MIAMI (AP) - The Pat Riley scouting tour is over, for at least a few days.
Riley was back with the Miami Heat on Sunday, coaching his team against the Dallas Mavericks. He missed Friday night's game against the Orlando Magic because he was midway through a three-day trip to evaluate top college players who most likely will be available in the NBA draft."Got a lot of notes, did a lot of travel," Riley said. "Four cities in two days and saw the players, so far, that I needed to see. Now we move on."
The Heat, assured a spot in the NBA lottery, have the league's worst record - and, as of now, the best chance of obtaining the No. 1 pick in the June draft. Because the team believes the draft will play a crucial role in its rebuilding, Heat owner Micky Arison asked Riley to see several league tournaments and evaluate top college prospects in person.
Riley said the trip afforded him the chance to see certain things that aren't necessarily caught on television or tape, like the way a player warms up before a game and how attentive he is during timeouts and on the bench.
"When you get down, up and close, you feel the presence of a player," Riley said. "You can see the presence of a player. You see every little nuance, so I think it's essential to be able to have that feeling about them. Most of the time when you bring them in here for workouts, they won't work out. They won't work out hard. They won't be competitive. So you either go off film or what you saw."
Riley saw tournament games at the Southeastern Conference, Conference USA, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference. He studied a list of prospects that included Kansas State's Michael Beasley, Memphis' Derrick Rose and LSU's Anthony Randolph - all freshmen presumed to be entering this year's draft.
He also saw another highly touted freshman, Indiana guard Eric Gordon, last weekend. That trip essentially began Miami's process of studying its draft options.
"You just never know what a top pick could mean to you from a leverage standpoint if you decide to trade it," Riley said.
The Heat have never had a pick higher than fourth in their 20-year history. They chose Glen Rice at No. 4 in 1989, Steve Smith at No. 5 in 1991 and Dwyane Wade at No. 5 in 2003.
Riley may leave the Heat again in the coming weeks to see NCAA games. The tournament begins Thursday; Miami plays Friday at home against Washington and then again Saturday at Charlotte, so it's possible Riley could miss either of those to see a first- or second-round matchup.
"I'll probably be out," Riley said. "If I miss a game, it'll be because the timing is such that that game will be during that time. If I can avoid that, I'll try to avoid it."
