Miami Heat's coach Erik Spoelstra not bothered by the contract issue – NBA Update
Starting as a video coordinator at the franchise, the head coach of Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra, has come a long way in his career. In his stint as the man in charge at the South Beach, the first ever American Filipino coach presently
stands at 148-98, a record which is likely to improve by leaps and bounds this season.
However, his contract with the team is also due to expire this season and this might add to the existing distractions for Miami Heat players and hurt their chances of getting a shot at the championship title yet again.
According to the man himself though this will not be a problem. The reason for that is that over the course of the last season, Miami have suffered so much, that they have become mentally very strong and have now gone used to dealing
with distractions.
After working out with the players in a preliminary training camp on Friday at America Airlines Arena, he was asked about this issue, to which he added.
"I've been here for 16 years, and I plan on being here for a while. This won't be a distraction. This team knows about dealing with distractions, and my situation certainly won't be one."
Erik’s job security came into jeopardy after Miami’s terrible start last season. He failed to employ his players purposefully on the court and with the entry of few new players such as LeBron, he did not manage to come up with
a clear cut offense strategy and many fingers were raised at him.
But as the season progressed and Miami picked up momentum, all the voices faded down and he managed to get the support of everyone. After he took the team to NBA finals, the support increased, and Miami owner Micky Arison, along
with the big three in the team completely root for him to continue as the coach for next few years.
Chris Bosh, who was also present in the training this Friday showered praise on Erik and how he dealt the tough task of defining the role of three star players.
“When you think about some of the things that were said, and stuff coming from the stands and the fans last year when we were struggling, if he can deal with last year, he can deal with just about any situation. We know what the
situation is this season, and we'll feed off (Spoelstra) in that regard”
There is no word from team’s president Pat Riley and Micky Arison about the extension of Erik’s contract, but the announcement might be made in few weeks. Pat Riley earlier revealed that he had not talked to Erik about the extension;
however he had praised Eric’s long term commitment with the team and hinted at extending his tenure.
Miami are the strongest contenders for the title this time with three best players in NBA currently in the team- LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. And in order to make it to the finals and grab the title, Erik needs to
be there as a sudden change might disturb the tempo of whole team.
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