MILWAUKEE — And just when you thought the Milwaukee Bucks were having problems …

Pat Riley, the coach and president of the once-proud Miami Heat, said a report that he was considering dropping his role as coach at the end of the season was overstated.

"I'm an Irish-Catholic who worries a lot," Riley told reporters Wednesday night before the Heat's 98-92 loss to the Bucks at the Bradley Center — extending the team's losing streak to nine straight games.

"So I always reevaluate things."

Riley, 62, told reporters following the Heat's loss Tuesday night in Minneapolis that he was considering returning to his role as solely the team president after the season.

"I was much better, I believe, just as president because I wasn't having to deal with the personalities (on the team)," he said after the 101-91 loss to the Timberwolves.

But, after the comments were reported by a Heat beat writer, Riley retreated.

"There are conflicts," he said about his roles, "and you have to evaluate them all the time."

The Heat, just two years removed from a NBA championship, are in the throes of their worst season since Riley joined the franchise 13 years ago.

He took two years off as coach before returning during the Heat's championship season, replacing former University of Wisconsin coach Stan Van Gundy, who was said to have resigned for personal reasons.

Miami has been beset by injuries this season, first to star Dwyane Wade, the former Marquette athlete who is coming off left shoulder and knee surgeries, and now to aging center Shaquille O'Neal, who is out because of bursitis of the hip.

The Heat, who started the season with four straight losses, have lost 11 of their past 13 games. At 8-28, Miami has the worst record in the Eastern Conference and second-worst in the NBA. 

The Heat anticipated using their current five-game road swing to correct their ways, especially in the stretch that had games at Memphis, Minnesota and here against three of the poorest teams in the league.

But the Heat have lost at Memphis, Minnesota and Milwaukee as the spiral continues. The Bucks, even without injured Michael Redd, paid them no favors Wednesday night.

"We're one of the worst teams in the league, also," Wade said before the loss to the Timberwolves. "It's like having a nightmare and never waking up from it."

Riley's future is an issue only because of the way the team has performed, he said.

"I rarely had to answer questions about the dual role when we were winning," he said.