Norris Cole Proves That It Only Takes One Game to Build Hype

There will always be sports fans who want to pull the trigger before the time is right. Norris Cole proved that on December 27.

On that day, Cole came off the bench against the Boston Celtics. Thanks to an explosive fourth quarter, Cole managed to end the game with 20 points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals. That performance was enough to earn him the "future legend" tag from a handful of people.

Of course, those people are unable to look at the bigger picture. In the first game against the Dallas Mavericks, Cole struggled. He didn't have a single assist, committed four turnovers and only made three of eight shots taken.

Cole also came back down to earth after his big performance against the Celtics (shot 25 percent and scored just five points).

Cole has only played three games in his NBA career. That's a little too soon to project how great he will be.

Considering how hard he works, Cole has every chance in the world to become a great player. He deserves it. With the Miami Heat, he's in a situation where there isn't a lot of pressure on him since the defensive focus will always be on Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. It would be foolish to bet against him.

However, it's also foolish to bet on his greatness after just one brilliant performance.

Some fans simply aren't patient. They deemed Yao Ming a bust before his first season even concluded (would have been one of the greatest had injuries not slowed him down).

They also thought that Harold Miner was going to reach super stardom.

A career is more than one game or one moment.