From ESPN:

MIAMI -- Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, who led the team to the best record in the Eastern Conference a season ago, resigned Monday citing family reasons.

A team official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that Van Gundy's resignation would be announced later Monday.

The team called a news conference for 11 a.m. ET, saying Van Gundy, team president and former coach Pat Riley and Heat owner Micky Arison would appear.

*L*  Bull.

This was a power move.  Plain and simple.  Miami, and notably Shaq, have wanted Stan out of there Shaq first went there.  Miami has gone 11-10 in 22 games, but Shaq has only played 3 games this year, and despite that the Heat was still on top of the Southeast division.  Once Shaq returned to the lineup full time (which, in all probablility, won't happen because Shaq can not handle that rigorous schedule anymore), the Heat would be a legit threat for the NBA title.

There was a lot of criticism for Kobe's behind-the-scenes actions in giving Shaq the boot in Los Angeles, and rightfully so.  But Van Gundy's firing - in DECEMBER, no less - shows that Shaq isn't beyond doing the same thing.  Thus, I never felt any sympathy for the man.

When Shaq went to the Heat, the question wasn't whether Van Gundy would leave the Heat, but when.  It was only a matter of time.  Nobody is being fooled into Van Gundy saying it was for "family reasons".  Shaq probably wanted Pat Riley to eventually return to coaching anyway, as I'm sure Riley will replace Van Gundy on the bench.

People thought the Detroit Lions were playing cutthroat when they fired Mariucci?  No....this is cutthroat.