Miami Heat rumors: Keith Smart to join coaching staff?
By Bryan Rose
The Miami Heat have experienced a significant amount of change this offseason and their on-floor roster isn’t the only thing that will look a bit different come October.
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According to Yahoo Sports, there’s a good chance their coaching staff will have at least one new member as the Miami Heat are currently in talks to bring in Keith Smart.
As you may recall, Keith Smart was previously head coach of the Sacramento Kings though struggled during his tenure in the California capital. Of course, it’s difficult to blame Smart for Sacramento’s woeful performance considering the team lacked talent.
Prior to Smart’s stint with the Kings, he was known as a defensive magician, turning sub-par defensive squads (like the Golden State Warriors) around in little time.
"Former Golden State and Sacramento coach Keith Smart has emerged as a strong candidate to join the Miami Heat’s revamped assistant coaching staff, league sources told Yahoo Sports.In the wake of a shakeup that resulted in the reassignments of Bob McAdoo and Ron Rothstein, Smart, 49, and Miami are discussing a role on head coach Erik Spoelstra’s bench, sources said."
Currently it’s not known as to why type of contract the Miami Heat are offering Keith Smart, though signing him would be just one of many changes to the coaching staff which includes the recent promotion of Juwan Howard.
Smart, who has been out of coaching since being fired by the Kings after the 2012-13 season also previously coached the Cleveland Cavaliers for a short stint in 2002-03. He has proven himself to be one of the better assistant coaches in the league previously, though has struggled as a head coach.