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Wednesday, February 28, 2001
Heat coach now says Ratliff trade 'took guts'
Associated Press
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PHILADELPHIA – Pat Riley took back his comments questioning
the loyalty of the Philadelphia 76ers for trading Theo Ratliff when
he was injured.
"I will firmly and without a doubt take the shoe out of my
mouth," Riley said Wednesday, before the Miami Heat played the
76ers. "It takes a lot of guts to make a trade like that."
Philadelphia coach Larry Brown found the earlier criticism
"remarkable." Philadelphia owner Pat Croce found it "awful,"
and wondered how the Heat coach and president could "stoop so
low."
In the deal that brought Dikembe Mutombo from Atlanta to the
76ers, Philadelphia sent Ratliff, Toni Kukoc, Nazr Mohammed and
Pepe Sanchez to Atlanta. The 76ers also obtained Roshown McLeod.
At the time of the trade, Ratliff -- one of the best centers in
the league this season -- was one day out of surgery in which a
screw was placed in his wrist.
"I think they sent a message about loyalty," Riley said
Friday, a day after the trade deadline.
"Even though they are probably a very loyal franchise, a guy
breaks his wrist and he's traded," added Riley. "But I can
understand the temptation of the present moment. It would be the
equivalent of me trading (Alonzo Mourning) for Dikembe, or
something like that."
Mourning is out for the season battling kidney disease.
"I believe Pat Riley is 'royalty' in the league, and I'm not
going to say anything derogatory about him, except that I'm
disappointed he would stoop so low to try and taint this
franchise," Croce said Tuesday. "That's awful."
Brown noted that four former Heat players -- Jamal Mashburn, Tim
James, P.J. Brown and Otis Thorpe -- played for the Charlotte
Hornets against the 76ers on Saturday.
"I mean, that kind of blew me away," Brown told the
Philadelphia Daily News for Wednesday's edition. "It's kind of
remarkable to me a guy would make a comment (while the 76ers were)
in Charlotte. I'm looking at four guys ... that tells you a little
bit about Pat Riley." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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ALSO SEE
Mutombo defends 76ers' loyalty with 18 rebounds
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