 Critics were quick to debate whether a reformed Heat team would have chemistry issues, were too old (O'Neal, Mourning and Payton were all in their mid-thirties), or had too many underachievers (Walker had a reputation of miserable shot selection; Williams, one of turnover-prone playmaking).After an 11–10 start, with O'Neal already hurt, these critics seemed to have been proven right, ultimately in leading to Van Gundy stepping down from his coaching position.On December 12, 2005, Riley announced he would become head coach for the second time, after Van Gundy unexpectedly stepped down due to personal and family reasons.