Miami Heat: Team Makes Right Move with Spoelstra's Contract Extension

Pat Riley and the Miami Heat feel that Erik Spoelstra's job as a coach is worthy of a contract extension. 

While the full details are not yet known, they have locked up the coach that took them to the NBA Finals a season ago.

That news was confirmed by Chris Tommasson via Twitter.

Spoelstra has been the coach of the Heat since 2008, when he took the job over from Riley.

While he didn't bring them a championship, Erik Spoelstra's performance in the 2010-2011 season was nothing short of extraordinary. Coaching a team that had pure "championship-or-bust" expectations around them, in an Eastern Conference that was growing increasingly top heavy, Spoelstra brought his team to the brink of an NBA championship.

Anyone who thinks that that's not good enough to earn a contract extension is being delusional. 

Look at the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. Their competition in the NFC East is poor, still their "Dream Team" is all but mathematically out of the playoff race.

The Heat had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, third best in the NBA. They handily defeated good teams in the Celtics and Bulls (five games each) in the playoffs, and then outplayed the Mavericks for much of the early part of the NBA Finals.

For a team that brought in new stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play with Dwyane Wade, and surrounded those three with many other players unfamiliar with each other, you can't ask for more. 

The expectations are title or bust, but that's not going to happen every single season. When you think about the competition they faced, how the constant spotlight that was on them and how far they advanced, the Heat were exceptional last season. 

Spoelstra's role in that performance can't be overstated. As a coach of a superstar team that's been thrown together, you have to deal with massive egos. You have to deal with three guys that are used to being the one and only focal point of the team being occasionally put on the back burner. 

Look at how far they went. That's the only proof you need that Spoelstra did a fantastic job of doing just that. Now that that core group has a year of experience together, the only smart move was to maintain continuity and lock Spoelstra up. 

That gives the Heat a sense of stability. When you combine stability with the talent they have, championships are going to come.

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