- Joined
- Feb 7, 2012
- Messages
- 5,818
- Reaction Score
- 26,397
from the Miami Herald:
1 a.m. update: Pat Riley discusses Shabazz Napier acquisition; Napier's Heat news conference; More on Napier
Pat Riley, speaking moments ago on the acquisition of Shabazz Napier:
### "It just came together. You just sort of zero in on somebody. It's very difficult when everybody knows you're zeroing in on someone. We're very fortunate to have drafted Shabazz. We feel very excited about him and what he can be.
"He's a two time champion, high motor guy, very quick, can shoot the ball. Has a lot of qualities that fit what Erik [Spoelstra] wants to do, what we want to do. He's been a guy that's been on the map the last three years. There's a part of his game, how we play, as a pick and roll team, as a team looking for space [floor space, not cap space, in this case]. He can go endline to endline with anybody."
"He's a winner. He's talented and he's skilled and you just have to watch him play the game and there's a competitive level we all like."
### On LeBron's comments praising Napier: "Why not? I don't tweet. If LeBron and I have the same taste in talent, so be it. He didn't call me on the phone. He never has since I've been here the last four years."
### Napier was "pretty high" on the Heat's board. "For whatever reason, things happens. We were trying to move up throughout the process."
### He said, while laughing, that attempts to move up were "extortion."
### He said: "If he had gotten picked early, we would not have been greatly disappointed, because there were other players we greatly liked."
### "I like veteran, mature players. I'm not saying all young players don't make it, but we all want to win now. The more maturity you can get and experience you get, the better off you are."
### "I fell more in love with him the closer you got to the pick."
### Riley said he saw Napier during the season but not in the NCAA Tournament. "I saw a lot of him on film and in games."
### "We had a great personal conversation. He's a very bright kid. I was very impressed with the fact that when you ask these guys certain questions, a lot of them get sort of caught off guard with the question. He pretty much had a pretty coherent answer for every question I asked him. He's competitive without a huge ego."
### Can he project Napier for a major role next season? "He's going to compete, just like Norris [Cole]. They're both cut out of the same cloth, competitive players, highly conditioned. They're cut out of the same cloth. Mario [Chalmers] is a free agent, so we've got to deal with that. So we'll have some depth at the position."
Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...tion-and-potential-fallout.html#storylink=cpy
1 a.m. update: Pat Riley discusses Shabazz Napier acquisition; Napier's Heat news conference; More on Napier
Pat Riley, speaking moments ago on the acquisition of Shabazz Napier:
### "It just came together. You just sort of zero in on somebody. It's very difficult when everybody knows you're zeroing in on someone. We're very fortunate to have drafted Shabazz. We feel very excited about him and what he can be.
"He's a two time champion, high motor guy, very quick, can shoot the ball. Has a lot of qualities that fit what Erik [Spoelstra] wants to do, what we want to do. He's been a guy that's been on the map the last three years. There's a part of his game, how we play, as a pick and roll team, as a team looking for space [floor space, not cap space, in this case]. He can go endline to endline with anybody."
"He's a winner. He's talented and he's skilled and you just have to watch him play the game and there's a competitive level we all like."
### On LeBron's comments praising Napier: "Why not? I don't tweet. If LeBron and I have the same taste in talent, so be it. He didn't call me on the phone. He never has since I've been here the last four years."
### Napier was "pretty high" on the Heat's board. "For whatever reason, things happens. We were trying to move up throughout the process."
### He said, while laughing, that attempts to move up were "extortion."
### He said: "If he had gotten picked early, we would not have been greatly disappointed, because there were other players we greatly liked."
### "I like veteran, mature players. I'm not saying all young players don't make it, but we all want to win now. The more maturity you can get and experience you get, the better off you are."
### "I fell more in love with him the closer you got to the pick."
### Riley said he saw Napier during the season but not in the NCAA Tournament. "I saw a lot of him on film and in games."
### "We had a great personal conversation. He's a very bright kid. I was very impressed with the fact that when you ask these guys certain questions, a lot of them get sort of caught off guard with the question. He pretty much had a pretty coherent answer for every question I asked him. He's competitive without a huge ego."
### Can he project Napier for a major role next season? "He's going to compete, just like Norris [Cole]. They're both cut out of the same cloth, competitive players, highly conditioned. They're cut out of the same cloth. Mario [Chalmers] is a free agent, so we've got to deal with that. So we'll have some depth at the position."
Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...tion-and-potential-fallout.html#storylink=cpy
