Posted on Fri, Mar. 07, 2008

Riley may take games off for scouting

MIAMI --

Riley may take games off for scouting

With the Heat almost certainly headed to the NBA lottery, Pat Riley wants to see who might be available for the taking.Riley said Thursday that "there's a possibility" he will "miss one or two" upcoming Heat games because he wants to travel to the various NCAA conference tournaments and start seeing players who'll potentially be in this year's draft.

"I'll be flying in and out," Riley said. "But I think right now, I've got to do that. I need to do that."

He will not be stepping down as coach, and did not reveal who will lead the team if, in fact, he does miss games.

Major conferences begin tournament play next week.

Riley carries the dual role of Heat coach and president, meaning he's in charge both of the team's on-court work today and its direction for the future.

The draft will undoubtedly play a big role in his plan for reshaping the Heat, who won the NBA title in 2006 but now need a drastic makeover after losing 29 of their past 32 games and falling to a league-worst 11-47.

Riley did not say which tournaments he plans to scout, although it's a certainty that he'll be paying considerable attention to the Big 12 -- since whomever winds up with the No. 1 overall pick will be widely expected to select Kansas State's Michael Beasley, assuming the highly touted freshman enters the draft.

"I think this is a pretty significant year," Riley said. "I see a lot of these guys on film. I want to see them in person once or twice. If I can do it without missing games, I'll do it." -- Associated Press

Around the league

UTAH: Forward Andrei Kirilenko will miss tonight's game at Phoenix and is doubtful for Saturday's home game against Denver. Kirilenko injured his right hip Monday when he was knocked down by Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki.

WASHINGTON: Wizards forward Caron Butler plans to be back at practice next week, but there is still no timetable for when he might be able to return to games after being sidelined by a hip injury.

OKLAHOMA CITY: Commissioner David Stern and other NBA officials will tour the city's downtown arena on March 25 as part of the Seattle SuperSonics' relocation request. -- Observer News Services