Riley replaces Van Gundy as Heat coach
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-13 08:54

"I have a responsibility to this team and to the players that I traded for, the picks," Riley said. "And I think right now, at this moment, that I'm the best person to do that."

The move came nearly four years to the day after Jeff Van Gundy, Stan's younger brother, resigned as Knicks coach 19 games into the 2001-02 season. Jeff Van Gundy, now the Houston Rockets coach, said at the time he'd lost his focus and thought about quitting since that summer.

"The question I've always had for him is, 'why did you go back,'" Stan Van Gundy said.

He also had the same question for Riley during a recent meeting they had at his Malibu, Calif., home. Riley flew out during a recent Heat road trip, bringing Van Gundy over for a final pitch to keep him as coach.

Instead, the talk only strengthened Van Gundy's belief that leaving was the right idea.

"I regret the timing," Van Gundy said. "I think that for the team, it stinks. The timing of it stinks. And I wish that I could have made the decision in the offseason, but in the offseason, you don't feel like this."