MIAMI -- Heat President Pat Riley has publicly expressed his sorrow and gratitude to the players he traded to the Los Angeles Lakers to bring superstar center Shaquille O'Neal to South Florida.

In a unique gesture on Thursday, the Heat invited its fans to log onto the team's Web site (heat.com) and send messages of appreciation to Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant.

About 3,000 miles west, there have been no such offers emanating from the Lakers regarding O'Neal's departure. In fact, one local radio host, Roger Lodge, has called for the public burning of O'Neal's Lakers jersey, while another has bid the Big Diesel good riddance.