shane battier – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Shane Battier reportedly staying with Heat front office

It’s always fun to see where well-known former players wind up once they hang up the sneakers. Shane Battier is doing his thing in Miami, and reportedly might have left for Detroit but will stay put. Here’s the Miami Herald with the details:

Shane Battier, the Heat’s director of basketball development and analytics, has removed himself from consideration for a high-level front office job with the Detroit Pistons, a source confirmed Tuesday.

The Pistons had shown interest in several former players – including Battier, Brent Barry and Tayshaun Prince – for a role in their revamped front office. And Battier has ties to the state, having been born and raised in Birmingham, Mich., and attending Detroit Country Day school.

Battier had interviewed with the Pistons and was asked back for a second interview.

But Battier, 39, ultimately decided to stay with the Heat

Full article

And according to Michigan Live, “The Pistons hired Ed Stefanski last week as a special adviser to owner Tom Gores. Stefanski is leading the search for a new president of basketball operations and head coach after Stan Van Gundy was dismissed on May 7.”

Miami Heat hire Shane Battier as Director of Basketball Development & Analytics

The Miami Heat announced today that they have hired former HEAT player and two-time NBA champion Shane Battier as the Director of Basketball Development & Analytics. His duties will include the development of analytics in evaluating all talent, including college, free agents and current Miami players.

“We believe Shane is an incredible example of our HEAT program, not only for the present, but also for the future,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He embodies everything that we are looking for in our players and staff. We feel he will help us tremendously with his experience and knowledge of the game. Shane is an out-of-the-box thinker and will bring a fresh expertise that can help us evolve as a franchise.”

“I am thrilled to be joining the front office of the Miami HEAT,” said Shane Battier. “I look forward to working with the Arison family, learning from a Hall of Fame executive in Pat Riley, General Manager Andy Elisburg and of course my old coach, Erik Spoelstra. My goal, as is the entire organizations, is to bring another championship back to Miami.”

Battier, a role player who played three seasons with the HEAT, helped bring back-to-back NBA championships, three Eastern Conference Championships and three division titles to Miami over that span. He appeared in 210 games (86 starts) with the HEAT and averaged 5.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 22.6 minutes while shooting 39.8 percent from the field. He won the Twyman-Stokes NBA Teammate of the Year award in 2014 and the Magic Johnson Award for excellence on the court with cooperation with media and fans in 2013, both as a member of the HEAT. The 13-year NBA veteran appeared in 977 career NBA games (705 starts) and averaged 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.01 steals and 30.7 minutes while shooting 43.7 percent from the field.

Shane Battier could lose minutes in Heat bench rotation

On paper, if it actually all works out, the reclamation of Michael Beasley would be just another brilliant brushstroke by Pat Riley in an ever-growing mural of managerial greatness. But here’s something important to consider before projecting Beasley into the Heat’s second rotation:

Who loses minutes?

One possible answer is Shane Battier, and that would be strangely ironic considering Battier’s steady demeanor, his attention to detail on defense and his importance to the Heat’s back-to-back championships. Battier was benched deep into the 2013 playoffs, sure, but he also redeemed himself in Game 7 and was a mainstay during Miami’s near-record winning streak of 27 games during the regular season.

Reported by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald