Heat restructure coaching staff; Ron Rothstein retires

By foxsports
Published

After earlier reports surfaced that the Miami Heat would be making changes to their coaching staff, the team officially confirmed the news via press release on Thursday.

Assistant coach Ron Rothstein will be retiring from coaching but will continue to be a part of the Heat organization. The Heat also announced that assistant coach Bob McAdoo will leave head coach Erik Spoelstra's staff to join the Heat's scouting department in addition to serving as a corporate liaison.

''I want to thank Ron and Bob for their guidance, wisdom and dedication that they provided to me when I took over as head coach,'' said Spoelstra. ''I especially want to thank them for all their hard work and support these past six seasons. They were a huge part of all our team success. Moving forward, having their great basketball minds just down the hall will continue to be invaluable.''

As a true ''Heat Lifer,'' Rothstein has worked in several capacities for the franchise since becoming their first coach in 1988. Additionally, he was an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers during his 26 years on an NBA bench. After helping win the 2006 NBA championship as an assistant for Pat Riley, he transitioned to Spoelstra's staff where he was a part of two additional championship teams.

McAdoo served as an assistant coach for Riley and Spoelstra for 19 years after an illustrious 14-year Hall of Fame pro career in which he won the NBA Rookie of the Year award, MVP honors and three consecutive scoring titles in the mid-1970's. He was a member of the Riley-coached Los Angeles Lakers who won the NBA championship in 1982. In his new position, McAdoo will serve as a lead scout on NBA, college and international levels.

''Both Ron and Bob were instrumental in the success of the HEAT and their contributions to our three championships cannot be overstated,'' said Heat president Pat Riley. ''They are HEAT lifers and I'm happy that they will continue to be an important part of the organization as they evolve into their new roles within the HEAT family.''

Both coaching spots currently remain vacant as of now, with Spoelstra assuming more control over his staff in partnership with lead assistant David Fizdale. Former Heat player Juwan Howard is expected to take a bigger role on the bench for the upcoming season.

You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.