Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley is taking a leave of absence from the team to attend to some health problems.

Riley has been suffering from knee pain and ongoing hip problems.

"I've got floating chips," he said. "I've got three or four things that have been floating in there for years. If I get it done, it'll be a day. There's just going to scope it and flush it out.

During Riley's absense, assistant coach Ron Rothstein will coach the team.

Rothstein was Miami's inaugural head coach in 1988. He returned to the team as an assistant coach in 2003.