Norris Cole: The Right Pick

Photo Credit: richbindians on Flickr

As I was watching the NBA Draft last Thursday night I didn't expect the Heat to do anything flashy. I expected them to probably pick a solid point guard that might see the court next year, such as a Darius Morris or maybe get a project big man like Keith Benson. When I saw that the Heat traded up to get Cole, I was shocked. This pick shows that Riley believes in Dexter Pittman as his big man for the future or that he knows he can get a center in Free Agency (perhaps Samuel Dalambert). I can't remember the last time the Heat traded up for their own benefit. Pat Riley never really has been a draft guru by any means, but this shows he definitely likes Cole's skill set and was impressed by his workout. Riley said at the introductory press conference, “We feel very good about his skill set and what he can bring to our team.”

What he can bring to the Heat is speed. Cole averaged nearly 22 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds a game this past season. He showed his talent and how he plans to bring it to South Beach in his 41 point, 20 rebound, 9 assist performance against Youngstown State last season. People may be skeptical about his competition in the Horizon League, but as Cole put it, “I feel Basketball is basketball, the Horizon league has great teams that you may not know and there is good guard play so every night I was going up against a good match-up.” The only gripe I have about this guy is why lose the high top?

I think it would be beneficial if the Heat were to change to an uptempo style of offense. It is already deadly when Wade and LeBron run in transition together; it is pretty much guaranteed that an easy two points will come out of it. Now if you add Cole to the mix, it brings a whole new dimension. He can either give it to Wade or LeBron or he can take it himself. This leads to the transition game being unstoppable. Now of course this all depends on Cole and his ability to grasp what the Heat want from him and learn all the nuances of the system, but I believe that Cole can be a solid contributor by the All-Star break. The pending lockout might hinder his progress, but Cole is going to work this off-season. He said, “I am going to make sure I get better, I am not going to be laying around. I am going to be in the gym working.”