Predictably, Ricky Davis Not Working Out Too Well For Miami

By Trashtalk Superstar


When Miami coach and General Manager Pat Riley traded Antoine Walker to Minnesota for Ricky Davis (Miami also acquired Mark Blount from Minnesota, and sent Wayne Simien and Michael Doleac to the "land of 10,000 lakes" to complete the deal), Drive and Dish wondered what Riley was thinking. Walker was shipped out - at least in part - because Riley had grown tired of his bad attitude and overall sloth. So we couldn't fathom what would prompt him to replace one headache (Walker) with a player who would potentially be an even bigger headache (Davis).

Now, as NBA master scribe Sam Smith chronicles in the Chicago Tribune, Pat Riley appears to be at his wit's end with the notorious coach and team chemistry-killing Davis. What a shock.

This week, Riley voiced his disapproval over the on-court production and attitude of one (and possibly more than one) of his team's starters to Miami reporters. But because Riley declined to name the player at whom his comments were directed, it's unclear whether Riley was referring to Davis or to Shaquille O'Neal (although it's also possible that his comments were directed at both players). Riley's vagueness aside, it's clear that he's not pleased:

"People who don't think they should ever be benched might have to come off the bench for a while just to turn this whole thing around ..."

Many folks in the media have assumed that those words were intended to get the attention of the big fella (or Big Aristotle, if you will). And, aside from the occasional appearance of vintage Shaq-style dominance, O'Neal has definitely looked like he just doesn't give a damn anymore. So Riley could, indeed, have been calling him out. After all, his teammates are doing just that: according to Smith, "Dwyane Wade, back from surgery and rounding into form, talked openly of O'Neal needing to be more motivated." Damn!

But, equally likely is the possibility that Riley's ire was directed at Ricky Davis. Just one month into his current stint in Miami, Ricky Davis has wasted no time in going about the business of being Ricky Davis. Smith notes that NBA courtside scouts who follow Miami have been reporting that Davis is doing his best to reinforce his coach-killer and team chemistry-killer reputation:

"they see Davis waving off Riley and telling other players he isn't going to run that stuff."

Now that's the Ricky Davis that we all know and love!

Drive and Dish was dumbfounded when Pat Riley traded for Ricky Davis. Riley had, after all, been stuck with the cancerous Davis before. We absolutely couldn't understand why he'd want another go around with the guy. And we're not alone. Smith cites one Riley confidant who said: "He had him before. How could he not know?"

Regardless of the thought process that led to his pursuit of Davis, it's clear that Pat Riley has had enough of the 2007/08 edition of the Miami Heat:

"'I don't see a team that feels that feels like they have anything at stake here,' Riley said. 'They come in, they play, they get beat, they go home. They go out into the night."

What's not so clear is why it took him so long to notice that his team doesn't care. They were the same way last year too.

And what's even less clear is why Pat Riley thought it would be a good idea to add Ricky Davis to a team that already had a few too many disinterested malcontents.

But questionable judgment aside, at least Riley isn't trying to "pass the buck:"

"I'll take the responsibility for it (Miami's disastrous team chemistry) because I put it together."

Edit:

Pat Riley's acquisition (or re-acquisition, to be more accurate) of Ricky Davis reminds me of the old story about the man who befriended - then took as his pet - a talking rattlesnake. The man was well aware that rattle snakes are aggressive and that their venom is poisionous. So, at first, he was very reluctant to talk to the snake. But the rattlesnake kept assuring the man that he was friendly and, as such, wouldn't bite the man. So in spite of his initial reservations, the guy ultimately came to trust the rattlesnake. So much so that he let the talking snake become his pet, and kept it by his side at all times. After all, he and the talking snake had a special kind of bond.

That is, until the snake finally BIT THE MAN.

Shocked by the trauma of the bite as well as by the rattlesnake's disregard for their friendship and betrayal of his trust, the dying man asked the rattlesnake: "Why did you bite me?"

And the rattlesnake replied: "Because I'm a rattlesnake, stupid. That's what I do."