The Miami Heat , led by Erik Spoelstra, struggled early in the 2010-11 campaign. The legendary Phil Jackson commented on these struggles, suggesting that the job of his fellow NBA head coach might very well be in jeopardy.
‘The Zen Master’ drew comparisons to a few years earlier when the Heat and their then-head coach Stan Van Gundy parted ways under similar circumstances. Unsurprisingly, SVG took issue with this comparison and did not hold back in his response.
“To second-guess another coach and comment on a situation he (Jackson) knows nothing about – it’s inappropriate. And it’s also ignorant…I mean it as ignorant [in that] he doesn’t know what that situation was, and he doesn’t know what the situation is now,” asserted Van Gundy, per the NY Times.
Riley’s return to the Heat bench was looming
In the 2010 NBA offseason, the team from South Beach made headlines by signing superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade, forming ‘The Big Three.’ Expectations were high for a dominant season, but after a month, the team had a disappointing 9-7 slate – a record that “says a lot about coming together with some real talented guys, and not having a base,” noted Jackson.