Latest news with #Spoelstra
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Archer and Wichita County residents take matters into own hands to have road repaired
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Residents in Wichita and Archer County are taking matters into their own hands after they say a severely damaged road has continued to cause issues for drivers using the road with no repairs in sight. For three years now, Archer and Wichita County residents, including Emily Spoelstra, have been battling a major roadway problem. 'This slew of potholes that have become more and more dangerous as time goes on. We moved in two years ago, but for at least the last three years, we've been talking to archer county commissioner Todd herring. Everyone that we can think of to try to get these repaired, but we're really stuck in the middle,' Spoelstra said. From receiving two different responses from government officials… 'Between what archer county lists our road as, as a private road and what the Texas department of transportation listed as as a public road,' Spoelstra said. And Spoelstra said even more damage will occur if this problem isn't resolved. 'Over the winter, we've had one car accident that happened when these were all filled with rain and it was difficult to see at night where one car went off the road and nearly hit this power line in that, trash bin of my neighbors, which was really scary for the whole neighborhood. I've had damage to my personal vehicle hitting one of these when there's been another road or another car on the road, and to avoid it,' Spoelstra said. And until they can get some answers, Spoelstra said the residents in the neighborhood are taking things into their own hands by creating a GoFundMe to raise funds for repairs. 'Then realized that that could make, that could be a legal quagmire for our neighborhood. So then we paused. We're still accepting donations for it, because our next recourse might be to hire an attorney to find what we need to do next,' Spoelstra said. As of now, they have raised $1,300 of their $1,500 goal. Click here to make a donation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Knicks' dismissal of Thibodeau serves as another reminder of Spoelstra's Heat longevity
Whenever an NBA head coach is fired, the news serves as a reminder of Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's unique longevity. Spoelstra doesn't take that title for granted, often crediting Heat president Pat Riley and owner Micky Arison for keeping him around so long. Another reminder that Spoelstra is currently the NBA's longest active-tenured head coach with one team came when the New York Knicks announced the firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday. Thibodeau's dismissal comes after he helped lead the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2000 before being eliminated by the Indiana Pacers one round short of the NBA Finals. 'You have to have great ownership and stability from the front office,' Spoelstra said in November when asked about his long tenure as the Heat's head coach. 'We certainly have that with Pat and the Arison family. It is unique. I'm truly grateful for that, because we've been able to work through some tough losses and tough seasons and I think we've gotten better from that. 'It's a tough reality of where the coaching profession is, how many changes there are every single year. Basically half the league, in just the last two years alone. It's just tough. It's tough to operate, build any kind of culture when there's that much turnover.' There hasn't been much head coaching turnover for the Heat, with just five different head coaches (Ron Rothstein, Kevin Loughery, Riley, Stan Van Gundy and Spoelstra) during the franchise's 37 seasons. Spoelstra, 54, just finished his 17th season as the Heat's head coach after initially being hired by the Heat as its video coordinator in 1995. With Gregg Popovich stepping down as the San Antonio Spurs' coach in May, Spoelstra became the NBA's longest active-tenured head coach with one team. The Heat has qualified for the playoffs 14 times in Spoelstra's 17 seasons at the helm, including in each of the last six seasons. The Heat has also won two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013 with Spoelstra as head coach. In addition, Spoelstra is already the winningest head coach in franchise history in both the regular season (787 wins) and playoffs (110 wins). Spoelstra also holds the third-most wins by a head coach with one team in NBA history behind only Jerry Sloan with the Utah Jazz and Popovich with the Spurs. Spoelstra is just the second head coach in NBA history to coach 1,300-plus games with one team, joining only Popovich. 'The Arison family and Pat Riley created a culture that is unique to any pro sports team,' Spoelstra said in November. 'There's a handful around that have the kind of stability and the continuity. But if you don't have that, it would have been two or three years in that position and I would have been out moving around and bouncing around, which is typical for this coaching profession.' Spoelstra, who is widely regarded as one of the NBA's top coaches, has nearly swept the coaching categories in the NBA's preseason survey of general managers for each of the last three seasons. Spoelstra was voted the best head coach in the NBA (69 percent of vote), best manager/motivator of people (37 percent) and the head coach with the best defensive schemes (23 percent) in the last survey of general managers ahead of the 2024-25 season. The Heat remains committed to Spoelstra, too, signing him to a lucrative eight-year contract extension in January 2024. The deal runs through the 2031-32 season when Spoelstra will be 61, and the 2031-32 season would also be his 24th season as the Heat's head coach. 'The coaching profession is an explosive profession and it's a shame because we've shown that you can do it and have tough years, but gain a lot of lessons from tough years and then become better from it,' Spoelstra said. 'But that's not really the case too often, particularly around this league. So I'm really grateful to have that opportunity to work for [Riley] and to continue to have his mentorship.' JAQUEZ TO NBA FINALS Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. is one of four NBA players who will serve as media correspondents for this year's NBA Finals series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. The NBA Player Correspondent Program gives players the opportunity to serve as media correspondents at events such as the NBA Draft, All-Star Weekend and NBA Finals. Jaquez will take on that role on the NBA's social platforms for Sunday's Game 2 in Oklahoma City. The other three players who will be media correspondents for this year's NBA Finals are Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (Game 1), Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (Game 3) and Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (Game 4).
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Miami Heat Make Pat Riley Announcement on Thursday
There's no doubt about it — the 2024-25 season was a tough one for the Miami Heat. The team scraped into the postseason but made a quick exit without putting up much of a fight. As the season concludes, the Heat face a long list of questions heading into the offseason. Advertisement Head coach Erik Spoelstra is expected to return, despite the team going 83-81 over the past two seasons and losing eight of their last nine postseason games. That decision will undoubtedly raise eyebrows, especially considering Spoelstra has been part of the organization since 1997. This is the same franchise that reached back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals, including an NBA Finals appearance in the 2022-23 season. The recent drop in performance has made the upcoming offseason a pivotal one. A major step in addressing the future will come Friday, when 80-year-old team president Pat Riley speaks to the media in his end-of-season press conference. The organization officially announced the event on Thursday. Advertisement "Pat Riley will hold his end-of-season press conference tomorrow afternoon." One of the most pressing issues likely to be addressed is the handling of star forward Jimmy Butler. The 35-year-old joined Miami in the summer of 2019 and helped lead the team to several deep playoff runs. However, his time with the franchise came to an ugly end this winter. Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors on February 6, but not before a string of disciplinary actions. He was suspended for seven games at the start of January, then for two more, followed by an indefinite suspension — all reportedly due to 'conduct detrimental to the team.' Miami Heat president Pat Rassol-Imagn Images The current state of the franchise will undoubtedly be a focal point of Riley's press conference. Riley has served as the Heat's full-time president since 2008, following a successful coaching career. Advertisement Spoelstra, his longtime assistant, eventually took the reins as head coach. Riley is one of the most decorated figures in NBA history, having won five championships as a head coach — four with the Lakers (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) and one with the Heat in 2006. He also won a championship as an assistant coach with the Lakers in 1980. As the offseason begins, all eyes will be on Riley and what moves the Heat make to return to their former championship-caliber status. Related: Nuggets Executive Reveals Strong Statement on Mike Malone After Playoff Series Win. Related: Charles Barkley Predicts Winner of NBA Finals Without Hesitation
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Erik Spoelstra makes notable comment on Heat's young players ahead of important offseason
Miami Heat Erik Spoelstra makes notable comment on Heat's young players ahead of important offseason It came at the end of Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's 18-minute session with the media just a few days after being swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. But it might have been Spoelstra's most telling comment on exit interview day. 'I do have to remind myself — the staff reminds me all the time — there's just not a lot of guys other than OKC playing a lot of young guys in the playoffs,' Spoelstra said last week when asked about the development of 21-year-old Heat forward Nikola Jovic. 'There's not a lot that are playing 21-year-olds and 22-year-olds. Pelle [Larsson] is 24, Tyler [Herro] is 25 in a big role, Jaime [Jaquez Jr.] going through everything he went through and is 24, and Kel'el [Ware] literally just turned 21 during this series. But a lot of times when you're trying to win in the playoffs, you need those guys to be their 27- and 28-year old version.' Spoelstra isn't wrong, as the Eastern Conference's top-seeded Cavaliers have just one player who's currently 23 years old or younger in their rotation — 23-year-old Evan Mobley. The East's second-seeded Boston Celtics don't have any players that young in their rotation. The Oklahoma City Thunder is one of the league's only elite teams relying on multiple players that young to take on big roles, going with a starting lineup that features the Chet Holmgren (23) and leaning on Cason Wallace (21) as one of its top reserves in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Heat went with a rotation that included two 21-year-olds in its first-round playoff series — Jovic and Ware. The Heat also played Larsson, a 24-year-old rookie, during its short playoff run that ended last week. 'We'll fast-track that as much as we possibly can,' Spoelstra continued on the Heat's youth. 'But the best way to fast-track it unfortunately is experience and really unfortunately is usually the painful experiences. That's not to put anything on the young guys. This is all collective with us. But the part of the experiences being painful, well our organization has gone through it. Yes, we've been to the playoffs six straight years. But we have higher aspirations.' Higher aspirations that the Heat knows it's not likely to reach with a rotation full of young players, which is informative for how Miami might handle this offseason. The Heat is set to have a first-round pick in June NBA Draft, acquiring the Golden State Warriors' 20th overall selection in the Jimmy Butler trade. The Heat also has six players (Ware, Jovic, Keshad Johnson, Larsson, Jaquez and Herro) under contract for next season who are currently 25 years old or younger. If the Heat has an opportunity to land a proven talent this upcoming summer, it will likely need to decide whether it's willing to cash in a chunk of its young talent and/or draft picks for that player. With NBA teams only allowed to trade picks up to seven drafts into the future and league rules prohibiting teams from being without future first-round picks in consecutive years, the Heat entered the offseason with the ability to trade two first-round picks (Golden State's 2025 pick at No. 20 overall and either its 2030 or 2031 pick) ahead of the June draft. How far should the Heat be willing to go to make such an addition? That will depend on who Miami could be getting in return, but Heat brass will spend the coming weeks exploring that question in preparation for the busy part of the NBA offseason. 'When I look around, OK, I ask who's got the model? Boston does right now because they won last year,' Spoelstra said. 'Everybody else, I'm looking at the teams that are maybe still playing. Two years ago, they were out of the playoffs and they haven't won yet. So how are they the model right now? 'We're stubborn as hell. To compete for a title, you got to make the playoffs first. You got to keep on getting cracks at it. That's what we're going to keep on doing. We're going to put our head down and keep on working until we get the result that we expect and that our city expects. And that's the biggest motivating factor right now.' SOCIAL JUSTICE CHAMPION Heat three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo was selected as one of the five finalists for the 2024-25 NBA Social Justice Champion award, but he wasn't picked as the winner. Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday was named the NBA Social Justice Champion for this season, the league announced on Wednesday. According to a press release sent out by the league, 'The recipient of the annual award receives the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trophy and recognizes a current NBA player for pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar's life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically disadvantaged.' As the NBA Social Justice Champion, Holiday will receive $100,000 from the NBA to benefit the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund (JLH Fund).
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Heat's offseason presents many questions, some of which only Pat Riley can answer
What's next for the Heat? Miami just concluded one of the most challenging seasons in franchise history with one of the worst playoff performances of all time. If you're concerned about that description being too harsh, don't worry — the Heat are being honest about coming up short, too. Their offseason probably begins with more questions than they answered and endured the regular season. Advertisement Next week, team president Pat Riley is expected to address the media before Miami begins kicks off its offseason. With that offseason just about underway, let's examine the most prominent storylines and questions around the team's future. This past season had everything for the Heat. Jimmy Butler entered the season saying he would focus on playing basketball, but his contract negotiations escalated to one of the NBA's biggest storylines as the season progressed. Throughout the season, the Heat weren't sure if/when Butler would practice, travel with the team or fully engage in games, and that left Spoelstra making fluid decisions more often than he probably ever has in 17 seasons as Heat head coach. Once the Butler drama was nipped in February, there remained plenty of season for the Heat to turn things around, but adjusting to the midseason departure of a top-20 player is harder in application than theory. Miami proved that by going only 16-24 after trading Butler to the Golden State Warriors. Its regression bottomed out with the franchise's longest losing streak since 2008 (10 games) while finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference to barely qualify for the Play-In Tournament. Although the Heat became the first No. 10 seed to reach the playoffs, their late-season push was undone by the most lopsided sweep in postseason history (minus-122 point differential against the Cleveland Cavaliers). For most coaches, especially one overseeing a sometimes stagnant offense such as Miami's, a season like this might induce concerns over job security, but Spoelstra is still in the early days of an eight-year contract extension he signed in January 2024. He's not going anywhere. But with the Cavaliers and defending champion Boston Celtics being the standard of the East, how would Spoelstra rate Miami's progress in seeking a return to the conference elite? Advertisement 'I'm not gonna rate it. We'd have to evaluate four or five different segments of the season,' Spoelstra said Wednesday. 'What I told the team was — and this is no type of moral message or victory — what you want out of a season is to come together for whatever reason and improve and do something. We were all faced with a very uncomfortable segment of the season — there are some other segments where it was what it was — but during the losing streak, we were playing great. We were making progress and losing games. … It could've gotten worse, but I think that's where we made our most improvement, was during that 10-game losing streak. 'We put ourselves out there. When you put yourselves out there as competitors, you put yourself out there for everything. And we deserve it. We deserve the criticism. We deserve the embarrassment. Those last two games, it's not what our organization is about. But we put ourselves out there to earn our right to go to the playoffs … We felt like it was going to lead to a lot more, and that was irrational on our part.' One of the — if not the outright — most positive storyline for the Heat this season was Tyler Herro's leap to All-Star status. The 25-year-old guard posted career highs across the board, averaging bests in points (23.9), assists (5.5), 3-pointers per game (3.1), minutes (35.4), free-throw attempts (4.2) and true shooting percentage (60.5). Herro earned his first All-Star nod thanks to carrying Miami's offense up to that point, especially as he adjusted to heightened defensive attention during and after the Butler drama. Unfortunately, though, Miami's offense finished outside the top 20 for the third consecutive season, and its struggles in late-game situations were a huge reason for the franchise's first losing season in a decade. Herro finished the season ranked third among all players in clutch-time shot attempts (104), but he shot only 30.8 percent on those looks as the Heat led the NBA in clutch-time losses (28). 'I learned closing games isn't as easy as some people make it look,' Herro said Wednesday. 'And that's my improvement this summer, is how I can figure out ways to help this team win games at the end of games — whether that's making a play for myself or making a play for a teammate. Advertisement 'But ultimately, just making the right and overall best play for the team. I think that's what I'll be working on this summer: a lot of film, a lot of studying the situations that went wrong this year, so when we're in those situations next year, we can turn those into wins instead of losses.' Despite those struggles, Herro will soon be eligible for a contract extension that could pay him $50 million a year, and the Heat will have a key choice to consider. The NBA's most recent collective bargaining agreement almost acts as a hard cap, meaning teams can spend only so much money before roster construction becomes dicey. Without Butler in the fold, is Herro destined to be the leading man on the court and in terms of salary structure? That remains to be seen. The new money from an extension wouldn't kick in for another two seasons, but it's an inevitable debate that Miami must ponder as it shapes a new long-term identity. Tyler Herro on his contract extension. Says it's ok if it doesn't get done by October. But laughs when he said that if it waits a year, 'it will be a little higher of a price.' — Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) April 30, 2025 Heat could offer Tyler Herro a 3-year, $150M extension starting Oct. 1: $46M in 2027-28 $50M in 2028-29 $54M in 2029-30 What should the Heat offer? — 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) April 30, 2025 This season was only Adebayo's second as Heat team captain, but he earned his stripes as the Heat navigated their peaks and valleys. Adebayo preached all season about his teammates not letting go of the rope. Beyond the Butler situation, the Heat simply struggled with maintaining a game-to-game identity. Scoring droughts were commonplace. Their defense was strong for key stretches, but distinct lapses helped prove to be the difference between winning and losing many matchups. Adebayo had his own ups and downs, most notably because he sought to space the floor more often by attempting more 3-pointers, but he caught fire well enough down the stretch to resemble the All-Star form many expect him to contribute. The biggest question is whether Miami can acquire more star power to put alongside Adebayo and/or Herro to return the Heat to contender status. After Monday's season-ending defeat, Adebayo expressed an expectation for Miami to have many changes this offseason because he trusts Riley to go star-hunting. 'At the end of the day, I wanna win, so I can't really go into logistics about the tweaks and everything,' Adebayo said Wednesday. 'I feel like that's more of a Pat Riley question, and I hope you can ask that question to him and he doesn't blow you off and ignore you. 'He knows my mentality. He knows I want to win. We want to be in the best way possible (position) to do that. After he talks to you, he'll probably talk to me, and we'll figure out what happens.' Bam Adebayo asked what changes he'd like to see this summer after his game 4 comment postgame 'That's a Pat Riley question. I hope you can ask that question to him and he doesn't blow you off and ignore you' 😭 — Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) April 30, 2025 Would it be fun for Kevin Durant to stop by? Sure. Could Giannis Antetokounmpo's days in Milwaukee be numbered? It's possible. This past season illustrated why we should keep an open mind with the random possibilities that could lie ahead. Although this season was a dud, the Heat have enjoyed success with Adebayo as one of the team's most important players, so there is plenty of reason to believe the Heat can climb back up the East standings … if Riley and the front office can lure another big name to South Florida. Advertisement With that being said, a big aspect of the Butler drama was his impatience with waiting for a star to join him on South Beach. Durant and Antetokounmpo? The team has tried that path before, but a host of first-round picks, promising young players and a clear vision could turn things around sooner than later, depending on the leverage Miami can craft after its disappointing season. At 26 years old, Mitchell is still finding his way in the NBA, but he did a great job of filling in wherever the Heat needed him. Miami is Mitchell's third NBA team in four seasons, but he expressed his comfort with the Heat and a desire to return under the right circumstances, although he admittedly doesn't know what to expect from his first bout with free agency. 'I haven't really thought about or talked about it with my representation,' Mitchell said. 'I think that there's a long summer that we're going to have a lot of talks about it, and when we do, I'll be prepared for that. As of right now, I don't really know because I've never been in this situation before.' Standing 6-foot-2, Mitchell is one of the league's most aggressive point-of-attack defenders and was very comfortable with filling in as a ballhandler (5.3 assists per game) and floor-spacer (44.7 percent from deep), so he should be expected to have suitors. His presence is key because he's comfortable pushing tempo, guarding an opponent's best perimeter players and driving the lane to create opportunities on offense. It's possible he could get the midlevel exception from the right team (maybe the $14 million to $16 million range), but Miami should do what it can to retain him. He's an energetic player who seeks ways to improve, and even if fellow backup guard Dru Smith returns fine from his torn Achilles, the Heat would greatly benefit from stocking up on guard depth and further honing their versatility. Throughout the season, Kel'el Ware showed promising flashes that helped him establish a presence in Spoelstra's rotation. People throughout the Heat organization often rave about Ware's upside and desire to learn. In Wednesday's exit meetings, he was frank about how hard it was to adjust to the NBA's physicality, but he expects that to be his focus throughout the offseason. Spoelstra routinely spoke highly of the work Ware put in this season, but he also never pressured Ware to be something he isn't. Advertisement 'This will be an important summer for Kel'el,' Spoelstra said. 'These last six to eight weeks were really important for him — just the heightened pressure and expectations of us driving to get in the playoffs, the two Play-In games and the learning lesson from these four games. 'I'm grateful Kel'el was able to get these experiences and set up for a really important summer.' Adebayo quipped all season about not playing much as a rookie, so Ware playing consistent minutes at all — let alone in the playoffs — can only aid his development. If Ware is long for Miami's future, the Heat will need him to maximize every layer of his potential because of what he adds. His shot-blocking makes Adebayo an even more versatile and effective defender. Shooting from deep helps Spoelstra get a bit more creative on offense, given the overreactions Miami likes to force with cutters and aspiring floor-spacers. On occasion, Ware made highlight-worthy plays only a player with immense raw talent could pull off. His numbers were up and down throughout the season, but Miami looked incredibly formidable when Ware was at his best in Year 1. Fellow rookie Pelle Larsson (44th overall) was also impressive at times. He was productive as a cutter, shooter, rebounder, finisher and hustle player, all of which are vital ingredients to being valuable for the Heat. Moreover, his early strides helped the Heat find immense value from what was seen as an underwhelming 2024 NBA Draft. Spoelstra routinely complimented Larsson for being a valuable rotation piece so quickly, especially when other teammates struggled to stay in the lineup. For Nikola Jović and Jaime Jaquez Jr., staying in the rotation was a fleeting endeavor as they continued trying to find their way in the league. Both were candid about their inconsistencies throughout the season. Jović was frank about feeling the need to nail down his momentary lapses to become a steadier rotation piece, while Jaquez reflected on the struggles of going from promising rookie to struggling sophomore. 'I think I take a lot away,' Jaquez said. 'You can learn a lot about yourself. I think it was an extremely humbling experience. Sometimes, things don't go your way, and sometimes, only after do you realize why that happened to you. You know, I'm taking it all with me in the summer. Just going to get back to work. I'm happy I just got to spend this time with a great group of guys and enjoy moments off the court as well as on.' Advertisement With a potentially huge summer looming, it remains to be seen who on Miami's roster is considered a given to return next season, but things might be clearer come next week, when Riley addresses the media and officially puts an end to one of the most challenging seasons in franchise history.
