5. Bimbo Coles
After being taken No. 40 overall by the Sacramento Kings, Bimbo Coles was traded to Miami (for veteran point guard Rory Sparrow), where he played the next 5.5 years from 1990 to 1996. During the ’95-’96 season, Coles was traded mid-season to the Warriors. Coles, though five on this list, was not the top point guard on the depth chart until 1994. His first two seasons were spent backing up Sherman Douglas (more on him later), who was traded for another point guard Brian Shaw. For the next two years Shaw would get most of the starts. However in the summer of ’94 the Heat let Shaw leave in free agency. Cole’s patience paid off, becoming the starting point guard for the next 1.5 seasons before being traded to the Warriors for Tim Hardaway (he’s coming up too). He bounced around for a few more years before eventually ending his career in Miami in 2004 as a reserve.
Coles always seemed to be around, though the Heat tried to constantly upgrade the position while he was there. However, his time invested allowed him to become the Heat’s all-time leader in assists (a mark that would later be broken by four other players). Still, Coles managed to average at least 10 points per game in three of his first 5.5 seasons. He was having his best year, averaging 12.8 points and 5.7 assists per game in ’95 before being traded for Hardaway. His best years were in Miami, as he would never crack 10 points or five assists per game again during his 15-year career.
Coles played more games with the Heat than any other point guard on this list except one, and he is rewarded for his time spent with the No. 5 ranking on this list, as well as a place on multiple all-time Heat leaderboards including games (8th), minutes played (10th), assists (5th) and steals (9th).
Next: White Chocolate