23-year old point guard Norris Cole is off to a great start to his rookie season for the Heat.  He has played in 10 games (0 starts) so far this year for the Heat and he is averaging 23.2 minutes, 10.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Cole is already pushing Mario Chalmers for P.T. at point guard.  24-year old undrafted shooting guard Terrel Harris has also played decent basketball when called upon.  Harris has played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Heat so far this year and he is averaging 15.2 minutes, 5.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  25-year old center Mickell Gladness has not gotten much of a chance to show what he can do so far this year.  Gladness has played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Heat so far this year and he is averaging 4.3 minutes, 0.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

The Heat have to be ecstatic about the play of their point guards so far this year.  25-year old Mario Chalmers has played in 3 games (all starts) for the Heat so far this year and he is averaging 25.0 minutes, 7.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game.  23-year old rookie Norris Cole has been really solid so far for the Heat.  Cole has played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Heat so far this year  and he is averaging 23.0 minutes, 10.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Mario Chalmers better watch behind his back as Norris Cole is already gaining on him.

23-year old center Dexter Pittman is a big man at 6’11″, 308 pounds.  He only got to play in 2 games (0 starts) for the Heat this year and he averaged 5.5 minutes, 1.0 point and 1.5 rebounds per game.  He also played in 22 games (all starts) with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBDL and he averaged 27.7 minutes, 14.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game.  I have a feeling that Pittman might have a small role off the bench for the Heat in 2011-12.

Forward Michael Beasley and guard Mario Chalmers are both already starting for the Heat and that will likely continue all season long if they play well. Beasley has played in all 14 games for the Heat this season and he is averaging 30.0 minutes, 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. As he gains confidence in his game look for his numbers to improve. Chalmers has played in 14 games for the Heat and he is averaging 29.9 minutes, 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Chalmers is a unselfish player as he’s a pass first point guard who excels on the defensive side of the basketball court.

The Heat had to play their rookies a lot of minutes, especially at the end of the season, due to injuries to a lot of key players. Daequan Cook was the first round pick of the Heat and he had a decent showing as a rookie. Cook played in 59 games (19 starts) this season for the Heat and he averaged 24.4 minutes, 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. But, not all was good for Cook as he only shot 38.1% from the floor and he needs to improve on that if he wants to see an increase in playing time in the future.

F/C Joel Anthony proved that he belonged late in the season when he finally got a chance to play. He played in 24 games (1 start) for the Heat this season and he averaged 20.8 minutes, 3.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.1 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Anthony likely won a job for next season as a backup based on his play late in the year.

Forward Kasib Powell also got a lot of playing time at the end of the season and he looked decent despite only shooting 36.8% from the floor. Powell played in 11 games (4 starts) for the Heat this season and he averaged 27.6 minutes, 7.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He will have a good shot of making the Heat next season.

Forward Stephane Lasme came to the Heat late in the season and he appears to be a skilled player. He played in 15 games (4 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 20.2 minutes, 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Lasme played in 16 games (4 starts) with the Warriors & Heat last season and he averaged 18.9 minutes, 5.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Lasme will have a shot to make the Heat next season based on his play late in the season for the Heat.

Point guard Blake Ahearn didn’t look too good for the Heat last season as he only shot 26.3% from the floor. He played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 14.8 minutes, 5.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He will have an uphill climb to stay in the NBA until he starts shooting better.

The Miami Heat’s season is lost so why not let the kids play and see what they have? Part of the reason is that Pat Riley wants to win every game he can as this team was built by him. Daequan Cook is having a decent rookie season. He has played in 38 games (2 starts) this season for the Heat and he is averaging 19.5 minutes, 7.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He hasn’t shot well however as he is hitting 38.1% of his shots from the floor and 90.2% of his shots from the free throw line. Reserve forward Joel Anthony has played in only 4 games and he’s averaging 7.8 minutes and 0.8 rebounds per game. He has yet to score in the NBA.

Daequan Cook has been a beacon of light in the horrible season the Heat have had to this point. He has played in 20 games so far this season and he is averaging 19.0 minutes, 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He is shooting 42.9% from the floor, 29% from three point range and 94.1% from the free throw line. Cook will likely see more playing time in the near future as long as he keeps playing well.

Quinn played in 42 games for the Miami Heat this season and he averaged 9.7 minutes, 3.4 points, 0.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  He only shot 36.6% from the floor and 35.1% from three-point range.  It will be interesting to see if the Heat move Quinn up on the depth chart to replace Gary Payton or if the Heat will sign a free-agent or draft a player to back up Jason Williams next season.

The Heat only have one rookie left after cutting Robert Hite to make room for Eddie Jones on the roster.  Quinn undoubtedly will be the 12th man on the Heat roster.  He’s the third string point guard and rarely gets to play.  He’s played in 25 games and is averaging 7.5 minutes, 2.3 points, 0.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists.  He had a reputation of being a good shooter but he’s not showing that in the NBA.  Quinn is only hitting 31.3% from the floor and only 24.1% from three point range.

The Heat is a veteran team that doesn’t have much playing time available to rookies.  Chris Quinn has played in 8 games and has averaged 5.8 minutes, 1.6 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game so far this season.  He’s also shooting like the basket has a lid on it as he has only made 29.4% of his shots from the floor.

Robert Hite, a former Miami Hurricane, has played in 5 games and has averaged 8.9 minutes, 2.8 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game so far this season.  He also is shooting alot of bricks as he is only hitting 29.4% of his shots from the floor.