant’s request as setting the ‘blueprint’ for how negotiations with star player may play out in the future. 

“Brooklyn just said, ‘Enough of this s***.’ And good for them,” a league exec told Heavy Sports. “This should be a blueprint for every team that goes through something like this, but I’m sure it won’t. Guys who run major businesses and are tough as hell all of a sudden change when it comes to their teams … and their stars.

“It’s important to maintain good relationships and loyalty and all that with your players, but if the player is doing something that’s hurting the team — hurting the business — then you have to stand your ground and remember how you got the money to buy the team in the first place,” the executive said.