Starting your NBA career with two NBA titles seems like a dream scenario. For former Cleveland State and now New Orleans Pelicans guard Norris Cole, it had to feel like it. After originally being drafted by the Chicago Bulls, he was traded twice, first to one of the NBA’s bottom dwellers in the Minnesota Timberwolves, and then to one of the NBA’s biggest threats for a title in the Miami Heat. With Miami’s biggest weakness on the team being at point guard, Norris Cole was given an opportunity to show what he could do behind Mario Chalmers.
In his first year there, he played in 65 games and averaged over 19 minutes a game. His shooting numbers were low and his defense was very shaky, however he had a role on what ended up being an NBA championship team in his rookie season. In the next season, Cole improved both his outside shooting and shooting overall pretty significantly as the Heat once again found themselves atop the NBA world for their second straight championship. His third season saw minor drops in overall average but increase in productivity, as he did not miss a single game of the regular season. It had seemed that Norris Cole found himself a real home.
Unfortunately for Cole, the Miami Heat did not have the same idea. With the departure of LeBron James in the offseason, things seemed to change for the Miami Heat. And once Chris Bosh went down with an injury that cost him the season, the outlook overall changed greatly in Miami. The Heat looked at options outside the organization, finding Luol Deng to try to build a new culture post-Lebron.
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Norris Cole had to think he was a part of that….until the Goran Dragic trade happened. At the NBA Trade Deadline, the Heat found a way to acquire Goran Dragic from the Phoenix Suns in a trade. That means since Dragic was a point guard that either Chalmers or Cole would be sent packing. It would be Cole, and it would be to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans had found an answer to a jarring question mark at the backup point guard position that had plagued them all season. Failed project after failed project such as Jimmer Fredette, Gal Mekel and Nate Wolters did not suffice for what the Pelicans had needed off the bench. Cole arrived after three and a half years and two championships in Miami, and suddenly found himself on a team that was still building pieces towards being a fringe-contender. The playoff hopes looked somewhat meek and the team needed some help.
The second half of the year for Norris in New Orleans was brilliant. Cole set career highs for three-point percentage and field-goal percentage along with scoring in just 28 games during the regular season. His role being a scorer on a bench that failed to find much consistent scoring at all helped mask on of the Pelicans biggest issues all year. His experience in high intensity moments like the NBA Finals was not a trait any of the Pelicans players had prior to the season, bringing a whole new kind of benefit to the acquisition. The expectation was that Cole would be auditioning for an NBA job through his games in New Orleans. He set a pretty good standard for what NBA teams should expect.
This offseason, however, may not be what Norris would’ve expected. Many teams have already used their cap space for point guards on other players. The market has been near non-existent for Cole. There have been rumors about teams inquiring, but many of those teams have gone with different options. The hope to find a team willing to give Norris Cole a long-term deal seems to have long passed. The likelihood will be Cole signing a one-year deal this offseason with New Orleans and repeating what he did last year. Playing as hard and strong as he can to get an NBA team willing to give him a long-term contract.
His time in New Orleans has already been so rewarding for players and fans alike. The Pelicans made the playoffs in a tight race that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. A lot of promise was shown in their first round series against the Warriors, with Cole playing a big part in that series with Jrue Holiday’s nagging injury. It seems like the Pelicans are willing to welcome back Cole with open arms after his stellar performance last year. As they should. He’s a talented young player who has potential to be a key role player on a contending team, something he already did in Miami. Whether it will be in New Orleans will be a question for later on.
It could end up being New Orleans. It could end up being in another division or another conference. Nobody is really sure who it will be. However, you can expect Cole to come out this season with a heavy motivation to play extraordinarily well in hopes to earn a home in the NBA for quite some time. It’s every NBA player’s dream to find a place they can call “home.” It’s something Cole had at a young age in Miami, and now it will be something he will have to pursue once again after this season in New Orleans.
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