I'm sure the past week has been one crazy ride for the newest member of the Miami Heat, Norris Cole. He was drafted and quickly traded to the Heat last Thursday, though nothing was made official until the following day. Since then I'm sure its been a roller coaster ride full of meetings and interviews for Cole, but all that seemingly came to a head on Monday when he finally made it all the way to Miami and was introduced during a press conference at the AAA.
It must have been a surreal feeling for Cole to be sitting at the same press table that he's seen Dwyane Wade and LeBron James speaking from during the NBA Finals just a few weeks ago. Now he got to sit there next to Pat Riley and address the media for what we hope is the first of many times. I have the press conference audio for you with sound bytes from Riley and Cole. All the clips can be found after the jump; just click on the file you'd like to hear and it should open up right in your browser. Enjoy...
Norris Cole- A lockout won't stop me from working this summer
Norris Cole- Are you coming here to start or be a role player?
Norris Cole- Don't underestimate my college conference
Norris Cole- Facilitating vs. shooting the ball
Norris Cole- Have you heard from Clevelanders about playing here?
Norris Cole- How he heard he was drafted
Norris Cole- How was working with Heat coaches today?
Norris Cole- Running a fast offense vs. slowing it down
Pat Riley- (to Cole) Don't let media tell you I sit rookies
Pat Riley- Cole is saying all the right things
Pat Riley- Erik (Spoelstra) and I might lean toward running more
Pat Riley- His intreaction with other players in camp
Pat Riley- Norris will work his tail off this summer
Pat Riley- Summer leagues greatly benefit young players
Pat Riley- What Cole has done with coaches this week
Pat Riley- Will you and Coach Spo look to pick up the pace?
One final thought for those who are wondering...it appears that Cole will wear jersey #30, following in the footsteps of former Heat greats such as Michael Beasley and Earl Barron.