Not saying the guy is going to be the next CP3 but anyone who knows basketball can easily tell this kid really has some potential... Don't take my word for it though, read the article yourself.
Can't wait to see how this kid develops.
By ETHAN J. SKOLNICK
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 11:00 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011
Posted: 10:42 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011
MIAMI — Erik Spoelstra opened the open scrimmage with a wide smile, and a hearty welcome back to the season-ticket holders who filled much of the lower bowl.
"It's been too long," Spoelstra said Thursday. "Feels great."
Then, for the next two hours, Heat fans cheered some old friends.
And a new spark.
Yes, LeBron James unveiled his improved post game, diving down to the block on the second possession, before uncoiling into a turnaround jumper. Yes, Dwyane Wade showed he still has spring in his legs, taking a James pass, switching hands and slamming over Dexter Pittman. Yes, Chris Bosh showed off his three-point stroke as a trailer on the break, something Spoelstra asked him to emphasize in the off-season.
But, no, this night didn't belong to any of them.
It belonged to the kid who calls himself "No No."
That is rookie Norris Cole.
That, my friends, is a point guard.
"You can't teach what he has," Wade said. "He's very aggressive. He's smart, he picks up things very easy. He's going to be great coming off the bench behind Rio (Mario Chalmers)."
For now, anyway.
Spoelstra stood by Chalmers as a starter after Cole's public Heat debut, one in which the Cleveland State graduate scored 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting, while Chalmers scored nine points on 2-of-8 inaccuracy. Anything else would be a gross overreaction.
Still, to steal and reapply Spoelstra's phrase, "it's been too long" since the Heat had someone who looked like a spark plug, floor-leader point guard.
Someone who did the things that Cole did Thursday night, in his first game on the AmericanAirlines Arena court since the 2009 NCAA regionals, when his Cleveland State Vikings beat Wake Forest before falling to Arizona.
Someone so fast. Someone who steps assertively into a pull-up jumper. Someone who attacks the rim with his head raised and with both hands. Someone who can throw sublime bounce passes into the tightest spaces, as shown on successive possessions, one in transition for a layup by rookie Terrel Harris, the other in halfcourt, on a wraparound to Bosh to set up a foul.
Someone who scored from inside (layups) and out (a couple of threes).
"Coach just wanted me to go out and play and not think too much," Cole said. "I'm pretty comfortable right now. I haven't been overwhelmed so far."
Again, it's unwise to get overwhelmed by a scrimmage, one in which the teams changed after every quarter, one that Shane Battier (quad), Eddy Curry (hip), Mike Miller (hernia) and Eddie House (knee) all missed, and one that had a running clock in the fourth quarter simply to avoid injury.
Still, the Heat's point guard drought has been long enough that it's tempting to savor something like Cole's 12-foot running teardrop.
Tim Hardaway arrived in 1996, a bit gimpy but still game, and gave the Heat five good seasons. Since his 2001 exit, the Heat hasn't had a prototype quarterback. The limited Travis Best. The troubled Smush Parker. A past-prime Gary Payton. A fossilized Mike Bibby.
Pat Riley got a healthy, solid, restrained season out of Jason Williams, got one good stint (out of two) from Rafer Alston, and got some community buzz with Carlos Arroyo.
Riley also got some mileage out of two conversions, in which he moved collegiate complementary guards to the point.
The first was Wade, in 2003.
"To me, it was tougher, because I had never played the position before," Wade said. "You can tell with Norris, he's played point guard all his life. He gets the ball, he's looking down the court."
Chalmers had a challenging transition, too. He often played off the ball at Kansas, but the Heat had no choice but to start him at point guard as a 2008 rookie. He has not progressed in a straight line since, partly because the spot isn't natural. His most memorable offensive contributions have come as a spot-up shooter, after a more dynamic teammate (such as Wade) draws the defense.
Chalmers remains the guy for now, as Spoelstra tempers expectations for the rookie.
"A lot of things are coming at him right now," Spoelstra said.
But Cole is coming, too. Fast.
