At 81, Heat’s Pat Riley insists it’s full steam ahead; Arisons can decide, ‘whether or not I age out’

And if there is a handoff, it will be with the knowledge of handing it off to those committed to playoffs, winning, without the shortcut of tanking for draft picks at the cost of a losing product.

“I love what I’m doing,” Riley said. “I love the people I’m working with. I’ve seen them grow.”

The hierarchy, contrary to outside suggestion, is remaining largely similar to the start, save for those who have moved on, such as former general manager Randy Pfund, former lead draft scout Chet Kammerer, who still retains an emeritus title with the organization, and former coach Stan Van Gundy.

A hierarchy including coach Erik Spoelstra, General Manager Andy Elisburg and Assistant General Manager Adam Simon that has been alongside for years, in lockstep, while also appreciative of where the final signoff stands.

“When I first got here,” Riley said, “it was Micky and myself and Randy basically making a lot of decisions. And then after I got out of coaching Stan came in and Spo, his role moved up. And other people’s roles, Andy, Chet, Adam, their roles moved up. And then when Spo came, Andy and Chet and Adam and others, their roles improved or got bigger.

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“And I think basically since 2010, since Nick was named CEO, his role changed. Probably the last 10 years, the growth of everybody that has been with me for 30 years, that I’ve been around for 30 years, they’ve all grown to a point where we all know and almost can read each other’s minds when it comes to making decisions.”

At the start, it was Riley as a direct report to Micky Arison.

“I went through this with Micky for 15 years,” Riley said. “In the first four or five years, Micky was building a cruise line. And I pretty much had carte blanche on all the decision-making. But I never led him down a path that was going to get us in real trouble, any kind of real financial trouble and stuff, other than, at that time, (NBA luxury) taxes and stuff.

“I was very thoughtful about that. There were times he said, ‘No, I don’t think we should go down that road.’ And that was it. He just moved on. And that’s the way it is today. I don’t have final say here.”

Now as a direct report to Nick Arison.

“I never had it,” Riley said of not reporting to another. “I never had it when I came. And quite frankly, I don’t think I want it. I don’t have the ego to have it, to have to have it, to shut everybody else down and not listen to their ideas.”

So, instead, ideas first bounced off Elisburg.

“The guy that I talk to the most about things is Andy,” Riley said, “Andy and I will sit in there, and we will create scenarios. I will bring him scenarios to fire up a cap sheet for me — that doesn’t work, this doesn’t work, that doesn’t work.

“I come back the next day with another scenario. He says, ‘Well, now that works a little bit if we can do this, that.’ And so Andy and I create a lot of these scenarios. And I rely heavily on his opinion, you know, when it comes to that.”

And then, as always, the idea sent up the chain.

“If he and I both decide on something and the boss doesn’t like it,” Riley said of those moments with Elisburg, “they’ll say no. I mean, they own the team.

“I wish I owned the team, but I don’t.”