MIAMI, Apr. 8 – After two stints with Miami as a player, Bimbo Coles has once again returned to the HEAT. Instead of directing players on the court as a point guard, Coles is calling signals from the sideline as an assistant coach. Just one season removed from his playing days, Coles admits that he still has a burning desire to play.

“It’s so much better now than earlier in the season,” he said. “It’s tough being a competitor and sitting on the sidelines and watching the guys battle out there. It’s a little different now being a coach. The hours are a lot different, but the competitiveness is the same. Now, the competition is more mental that physical.”

Coles, who received his nickname, ‘Bimbo’, from a cousin in reference to a country music song, has plenty of NBA experience. Only assistant coach Bob McAdoo, who enjoyed a 14-year career, has as many years of NBA playing experience.

The eighth leading scorer in franchise history is now sharing his experience with the HEAT players – many of whom were teammates of Coles last season. Coles says he’s still adjusting to his new role as coach.

“It’s a real fine line now,” he said. “I was a member of the team as a player, and now I’m a coach. It’s taking a little adjustment, but I’ve earned the respect from my former teammates because of the way that I approached things everyday as a player.

“Whether it was practice or a game, I was 100 percent all the time,” he continued. “I got respect from the players first because they know I’m intense, I don’t take anything for granted and I’m a team player. They also know that I know everything about the game. Last year, I was not only a player, but I was almost like a coach in practice everyday.”

Coles played for five teams during his NBA tenure. He spent his first five and a half years in the league in Miami, averaging 9.1 points per game. In February 1996, he was traded from Miami along with Kevin Willis to Golden State for Tim Hardaway and Chris Gatling. And even though spent the next seven and a half seasons away from the HEAT, a piece of Coles stayed in South Florida.

And after he signed a free agent contract with the HEAT in September 2003, he was happy to return to the city he calls home.

“My heart had never left Miami,” he said. “When I got traded, it was one of the biggest disappointments of my career. I stayed in contact with the people, the fans, the organization and the friends that I had left. This was always home for me. When you leave, you actually see how other organizations are, and they’re just not the same. The HEAT is a first-class organization. They treat everyone great.

“In this organization, you always hear of the HEAT family,” he continued. “You can tell how great an organization is when you have guys coming back – Keith (Askins), myself, Steve (Smith), Coach Rothstein. This organization is about the family atmosphere and good people.

“They say, ‘Never forget where you’ve come from.’ I never forgot that this organization gave me an opportunity at a young age to be a player and the person that I am today. It’s a real good fit.”

And that’s why former players and coaches seem to be drawn back to the HEAT.