Miami Heat: The Norris Cole Dilemma
During the Miami Heat’s season opener, point guard Norris Cole made his first appearance as the designated starter in the NBA. It’s something he had been dreaming of pretty much from the moment he started playing basketball, and he had to wait an additional three years as a backup to achieve it.
When the opportunity finally presented itself, boy did he grab it. He finished the game with a career-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting in just under 28 minutes against All-Star John Wall and his Washington Wizards.
Afterwards, he downplayed the performance saying: “It’s just one game. We wanted to come out and be aggressive…
“I set out to be consistent, play well and take what they give me,” he added. “I was able to get to certain spots, spots that I practice every day, spots that we practice as a team every day coming off pick-and-rolls and making the right read and the right read was to, you know, make the shot.
“Sometimes it might be to hit the guys on the pocket pass or get off the ball, but tonight it was open so take the shot and be aggressive.”
While Cole continues to be modest and not make a big deal of his big game (by the way, kudos to him for that), his representatives — i.e. his agent — may not have the same attitude. The fourth-year guard is now in his contract year and no doubt his camp will be looking to capitalize on his newly acquired role and performance when trying to negotiate an extension with Miami.
The Heat do have the option of securing up Norris’ services for the next couple of years or so. However they do face a race against time with the deadline being on Halloween and all.
Pros & Cons of resigning Norris Cole now
The upside to getting a deal in place now could be that Cole continues producing at a high level, while the Heat carry on paying him a relatively modest sum — just north of $2 million this season. As such, they would save up for the future as well as sace themselves the hassle of fending off bids during the summer, should he play well this season.
On the other hand, should the opening night outburst prove to be a fluke and they resign him for the long haul, it could make it a lot more difficult to move him down the line — especially if the team overpay for his services — thus affecting the Heat’s flexibility when it comes to signing free agents in the potentially stacked 2016 summer.
Furthermore, Miami already has Mario Chalmers and the Shabazz Napier Is Starting To Impress” href=”http://hoopshabit.com/2014/10/20/miami-heat-shabazz-napier-starting-impress/” target=”_blank”>promising Shabazz Napier under contract for the foreseeable future; Chalmers is under contract until 2016 and Napier could be there until 2018.
Pros & Cons of waiting until the summer
Should they fail to reach an agreement, the Miami Heat would still have first dibs since Cole would be a restricted free agent and the Heat need only offer a $3 million qualifying offer — or match any money he is offered elsewhere.
If he fails to maintain the high standard he has set at this moment in time, the Heat could simply wave goodbye without putting large sums of money on the line. Should he manage to play big time basketball, though, then it’s almost impossible to envision a scenario where Miami retain him for a cut price. Teams will flock in, and the front office will either have to put up or cut their losses and move on.
Ultimately, all this is contingent upon how much wiggle room each party is willing to give. Cole’s representatives will surely be looking for a big pay (whether he warrants it or not is a debate for another day), while the Heat will be looking to keep costs at a minimum.
And to anyone looking for any indications as to the mind-set of either party: Good luck.
“Of course I’m aware of it,” Cole said of the Oct. 31 deadline. “But I’ve never been one to worry about stuff like that. I always know that if I do what I’m supposed to do, things are going to be the way they’re supposed to be.
“I only can control what I can control, and that’s being professional and making sure my play on the court is the best it can be, and everything else I’m sure will take care of itself.”
“I think that we’re going to make the right decision, absolutely,” was the extent that Heat President Pat Riley would go earlier in the preseason. “I’m not going to tell you right now, but I think we’ll make the right decision.”
*Through three seasons in the NBA, Norris Cole has averaged 6.3 points, 2.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game, while shooting 41 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point range. He also made 12 appearances in the starting lineup prior to this season.