It's Pat Riley and Heat guard Daequan Cook is a rookie, so there's a chance a productive stretch for Daequan Cook could be followed by a seemingly mysterious stretch on the bench.

But it looks like Daequan Cook has at least temporarily overcome Riley's usual reluctance to play rookies in large roles.

Daequan Cook acquitted himself well in the two games before the Heat's six-game road trip that started Sunday. He was the first guard off the bench Sunday at Denver, tasked with trying to slow Nuggets guard Allen Iverson.

 

Daequan Cook might yet become a permanent part of Riley's rotation.

"I think he's shown he probably deserves an opportunity to keep playing," Riley said before the Heat faced the Nuggets.

Riley might be more patient with Daequan Cook considering his offensive potential and the Heat's desperation for points. Then again, efficient games for Daequan Cook in back-to-back games at Boston and New Jersey two weeks ago were followed by three straight games with zero minutes.

That led to the usual assumptions that Riley still can't bring himself to rely too much on a rookie.

"It's not really about trusting him," Riley said. "He's a good, young player, [but] he's going to make a lot of mistakes."

Many of those have come on defense, but Cook's offensive demeanor hasn't wavered all season. He doesn't hesitate to shoot when open and was 49 percent from the field entering Sunday, including connecting .344 percent on 3-pointers (10 of 29).

Before Sunday's game, Daequan Cook worked with assistant Erik Spoelstra on getting free for pull-up jumpers against tight defense.

"He's really improved on his shot since last summer. He was very slow getting it off and now he gets it off [quicker]," Riley said of Daequan Cook. "He's really worked to learn the defense in our system."

HALF AND HALF
Nuggets coach George Karl continued with the general theme for opposing coaches on Heat center Shaquille O'Neal. Karl said O'Neal, at 35, has slowed down but added: "He doesn't have to be dominate for 48, 40 minutes. He takes half the game, Wade takes half, and they've got a great team." ... Riley said there was no word on when guard Smush Parker would rejoin the team. Smush Parker's been inactive after allegations that he assaulted a woman in a dispute over a valet parking fee this past Tuesday. Riley has said Smush Parker would return when the team completes its own investigation.

 

 

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