Tim Hardaway Sr. is climbing up the NBA coaching ladder. The Sun-Sentinel is reporting that the former Miami Heat guard will leave his job as a scout to become an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons.
“As soon as Stan got that coaching and president job, I called him and said, ‘I want to help,’ ” Hardaway, 47, said, with Van Gundy a Heat assistant coach during Hardaway’s prime seasons in South Florida. “I said, ‘I want to come coach with you.’ “
Hardaway reportedly had been begging Pat Riley for a coaching opportunity, but the Heat’s staff has been full for years now.
“Stan asked Pat if he could talk to me and Pat said yes. That’s how it started,” Hardaway said.
“I knew with the Heat there wasn’t a chance because of so many people in front of me, and I didn’t want to step on toes. I was humble to the Heat and thanked them for my opportunities.”
The Heat retired Hardaway’s No. 10 in 2009.