MIAMI — With the Miami Heat almost certainly headed to the NBA lottery, Pat Riley wants to see who might be available for the taking.

Riley said today that "there's a possibility" he will "miss one or two" upcoming Heat games because he wants to travel to the various NCAA conference tournaments and start seeing players who'll potentially be in this year's draft.

"I'll be flying in and out," Riley said. "But I think right now, I've got to do that. I need to do that."

He will not be stepping down as coach, and did not reveal who will lead the team if, in fact, he does miss games.

Major conferences begin tournament play next week.

Riley carries the dual role of Heat coach and president. He did not say which tournaments he plans to scout, although it's a certainty that he'll be paying considerable attention to the Big 12 — since whomever winds up with the No. 1 overall pick will be widely expected to select Kansas State's Michael Beasley, assuming the highly touted freshman enters the draft.

Miami has dropped 29 of its past 32 games and has the worst record in the NBA at 11-47. As of now, the Heat would have the best chance of obtaining the No. 1 pick in the lottery.

"I think this is a pretty significant year," Riley said. "I see a lot of these guys on film. I want to see them in person once or twice. If I can do it without missing games, I'll do it."