As the heat rises, O'Neal stays cool to lead the troops By Liz Robbins (long)
- From: "$Bill" <news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2005 08:19:22 -0800
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/10/31/sports/NBA.php
As the heat rises, O'Neal stays cool to lead the troops By Liz Robbins The New
York Times
MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2005 MIAMI The tension was as palpable as the humidity
inside the Miami Heat's practice facility where coach Stan van Gundy was
barking himself hoarse. Egos and expectations swirled around the court while
the National Basketball Association's most intriguing team tried to concoct
some chemistry before opening night.
No name tags were needed, but the process of melding unfamiliar All- Stars
should have come as no surprise after Pat Riley tore up the team that was one
bad rib, one bad thigh and two minutes away from the finals.
Riley, the Heat president, shipped out the Joneses (Damon and Eddie) and
assembled playmakers once labeled as troublemakers - Jason Williams, Antoine
Walker, James Posey and Gary Payton - to compliment the team's twin pillars,
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade.
"Maybe I got hurt for a reason to bring these guys here, and we all celebrate
together over on Biscayne Bay one day, " said Wade, whose rib has long since
healed, cushioned by new stardom.
But one player just shook his head calmly, the best omen the Heat could have.
"I'm not worried at all, " O'Neal said. "When the general panics, everyone
panics."
If anyone can unite a team of otherwise mismatched personalities, it is
O'Neal. He is the gregarious host of team parties, the clown in the locker
room and the monster in the paint.
"It's my job to keep them loose; all we want to do is win, " he said. "First
time we get a guy on this team who wants to be a leading scorer or wants to get
his picture in the paper, then we're going to be in trouble, we'll all be in
trouble. I don't think we'll have that."
O'Neal, 34, is applying to be an honorary Miami sheriff, preparing for his
post-basketball career. After seeing a hate crime committed on South Beach
this summer, he followed the suspect and called the police to arrest him.
Angry about his thigh injury in last season's playoffs, O'Neal added muscle and
weighed in at 340 pounds, or 154 kilograms. He signed a $100 million five-year
deal, $10 million less than he wanted, so that Riley could build the team.
"I think Pat is getting Laker flashbacks, " O'Neal said. "Because all the
teams he won championships with, they had the one-two punch, but they also had
some great players with them. That's what we need, because if one or two of
our guys get hurt and we get to a Game 7, we need somebody of that caliber who
can step up."
If players gripe about their roles?
"Pat is a take-charge kind of guy; he's not going to let anything get out of
control, " O'Neal said.
How much control will he take? Riley fueled speculation during the summer when
he said he wanted a more "active participation" in the team. Riley denied that
he wanted to take back van Gundy's job and personally reassured his protégé.
And yet tension lingered.
Riley declined to comment for this article. The shadow over van Gundy's
shoulder could only loom larger if the Heat should start slowly.
O'Neal speaks of Riley with reverence but does not always seem philosophically
in sync with van Gundy.
When asked whether van Gundy was trying to implement too much too soon - his
playbook was encyclopedic - and whether practices were too long, O'Neal smiled
and zipped his lips.
Van Gundy insisted the pressure was not any greater than when he coached in
Division III.
"The hard part is, from the outside, the expectation is that it is going to be
very easy, you're just going to roll out there with your talent, " van Gundy
said. "That can lead to a lot of angst when things don't go well. There's a
lot more to being a team than talent. I used the analogy of the Olympics with
them. We have a lot of good individual players, but that is not going to be
enough."
The Heat has just over three weeks to come together. Van Gundy's biggest gripe
in training camp was about how everybody wanted to make "the play, and there's
nobody willing to make the simple play, " he said.
Williams spent his career flipping behind-the-back passes. Now he sounded as
conformed as his new game and his non-dyed hair.
"I just wanted to come in and do what Stan wants me to do and what my teammates
ask me to do, " he said.
Wade admitted he was shocked that Riley had traded for Williams.
"Of course, from the team we had, I wasn't automatically thrilled, " Wade
said. "I was wondering what went wrong. You think about the business of the
NBA and what we're here to do, and you say, 'Jason will be great to run with,
Jason will be a great point guard for us.' You move on from what you don't
have."
Walker, too, has issues. Van Gundy wanted him coming off the bench, and Walker
was concerned that he would not get enough touches when Wade and O'Neal had the
ball. With Udonis Haslem at power forward, Walker started the last preseason
game at small forward after Posey sprained his thumb.
"It ain't easy; there's going to be some discussion, " Walker said. "We'll
have to wait until the time comes."
Known for shooting unrestrained 3-pointers in Boston, Walker was 12-for-38
(31.5 percent) in preseason.
Payton, too, must adjust to coming off the bench. At 37, he seems more
prepared to do since he has another promise of a title, much as he did two
years ago in Los Angeles with O'Neal.
Alonzo Mourning, 35, shares Payton's quest for the first ring, playing with a
transplanted kidney and unrestrained passion. He shrugged when asked to assess
the new group.
"You never know until you know, " he said. "That's as simple as I can put it."
Who knows whether Wade will change because of his new diamonds and fame earning
him his shoe contract, video game and modeling for P. Diddy? But Wade still
knows the goal.
"There's got to be a want in every one of us to want it to work, " he said.
"If you force it, there's going to be nothing."
O'Neal did not come to Miami for nothing. "I want to win the whole thing, " he
said. "We just got to get it done, no excuses this year."
MIAMI The tension was as palpable as the humidity inside the Miami Heat's
practice facility where coach Stan van Gundy was barking himself hoarse. Egos
and expectations swirled around the court while the National Basketball
Association's most intriguing team tried to concoct some chemistry before
opening night.
No name tags were needed, but the process of melding unfamiliar All- Stars
should have come as no surprise after Pat Riley tore up the team that was one
bad rib, one bad thigh and two minutes away from the finals.
Riley, the Heat president, shipped out the Joneses (Damon and Eddie) and
assembled playmakers once labeled as troublemakers - Jason Williams, Antoine
Walker, James Posey and Gary Payton - to compliment the team's twin pillars,
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade.
"Maybe I got hurt for a reason to bring these guys here, and we all celebrate
together over on Biscayne Bay one day, " said Wade, whose rib has long since
healed, cushioned by new stardom.
But one player just shook his head calmly, the best omen the Heat could have.
"I'm not worried at all, " O'Neal said. "When the general panics, everyone
panics."
If anyone can unite a team of otherwise mismatched personalities, it is
O'Neal. He is the gregarious host of team parties, the clown in the locker
room and the monster in the paint.
"It's my job to keep them loose; all we want to do is win, " he said. "First
time we get a guy on this team who wants to be a leading scorer or wants to get
his picture in the paper, then we're going to be in trouble, we'll all be in
trouble. I don't think we'll have that."
O'Neal, 34, is applying to be an honorary Miami sheriff, preparing for his
post-basketball career. After seeing a hate crime committed on South Beach
this summer, he followed the suspect and called the police to arrest him.
Angry about his thigh injury in last season's playoffs, O'Neal added muscle and
weighed in at 340 pounds, or 154 kilograms. He signed a $100 million five-year
deal, $10 million less than he wanted, so that Riley could build the team.
"I think Pat is getting Laker flashbacks, " O'Neal said. "Because all the
teams he won championships with, they had the one-two punch, but they also had
some great players with them. That's what we need, because if one or two of
our guys get hurt and we get to a Game 7, we need somebody of that caliber who
can step up."
If players gripe about their roles?
"Pat is a take-charge kind of guy; he's not going to let anything get out of
control, " O'Neal said.
How much control will he take? Riley fueled speculation during the summer when
he said he wanted a more "active participation" in the team. Riley denied that
he wanted to take back van Gundy's job and personally reassured his protégé.
And yet tension lingered.
Riley declined to comment for this article. The shadow over van Gundy's
shoulder could only loom larger if the Heat should start slowly.
O'Neal speaks of Riley with reverence but does not always seem philosophically
in sync with van Gundy.
When asked whether van Gundy was trying to implement too much too soon - his
playbook was encyclopedic - and whether practices were too long, O'Neal smiled
and zipped his lips.
Van Gundy insisted the pressure was not any greater than when he coached in
Division III.
"The hard part is, from the outside, the expectation is that it is going to be
very easy, you're just going to roll out there with your talent, " van Gundy
said. "That can lead to a lot of angst when things don't go well. There's a
lot more to being a team than talent. I used the analogy of the Olympics with
them. We have a lot of good individual players, but that is not going to be
enough."
The Heat has just over three weeks to come together. Van Gundy's biggest gripe
in training camp was about how everybody wanted to make "the play, and there's
nobody willing to make the simple play, " he said.
Williams spent his career flipping behind-the-back passes. Now he sounded as
conformed as his new game and his non-dyed hair.
"I just wanted to come in and do what Stan wants me to do and what my teammates
ask me to do, " he said.
Wade admitted he was shocked that Riley had traded for Williams.
"Of course, from the team we had, I wasn't automatically thrilled, " Wade
said. "I was wondering what went wrong. You think about the business of the
NBA and what we're here to do, and you say, 'Jason will be great to run with,
Jason will be a great point guard for us.' You move on from what you don't
have."
Walker, too, has issues. Van Gundy wanted him coming off the bench, and Walker
was concerned that he would not get enough touches when Wade and O'Neal had the
ball. With Udonis Haslem at power forward, Walker started the last preseason
game at small forward after Posey sprained his thumb.
"It ain't easy; there's going to be some discussion, " Walker said. "We'll
have to wait until the time comes."
Known for shooting unrestrained 3-pointers in Boston, Walker was 12-for-38
(31.5 percent) in preseason.
Payton, too, must adjust to coming off the bench. At 37, he seems more
prepared to do since he has another promise of a title, much as he did two
years ago in Los Angeles with O'Neal.
Alonzo Mourning, 35, shares Payton's quest for the first ring, playing with a
transplanted kidney and unrestrained passion. He shrugged when asked to assess
the new group.
"You never know until you know, " he said. "That's as simple as I can put it."
Who knows whether Wade will change because of his new diamonds and fame earning
him his shoe contract, video game and modeling for P. Diddy? But Wade still
knows the goal.
"There's got to be a want in every one of us to want it to work, " he said.
"If you force it, there's going to be nothing."
O'Neal did not come to Miami for nothing. "I want to win the whole thing, " he
said. "We just got to get it done, no excuses this year."
MIAMI The tension was as palpable as the humidity inside the Miami Heat's
practice facility where coach Stan van Gundy was barking himself hoarse. Egos
and expectations swirled around the court while the National Basketball
Association's most intriguing team tried to concoct some chemistry before
opening night.
No name tags were needed, but the process of melding unfamiliar All- Stars
should have come as no surprise after Pat Riley tore up the team that was one
bad rib, one bad thigh and two minutes away from the finals.
Riley, the Heat president, shipped out the Joneses (Damon and Eddie) and
assembled playmakers once labeled as troublemakers - Jason Williams, Antoine
Walker, James Posey and Gary Payton - to compliment the team's twin pillars,
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade.
"Maybe I got hurt for a reason to bring these guys here, and we all celebrate
together over on Biscayne Bay one day, " said Wade, whose rib has long since
healed, cushioned by new stardom.
But one player just shook his head calmly, the best omen the Heat could have.
"I'm not worried at all, " O'Neal said. "When the general panics, everyone
panics."
If anyone can unite a team of otherwise mismatched personalities, it is
O'Neal. He is the gregarious host of team parties, the clown in the locker
room and the monster in the paint.
"It's my job to keep them loose; all we want to do is win, " he said. "First
time we get a guy on this team who wants to be a leading scorer or wants to get
his picture in the paper, then we're going to be in trouble, we'll all be in
trouble. I don't think we'll have that."
O'Neal, 34, is applying to be an honorary Miami sheriff, preparing for his
post-basketball career. After seeing a hate crime committed on South Beach
this summer, he followed the suspect and called the police to arrest him.
Angry about his thigh injury in last season's playoffs, O'Neal added muscle and
weighed in at 340 pounds, or 154 kilograms. He signed a $100 million five-year
deal, $10 million less than he wanted, so that Riley could build the team.
"I think Pat is getting Laker flashbacks, " O'Neal said. "Because all the
teams he won championships with, they had the one-two punch, but they also had
some great players with them. That's what we need, because if one or two of
our guys get hurt and we get to a Game 7, we need somebody of that caliber who
can step up."
If players gripe about their roles?
"Pat is a take-charge kind of guy; he's not going to let anything get out of
control, " O'Neal said.
How much control will he take? Riley fueled speculation during the summer when
he said he wanted a more "active participation" in the team. Riley denied that
he wanted to take back van Gundy's job and personally reassured his protégé.
And yet tension lingered.
Riley declined to comment for this article. The shadow over van Gundy's
shoulder could only loom larger if the Heat should start slowly.
O'Neal speaks of Riley with reverence but does not always seem philosophically
in sync with van Gundy.
When asked whether van Gundy was trying to implement too much too soon - his
playbook was encyclopedic - and whether practices were too long, O'Neal smiled
and zipped his lips.
Van Gundy insisted the pressure was not any greater than when he coached in
Division III.
"The hard part is, from the outside, the expectation is that it is going to be
very easy, you're just going to roll out there with your talent, " van Gundy
said. "That can lead to a lot of angst when things don't go well. There's a
lot more to being a team than talent. I used the analogy of the Olympics with
them. We have a lot of good individual players, but that is not going to be
enough."
The Heat has just over three weeks to come together. Van Gundy's biggest gripe
in training camp was about how everybody wanted to make "the play, and there's
nobody willing to make the simple play, " he said.
Williams spent his career flipping behind-the-back passes. Now he sounded as
conformed as his new game and his non-dyed hair.
"I just wanted to come in and do what Stan wants me to do and what my teammates
ask me to do, " he said.
Wade admitted he was shocked that Riley had traded for Williams.
"Of course, from the team we had, I wasn't automatically thrilled, " Wade
said. "I was wondering what went wrong. You think about the business of the
NBA and what we're here to do, and you say, 'Jason will be great to run with,
Jason will be a great point guard for us.' You move on from what you don't
have."
Walker, too, has issues. Van Gundy wanted him coming off the bench, and Walker
was concerned that he would not get enough touches when Wade and O'Neal had the
ball. With Udonis Haslem at power forward, Walker started the last preseason
game at small forward after Posey sprained his thumb.
"It ain't easy; there's going to be some discussion, " Walker said. "We'll
have to wait until the time comes."
Known for shooting unrestrained 3-pointers in Boston, Walker was 12-for-38
(31.5 percent) in preseason.
Payton, too, must adjust to coming off the bench. At 37, he seems more
prepared to do since he has another promise of a title, much as he did two
years ago in Los Angeles with O'Neal.
Alonzo Mourning, 35, shares Payton's quest for the first ring, playing with a
transplanted kidney and unrestrained passion. He shrugged when asked to assess
the new group.
"You never know until you know, " he said. "That's as simple as I can put it."
Who knows whether Wade will change because of his new diamonds and fame earning
him his shoe contract, video game and modeling for P. Diddy? But Wade still
knows the goal.
"There's got to be a want in every one of us to want it to work, " he said.
"If you force it, there's going to be nothing."
O'Neal did not come to Miami for nothing. "I want to win the whole thing, " he
said. "We just got to get it done, no excuses this year."
MIAMI The tension was as palpable as the humidity inside the Miami Heat's
practice facility where coach Stan van Gundy was barking himself hoarse. Egos
and expectations swirled around the court while the National Basketball
Association's most intriguing team tried to concoct some chemistry before
opening night.
No name tags were needed, but the process of melding unfamiliar All- Stars
should have come as no surprise after Pat Riley tore up the team that was one
bad rib, one bad thigh and two minutes away from the finals.
Riley, the Heat president, shipped out the Joneses (Damon and Eddie) and
assembled playmakers once labeled as troublemakers - Jason Williams, Antoine
Walker, James Posey and Gary Payton - to compliment the team's twin pillars,
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade.
"Maybe I got hurt for a reason to bring these guys here, and we all celebrate
together over on Biscayne Bay one day, " said Wade, whose rib has long since
healed, cushioned by new stardom.
But one player just shook his head calmly, the best omen the Heat could have.
"I'm not worried at all, " O'Neal said. "When the general panics, everyone
panics."
If anyone can unite a team of otherwise mismatched personalities, it is
O'Neal. He is the gregarious host of team parties, the clown in the locker
room and the monster in the paint.
"It's my job to keep them loose; all we want to do is win, " he said. "First
time we get a guy on this team who wants to be a leading scorer or wants to get
his picture in the paper, then we're going to be in trouble, we'll all be in
trouble. I don't think we'll have that."
O'Neal, 34, is applying to be an honorary Miami sheriff, preparing for his
post-basketball career. After seeing a hate crime committed on South Beach
this summer, he followed the suspect and called the police to arrest him.
Angry about his thigh injury in last season's playoffs, O'Neal added muscle and
weighed in at 340 pounds, or 154 kilograms. He signed a $100 million five-year
deal, $10 million less than he wanted, so that Riley could build the team.
"I think Pat is getting Laker flashbacks, " O'Neal said. "Because all the
teams he won championships with, they had the one-two punch, but they also had
some great players with them. That's what we need, because if one or two of
our guys get hurt and we get to a Game 7, we need somebody of that caliber who
can step up."
If players gripe about their roles?
"Pat is a take-charge kind of guy; he's not going to let anything get out of
control, " O'Neal said.
How much control will he take? Riley fueled speculation during the summer when
he said he wanted a more "active participation" in the team. Riley denied that
he wanted to take back van Gundy's job and personally reassured his protégé.
And yet tension lingered.
Riley declined to comment for this article. The shadow over van Gundy's
shoulder could only loom larger if the Heat should start slowly.
O'Neal speaks of Riley with reverence but does not always seem philosophically
in sync with van Gundy.
When asked whether van Gundy was trying to implement too much too soon - his
playbook was encyclopedic - and whether practices were too long, O'Neal smiled
and zipped his lips.
Van Gundy insisted the pressure was not any greater than when he coached in
Division III.
"The hard part is, from the outside, the expectation is that it is going to be
very easy, you're just going to roll out there with your talent, " van Gundy
said. "That can lead to a lot of angst when things don't go well. There's a
lot more to being a team than talent. I used the analogy of the Olympics with
them. We have a lot of good individual players, but that is not going to be
enough."
The Heat has just over three weeks to come together. Van Gundy's biggest gripe
in training camp was about how everybody wanted to make "the play, and there's
nobody willing to make the simple play, " he said.
Williams spent his career flipping behind-the-back passes. Now he sounded as
conformed as his new game and his non-dyed hair.
"I just wanted to come in and do what Stan wants me to do and what my teammates
ask me to do, " he said.
Wade admitted he was shocked that Riley had traded for Williams.
"Of course, from the team we had, I wasn't automatically thrilled, " Wade
said. "I was wondering what went wrong. You think about the business of the
NBA and what we're here to do, and you say, 'Jason will be great to run with,
Jason will be a great point guard for us.' You move on from what you don't
have."
Walker, too, has issues. Van Gundy wanted him coming off the bench, and Walker
was concerned that he would not get enough touches when Wade and O'Neal had the
ball. With Udonis Haslem at power forward, Walker started the last preseason
game at small forward after Posey sprained his thumb.
"It ain't easy; there's going to be some discussion, " Walker said. "We'll
have to wait until the time comes."
Known for shooting unrestrained 3-pointers in Boston, Walker was 12-for-38
(31.5 percent) in preseason.
Payton, too, must adjust to coming off the bench. At 37, he seems more
prepared to do since he has another promise of a title, much as he did two
years ago in Los Angeles with O'Neal.
Alonzo Mourning, 35, shares Payton's quest for the first ring, playing with a
transplanted kidney and unrestrained passion. He shrugged when asked to assess
the new group.
"You never know until you know, " he said. "That's as simple as I can put it."
Who knows whether Wade will change because of his new diamonds and fame earning
him his shoe contract, video game and modeling for P. Diddy? But Wade still
knows the goal.
"There's got to be a want in every one of us to want it to work, " he said.
"If you force it, there's going to be nothing."
O'Neal did not come to Miami for nothing. "I want to win the whole thing, " he
said. "We just got to get it done, no excuses this year."
MIAMI The tension was as palpable as the humidity inside the Miami Heat's
practice facility where coach Stan van Gundy was barking himself hoarse. Egos
and expectations swirled around the court while the National Basketball
Association's most intriguing team tried to concoct some chemistry before
opening night.
No name tags were needed, but the process of melding unfamiliar All- Stars
should have come as no surprise after Pat Riley tore up the team that was one
bad rib, one bad thigh and two minutes away from the finals.
Riley, the Heat president, shipped out the Joneses (Damon and Eddie) and
assembled playmakers once labeled as troublemakers - Jason Williams, Antoine
Walker, James Posey and Gary Payton - to compliment the team's twin pillars,
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade.
"Maybe I got hurt for a reason to bring these guys here, and we all celebrate
together over on Biscayne Bay one day, " said Wade, whose rib has long since
healed, cushioned by new stardom.
But one player just shook his head calmly, the best omen the Heat could have.
"I'm not worried at all, " O'Neal said. "When the general panics, everyone
panics."
If anyone can unite a team of otherwise mismatched personalities, it is
O'Neal. He is the gregarious host of team parties, the clown in the locker
room and the monster in the paint.
"It's my job to keep them loose; all we want to do is win, " he said. "First
time we get a guy on this team who wants to be a leading scorer or wants to get
his picture in the paper, then we're going to be in trouble, we'll all be in
trouble. I don't think we'll have that."
O'Neal, 34, is applying to be an honorary Miami sheriff, preparing for his
post-basketball career. After seeing a hate crime committed on South Beach
this summer, he followed the suspect and called the police to arrest him.
Angry about his thigh injury in last season's playoffs, O'Neal added muscle and
weighed in at 340 pounds, or 154 kilograms. He signed a $100 million five-year
deal, $10 million less than he wanted, so that Riley could build the team.
"I think Pat is getting Laker flashbacks, " O'Neal said. "Because all the
teams he won championships with, they had the one-two punch, but they also had
some great players with them. That's what we need, because if one or two of
our guys get hurt and we get to a Game 7, we need somebody of that caliber who
can step up."
If players gripe about their roles?
"Pat is a take-charge kind of guy; he's not going to let anything get out of
control, " O'Neal said.
How much control will he take? Riley fueled speculation during the summer when
he said he wanted a more "active participation" in the team. Riley denied that
he wanted to take back van Gundy's job and personally reassured his protégé.
And yet tension lingered.
Riley declined to comment for this article. The shadow over van Gundy's
shoulder could only loom larger if the Heat should start slowly.
O'Neal speaks of Riley with reverence but does not always seem philosophically
in sync with van Gundy.
When asked whether van Gundy was trying to implement too much too soon - his
playbook was encyclopedic - and whether practices were too long, O'Neal smiled
and zipped his lips.
Van Gundy insisted the pressure was not any greater than when he coached in
Division III.
"The hard part is, from the outside, the expectation is that it is going to be
very easy, you're just going to roll out there with your talent, " van Gundy
said. "That can lead to a lot of angst when things don't go well. There's a
lot more to being a team than talent. I used the analogy of the Olympics with
them. We have a lot of good individual players, but that is not going to be
enough."
The Heat has just over three weeks to come together. Van Gundy's biggest gripe
in training camp was about how everybody wanted to make "the play, and there's
nobody willing to make the simple play, " he said.
Williams spent his career flipping behind-the-back passes. Now he sounded as
conformed as his new game and his non-dyed hair.
"I just wanted to come in and do what Stan wants me to do and what my teammates
ask me to do, " he said.
Wade admitted he was shocked that Riley had traded for Williams.
"Of course, from the team we had, I wasn't automatically thrilled, " Wade
said. "I was wondering what went wrong. You think about the business of the
NBA and what we're here to do, and you say, 'Jason will be great to run with,
Jason will be a great point guard for us.' You move on from what you don't
have."
Walker, too, has issues. Van Gundy wanted him coming off the bench, and Walker
was concerned that he would not get enough touches when Wade and O'Neal had the
ball. With Udonis Haslem at power forward, Walker started the last preseason
game at small forward after Posey sprained his thumb.
"It ain't easy; there's going to be some discussion, " Walker said. "We'll
have to wait until the time comes."
Known for shooting unrestrained 3-pointers in Boston, Walker was 12-for-38
(31.5 percent) in preseason.
Payton, too, must adjust to coming off the bench. At 37, he seems more
prepared to do since he has another promise of a title, much as he did two
years ago in Los Angeles with O'Neal.
Alonzo Mourning, 35, shares Payton's quest for the first ring, playing with a
transplanted kidney and unrestrained passion. He shrugged when asked to assess
the new group.
"You never know until you know, " he said. "That's as simple as I can put it."
Who knows whether Wade will change because of his new diamonds and fame earning
him his shoe contract, video game and modeling for P. Diddy? But Wade still
knows the goal.
"There's got to be a want in every one of us to want it to work, " he said.
"If you force it, there's going to be nothing."
O'Neal did not come to Miami for nothing. "I want to win the whole thing, " he
said. "We just got to get it done, no excuses this year."
MIAMI The tension was as palpable as the humidity inside the Miami Heat's
practice facility where coach Stan van Gundy was barking himself hoarse. Egos
and expectations swirled around the court while the National Basketball
Association's most intriguing team tried to concoct some chemistry before
opening night.
No name tags were needed, but the process of melding unfamiliar All- Stars
should have come as no surprise after Pat Riley tore up the team that was one
bad rib, one bad thigh and two minutes away from the finals.
Riley, the Heat president, shipped out the Joneses (Damon and Eddie) and
assembled playmakers once labeled as troublemakers - Jason Williams, Antoine
Walker, James Posey and Gary Payton - to compliment the team's twin pillars,
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade.
"Maybe I got hurt for a reason to bring these guys here, and we all celebrate
together over on Biscayne Bay one day, " said Wade, whose rib has long since
healed, cushioned by new stardom.
But one player just shook his head calmly, the best omen the Heat could have.
"I'm not worried at all, " O'Neal said. "When the general panics, everyone
panics."
If anyone can unite a team of otherwise mismatched personalities, it is
O'Neal. He is the gregarious host of team parties, the clown in the locker
room and the monster in the paint.
"It's my job to keep them loose; all we want to do is win, " he said. "First
time we get a guy on this team who wants to be a leading scorer or wants to get
his picture in the paper, then we're going to be in trouble, we'll all be in
trouble. I don't think we'll have that."
O'Neal, 34, is applying to be an honorary Miami sheriff, preparing for his
post-basketball career. After seeing a hate crime committed on South Beach
this summer, he followed the suspect and called the police to arrest him.
Angry about his thigh injury in last season's playoffs, O'Neal added muscle and
weighed in at 340 pounds, or 154 kilograms. He signed a $100 million five-year
deal, $10 million less than he wanted, so that Riley could build the team.
"I think Pat is getting Laker flashbacks, " O'Neal said. "Because all the
teams he won championships with, they had the one-two punch, but they also had
some great players with them. That's what we need, because if one or two of
our guys get hurt and we get to a Game 7, we need somebody of that caliber who
can step up."
If players gripe about their roles?
"Pat is a take-charge kind of guy; he's not going to let anything get out of
control, " O'Neal said.
How much control will he take? Riley fueled speculation during the summer when
he said he wanted a more "active participation" in the team. Riley denied that
he wanted to take back van Gundy's job and personally reassured his protégé.
And yet tension lingered.
Riley declined to comment for this article. The shadow over van Gundy's
shoulder could only loom larger if the Heat should start slowly.
O'Neal speaks of Riley with reverence but does not always seem philosophically
in sync with van Gundy.
When asked whether van Gundy was trying to implement too much too soon - his
playbook was encyclopedic - and whether practices were too long, O'Neal smiled
and zipped his lips.
Van Gundy insisted the pressure was not any greater than when he coached in
Division III.
"The hard part is, from the outside, the expectation is that it is going to be
very easy, you're just going to roll out there with your talent, " van Gundy
said. "That can lead to a lot of angst when things don't go well. There's a
lot more to being a team than talent. I used the analogy of the Olympics with
them. We have a lot of good individual players, but that is not going to be
enough."
The Heat has just over three weeks to come together. Van Gundy's biggest gripe
in training camp was about how everybody wanted to make "the play, and there's
nobody willing to make the simple play, " he said.
Williams spent his career flipping behind-the-back passes. Now he sounded as
conformed as his new game and his non-dyed hair.
"I just wanted to come in and do what Stan wants me to do and what my teammates
ask me to do, " he said.
Wade admitted he was shocked that Riley had traded for Williams.
"Of course, from the team we had, I wasn't automatically thrilled, " Wade
said. "I was wondering what went wrong. You think about the business of the
NBA and what we're here to do, and you say, 'Jason will be great to run with,
Jason will be a great point guard for us.' You move on from what you don't
have."
Walker, too, has issues. Van Gundy wanted him coming off the bench, and Walker
was concerned that he would not get enough touches when Wade and O'Neal had the
ball. With Udonis Haslem at power forward, Walker started the last preseason
game at small forward after Posey sprained his thumb.
"It ain't easy; there's going to be some discussion, " Walker said. "We'll
have to wait until the time comes."
Known for shooting unrestrained 3-pointers in Boston, Walker was 12-for-38
(31.5 percent) in preseason.
Payton, too, must adjust to coming off the bench. At 37, he seems more
prepared to do since he has another promise of a title, much as he did two
years ago in Los Angeles with O'Neal.
Alonzo Mourning, 35, shares Payton's quest for the first ring, playing with a
transplanted kidney and unrestrained passion. He shrugged when asked to assess
the new group.
"You never know until you know, " he said. "That's as simple as I can put it."
Who knows whether Wade will change because of his new diamonds and fame earning
him his shoe contract, video game and modeling for P. Diddy? But Wade still
knows the goal.
"There's got to be a want in every one of us to want it to work, " he said.
"If you force it, there's going to be nothing."
O'Neal did not come to Miami for nothing. "I want to win the whole thing, " he
said. "We just got to get it done, no excuses this year.
.
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