Miami HEAT President and Head Coach Pat Riley announced today that the HEAT has signed free agent Rod Strickland. As per club policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Strickland, a 6'3", 185-pound guard, has appeared in 894 games during his 13-year NBA career which has included stints in New York (1988-90), San Antonio (1990-92), Portland (1992-96, 2001) and Washington (1996-2001). He has averaged 14.5 points, 7.9 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.62 steals and 32.4 minutes while shooting 45.8 percent (4,823-10,540) from the floor and 71.8 percent (3,118-4,343) from the foul line. Strickland, who is one of only seven players in NBA history to score 12,000 points and record 7,000 assists, enters the 2001-02 campaign with 7,026 career assists which ranks eighth on the NBA's all-time list and third among active players. He earned All-NBA Second Team honors during the 1997-98 season after leading the NBA in assists, averaging a career-high 10.5 assists per game. Strickland has ranked among the NBA Top 10 in assists seven times during his career. He has averaged at least 10 points in 11 of his 13 seasons and has averaged more than 5.5 assists in 12 of his 13 seasons.
Last year he split time with the Washington Wizards and the Portland Trail Blazers and averaged 9.2 points, 5.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 0.98 steals and 25.4 minutes in 54 games. He connected on 42.4 percent (182-429) of his field goal attempts and shot a career-high 75.1 percent (130-173) from the free throw line. Strickland posted four double-doubles, all with Washington where he started 28 of the 33 games in which he appeared. He averaged 12.2 points and a team-high 7.0 assists for the Wizards before being waived on Mar. 1. He signed as a free agent with Portland on Mar. 5 and appeared in 21 games with the Blazers where he averaged 4.6 points, 3.4 assists and 16.7 minutes.
In addition to his 894 regular season games, Strickland has appeared in postseason play 10 times. In the postseason he has seen action in 46 games and has averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.13 steals and 33.1 minutes. He has connected on 44.3 percent (264-596) of his field goal attempts and 69.6 percent (133-191) of his free throw attempts.
Strickland, who has recorded six career triple-doubles and was a NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection in 1988-89 with New York, will wear number one with the HEAT.
