Miami Heat President Pat Riley gave his final press conference of the 2013-14 season Thursday, following the team's NBA Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
"I think everybody needs to get a grip," Riley told reporters, in speaking about the Finals loss. "This stuff is hard and you gotta stay together if you got the guts and you don't find the first door and run out of it, if you have an opportunity."
Riley has his work cut out for him, as the Heat are entering the summer with a lot of questions, including the futures of superstars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. All three hold early termination options and can all become unrestricted free agents in July.
"We need to retool, we don't need to rebuild, we need to retool and that's what we're gonna do," Riley said.
The Heat reached the Finals for the fourth season in a row, losing 4-1 to the Spurs.
"We will find out what we're made of here, it's not about options, it's not about free agency," Riley said. "We have a chance to do something significant but losing is just as much a part of it as winning is, and when you're a team, you deal with it."
Riley said Heat owner Mickey Arison is willing to work to keep the "Big Three" intact.
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"He will do anything to get those guys back," Riley said. "I'm sure that Mickey will do whatever he has to do to keep this team together."
He said James needs time to decide on his future.
"The four years that we've had here with LeBron, we hope turns into another eight or 10," Riley said. "I love LeBron, he knows that, he knows how we feel about him."
AT one point, Riley even confirmed that LeBron and his wife are expecting a baby girl.
Riley also praised the things Wade has done in his time in Miami and said he would be "surprised" if he wasn't in a Heat uniform next year.
"He's a Miami Heat for life, he's an icon, he's one of the great players in the world," Riley said.
He added that the team is prepared and has a lot of room for flexibility to "retool" the team.
"I'm optimistic, until that's proven different," Riley said. "I just have a level of optimism that there isn't a better place for players to be than in Miami."
