Stan's Return to the AAA

Missing from my recap of last night's game versus Orlando was the notable story of Stan Van Gundy returning to Miami for the first time since he was fir----since he resigned from his job as head coach of the Miami Heat. With him came a 1st place Orlando team that as usual dominated their in-state rivals.

Unfortunately, I didn't catch the opening of the matchup and thus I don't know whether or not Stan got a standing ovation for his 2+ seasons as our head coach. Looking back, I'm not even sure he deserves it. Sure the guy took us to the playoffs twice, winning 3 playoff series and securing a #1 seed in 2004. However, there were pros and cons during Van Gundy's tenure.

Though Stan's teams were moderately successful, it became clear that he simply did not demand the respect of the team in the clutch. There is no way we lose Game 7 to the Pistons at home in 2004 (the fact our entire starting 5 was injured is irrelevant) with Pat Riley. Likewise, there is no way this team comes back from being down 0-2 with a 13 point 4th quarter deficit in the 2006 Finals with Stan Van Gundy.

Stan was more of a caretaker than a great coach in many regards. Riley wouldn't have made the mistake of handing the ball to an injured Damon Jones in the waning moments of Game 7, and would have made sure to feed a then effective Shaq the ball. I believe that team would have had a 50/50 chance to beat the Spurs in the NBA Finals, so that was a huge disappointment.

However, I am being a little harsh on Stan the Man. His 2003 team was a ragtag bunch of lesser known players who came back from an 0-7 start to secure a 4th seed and a decent showing against Indiana in the playoffs. He also was unafraid to give playing time to a young rookie name Dwyane Wade. Who knows if Wade ever would have blossomed into the star that he has become had he started under Riley his first two seasons. For that, I give Stan credit.

The end result is that Stan was a good coach for us, and a better person. The conspiracy theories regarding his 2005 exit should be put to rest and he should be allowed to move on. I wish him the best in Orlando, even at our expense this season, as it seems that our year is already down the drain. He may have cost us slightly in the short run, but in the long run it was probably because of him that we got to see Wade explode so quickly onto the NBA scene.