Intro:
I think the great thing for us going into the off-season is that we have a great appreciation for how far we have come and how much we have done, so there is a good feeling, but also understanding that we have a long way to go and that we could go a lot further than where we are right now, but for that to happen each of us has a lot of work to do over the next five months here in the off-season.

What have you learned this past season?
To get better, I believe you have to be self-critical. As far as what I have learned, I have learned my players better. I think that enables you to make better decisions and to make our team better.

Is it fair to say that this organization has taken a major step forward this season?
There is no question that this season was a major step forward for our organization in so many ways. The talent base now gives you hope for the future and creates an excitement going forward for our fans, this is a fun team to watch and will be a fun team to watch and grow. When you go out into the free agent market, you would think this is an attractive team now for people to come and want to play for us. This was just a major step forward, you can feel it in the building that something good is happening. Our franchise deserved that and needed that after the last couple of years.

What has the experience been like this year?
It has been a fabulous experience, I would need some time to really reflect on it, but it has been a fabulous experience to go through it, from getting the job, to the terrible start, to fighting our way to being respectable. We have a group that I enjoy being around everyday. This group is one that I will not forget any one of the 15 guys and what they did here this year. From how they came in and worked everyday right up to the very last practice. They came in and went after it right up to the last day. All of that is just so meaningful to me and what we were able to accomplish. The most fun I had was being able to go into the locker room after big wins and watch guys enjoy what they were doing. After seeing all of the effort they put in, it was a fantastic experience. The toughest thing is that it is over. This was such a resilient group that we would get back up in the gym tomorrow and get after it and correct it like we did after the first two Indiana Pacers games, but now it’s done and you can’t get last night back. It’s finished and that’s the toughest thing for me. It’s more disappointing for me than losing the game; that we can’t get back to work today and try to get it right.

From your perspective as a coach, what areas do you see this team needing to upgrade?
We need to improve everywhere, but as far as what we need to add from the outside is not in my thinking right now. We will return more players next season than we have in recent years. A majority of the players will be back next season and I don’t think you will see the turnover anywhere near what you have seen in the last couple of years. My thoughts right now are about what each guy needs to do in the off-season for us to improve.

As far as Dwyane Wade’s future, where do you see him being most effective, as a shooting guard or as a point guard?
The best place for Dwyane to be for us is on the court as much as possible. Against some teams his better match-up is against the opposing team’s shooting guard and against some teams his best match-up is against the opposing team’s point guard. I think it would be a mistake to pigeon hole him at either position at this point. Wade is a player, period, get him on the court and get him the ball.

What happened to Udonis Haslem’s minutes during the post-season, was it the match-ups?
Udonis played extensively during the New Orleans series. The Indiana series was more circumstance than anything. In Game One, Malik Allen got into the game and played well. I liked the way we looked with Malik on the floor. Other then Dwyane, Malik was probably one of most consistent players during the series with the Pacers. Malik was not necessarily our best player during the series, but he was one of our most consistent players and he took Udonis’ minutes, it was pretty much that simple.

Is it an encouraging feeling going into this season knowing that you will be tweaking and making minor adjustments instead of what you have had to do over the past two seasons?
It is a great feeling, because I think that ultimately to be any good in this league you have got to have some continuity and guys have to get to a comfort level with your system and the players around them. It is always easier to add two or three players if you have a good core coming back that knows what is going on. I believe even the guys that are coming in will pick things up quicker because they will have somebody to watch. When you have everybody learning together, learning tends to be very slow. So I think it is a great sign that we have people coming back. I think it is where we wanted to get to for a long time and I do think you will see a majority of these guys back.

What has this season and the playoff run done for the Miami HEAT as far as attracting free agents?
It’s all money, but when the money is equal, it makes you an attractive option when somebody gets to play with a team that has a chance to win. This team is not on the downside, this is a team that people will look at as being on the rise and that makes us more attractive to anybody out there looking to get with a team.

Do you think you are a better coach today than you were at the beginning of the season?
You have to be after going through 95 games of experience. It doesn’t feel like that much of a difference to me, but I would think that you would have to be at least a little bit better going through 95 games.

With some of the negative press about Eddie Jones struggling during the playoffs, it seemed as though he took it personally, what do you try to say to him?
I first try to convey to him how much confidence we have in him. He is never given enough credit. I mean we would have not even been in the playoffs without Eddie Jones. With all of the credit that our young guys got, he was our leading scorer, best perimeter defender, was very durable this year, and he is totally unselfish. The only thing Eddie Jones cares about is winning basketball games. Even with all of those qualities, it is still not enough for a lot of people. It is tough for me to understand why. The only thing that I ever say to him is to be aggressive, and he was aggressive in the last game, so I don’t have any problem with him.

What did we all just witness in rookie Dwyane Wade during the regular season and into the playoffs?
You just watched an outstanding talent start to really grow up is what you have witnessed. I think what was really remarkable during the Indiana series was his consistency throughout the series. During the series some players had their great nights and bad nights while Dwyane’s worst night was 16 points and 10 assists in Game Five. That’s incredible for a rookie. I think what you expect to see from a guy of his talent is some amazing performances, but you don’t expect the consistency against the NBA’s number one team that he had in this series.

Can you talk about Rafer Alston’s transformation this season?
I don’t know if it is more of a transformation than it is an opportunity. I think there are other guys out there like Rafer at every position who have gotten themselves ready and that have the talent to play in this league and they finally get an opportunity and are ready to prove it. More than anything, that is what happened to Rafer; he just got a platform to show people what he can do. He got in the right situation, which I think is key for most guys. He got in a situation in which we wanted to use what he can do. He can get up and down the floor, guard the ball, and shoot the three. It was a good fit, he got an opportunity and had a hell of a year. Rafer was obliviously huge for us in making the run.