Gone Cole’d? A Look at Miami’s PG Struggle
By David Ramil
After exploding for a career-high 23 points in the first game of the season, many assumed Norris Cole was on his way toward becoming a consistent threat at the point guard position.
In the four games since, he’s totaled just 17 points.
His worst game was on Tuesday against the Houston Rockets, a night when Patrick Beverley hounded Cole into an abysmal 0-4 performance. Cole added 3 rebounds and 2 assists but failed to score in 16 forgettable minutes. A comeback was expected on Wednesday, as Norris faced the Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker. The Hornets guard isn’t a particularly strong defender and, moreover, he’d been struggling to score in this young season.
Of course, he’d manage to notch 18 points (on 5-of-6 shooting) while Cole’s final line of 2 points (1-of-6), 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 22 minutes hardly qualifies as a comeback.
But a closer inspection of Norris’ play shows that his performance wasn’t as bad as you might think, nor was he responsible for Walker’s offensive surge. Play-by-play, here’s a look at Cole’s impact (or lack thereof) on Wednesday’s game.
1st Quarter
10:50 Cole has the ball and gets past walker but is met at the rim by Al Jefferson. Jefferson slides off guarding Chris Bosh and Cole, while curling away from the basket, hits CB with a good pass that is bobbled and leads to a turnover.
10:21 Cole swings a pass to Shawne Williams in the corner for an open 3-pointer, completing his only assist of the game. Miami is up 3-2.
9:17 Cole rushes a jumper from 18-feet out on a 3-on-3 fast break. It looked like he was trying to get himself going but the missed shot is quickly rebounded and brought up the floor, leading to defensive mismatches and an easy Hornets basket.
7:05 Cole grabs a defensive rebound and grabs another at the 6:35 mark; he was positioned well and has guarded Walker admirably up to this point.
6:20 Cole cuts to the hoop and puts up a running floater that rims out and Miami is down 8-6
4:37 Norris takes a wide-open corner 3 with the Heat down, 11-9.
4:12 Mario Chalmers comes in for Dwyane Wade.
3:39 Cole grabs another defensive rebound; he’s still active and contributing.
3:00 With Wade out, it seems obvious that getting Bosh going is a priority. Cole feeds him the ball with CB in the low post but is stripped by Charlotte spark plug Cody Zeller. A fast break is ignited and Walker is ahead of the pack (and Cole) for an easy layup that puts the Hornets up 18-11
In two ensuing plays, teammates ignored a wide-open Cole. Luol Deng drove the lane but did not see Norris on the wing. On the next play, Bosh drove against Zeller (likely thinking mismatch) while Cole was free in the corner.
2:16 A screen-and-roll with Zeller and Walker works well, with Bosh and Cole sticking with Walker and leaving Zeller open for a 19-foot jumper. Normally, it’s a good decision but Zeller was feeling it.
1:35 Bosh has the ball at the shoulder and looks ready to attack Zeller. Cole, in the corner, moves away to leave Bosh isolated. P.J. Hairston sheds away from Deng for a second and bumps Cole but it’s long enough for Walker to double-team CB. He strips the ball after Zeller holds his ground against Bosh.
1:30 Seconds after the steal, Walker scores on the fast break, “guarded” by Chalmers.
1:12 Cole puts up another floater over Walker that rims out. Justin Hamilton tips it in but Miami is now down 22-15. The score is 22-17 when the quarter ends, and Shabazz Napier is inserted for Cole, who won’t play again until the third quarter.
3rd Quarter
11:40 Down 46-44 to start the second half, Cole catches a pass at the wing and launches an open, deep 3-pointer that (again) rims out
10:00 Cole gets called for a cheap foul when Walker, defended well by Norris, has to get rid of the ball and hops in the air to make the pass. Cole aggressively puts a hand in his face and may or may not have made contact. The referee was on the spot so you give him the benefit of the doubt, but it looked like a weak call. It’s Cole’s 1st foul of the game.
7:43 Cole attacks quickly before Charlotte’s defense can settle in (following a miss from Lance Stephenson at the other end) and scores his only basket of the game. Miami is up 55-54.
7:19 Chalmers comes in for Deng this time, an a 3-guard lineup (Wade, Mario and Norris) is on the floor
6:18 Cole does an excellent job of deflecting a Walker pass to Jefferson but the ball bounces to the big man and he draws quickly draws a foul on Williams.
5:56 Wade loses the ball at the 6-minute mark and Walker snatches it and quickly shoots up the floor. Cole (impressively) catches him and wraps him up to prevent an easy layup. It’s Norris’ 2nd foul and Walker hits both free throws.
1:59 Cole is removed from the game and does not return. On the previous two possessions, Deng missed a 3-point attempt and was blocked by Hairston (after the rookie had hit a 3-pointer). Hamilton “fouled” Zeller and the Hornets were in the midst of a 6-0 run but the game felt like it could get out of hand quickly. Napier replaces Cole.
Bottom line, it wasn’t a bad game by Cole. Walker’s scoring wasn’t his fault for the most part (his 2 3-pointers came against Napier) and his on-ball defense was, as always, spectacular. If only three of his shots had fallen instead of rimming out, this would have been a very different game; not in terms of production but potentially shifting momentum in Miami’s favor.
Many will look to Napier’s role during a failed Miami comeback that brought the Heat within 3 after being down as much as 14 as evidence that the rookie should be getting Cole’s minutes as a starter. It’s a rush to judgement and one that dismisses Cole’s many contributions over his 3-year career. You can’t understate how much his impending restricted free agency plays a part in determining how much time he spends on the floor.
Unfortunately, things likely won’t get much better on Saturday, when the Heat faces the Minnesota Timberwolves and defensive ace, Ricky Rubio. If Cole is determined to prove his worth – as a starter, trade chip, or free agent – that matchup is as good a test as any.