Pat Riley Talks LeBron, Signings, Spoelstra

Heat president Pat Riley appeared on the Sid Rosenberg Show on 640 Sports in South Florida today, discussing LeBron James' gold medal performance in London, the Heat's offseason moves, and the Lakers' acquisition of Dwight Howard. Let's round up of a few of Riley's more notable quotes, courtesy of Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel….

On LeBron's Olympic performance and the next step for the reigning MVP:

"I think both [Heat owner] Micky [Arison] and I had a great sigh of relief that he got through the Olympics without getting hurt or anything happening and also winning the gold medal…. We're happy for him. We love him to death, obviously…. We just want him to get home and get some rest. And in a short six weeks, he's going to be back at it in training camp."

On Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis joining the Heat:

"They're both a perfect fit for us. There isn't any kind of magic. You build it over time and if you build it, as they said in 'Field of Dreams,' they will come. And they're coming, and we're happy about it."

On the Lakers' trade for Howard and whether it makes a Lakers/Heat Finals likely:

"Howard is a little more athletic than [Andrew] Bynum. They definitely have improved their team…. [But] it's not an easy job for any team in the West. And it's not going to be an easy job for us here in the East."

On Erik Spoelstra's future in Miami:

"Probably, I'll be gone before he leaves, or if he ever does. I'd like to see Erik be like Gregg Popovich and be here for his whole career. I mean, that's very hard in this league. I was with three different franchises after championships in L.A. Change is, at times, the landscape of the NBA…. But, no, he's part of us. He's part of the Heat. He's grown up with the Heat. He's learned everything that he really has to learn to be a head coach."

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