Why should the San Antonio Spurs send Pat Riley a gift?
The LaMarcus Aldridge recruitment process was a long, complicated, stressful period for several teams last summer. The San Antonio Spurs landed him, but it was never a foregone conclusion.
So, who or what pushed them over the top? According to Yahoo Sports/FOX Sports 1 NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, it was Pat Riley.
This might be the first time in history where Riley's everlasting good luck didn't prevail. And the Spurs couldn't be any more appreciative.
The Heat didn’t have the salary cap space to sign Aldridge, and Riley’s wish for Aldridge to sign a one-year deal with Portland and wait for the Heat’s space in 2016 was a most unappealing proposition. Nevertheless, Riley made a case to Aldridge that turned out to be an immense blessing for the franchise that had obliterated the Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals. As the idea of joining the Suns gained real momentum, Riley’s message would go a long, long way toward validating the Spurs’ cause. Truth be told, Riley’s words resonated as deeply with Aldridge as anyone’s in the process.
