In March, Rod Strickland had a chance to sign with the Heat, but opted for Portland.

Strickland was not going to say no to Pat Riley twice.

In his first public comments since signing with the Heat on Monday, Strickland explained his reasoning in picking Miami over Philadelphia.

``I thought [Miami] was a better fit,'' said Strickland, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract. ``I like the team. I don't know if people are thinking the Heat is going to do much this year, but I look down the roster and it looks like a pretty good team to me.


``I've always looked at them as a competitive, hard-nosed team. Obviously, they've had their problems in the playoffs, some heartbreaking losses. But around the league, this team is still respected. . . . I've always respected Pat Riley as a coach.''