Whoah

Pat Riley and the Miami Heat solidify their status as the most loathsome coach and most loathsome team in the NBA. Reuters reports:

Riley gave Bush a jersey and then told the audience: "I voted for the man. If you don't vote you don't count."

Addressing reporters later, Riley denied that he had injected politics into the ceremony. "I'm pro-American, pro-democracy, I'm pro-government," the coach said. "I follow my boss. He's my boss."

As Jason Zengerle reminds us, Rasheed Wallace had a much choicer response when it was the Pistons' turn to meet the President. The interesting thing about the Heat's loathesomeness, in my view, is that their star, Dwyane Wade, while not my favorite player, is also totally non-loathesome. Thus, it's hard to be happy when he gets injured. At the same time, given the way it screws Riley and the rest of his crew of washed-up losers, it's hard to be upset.