Miami Heat rookie point guard Norris Cole will now have a role in All-Star Weekend, due to a late twist in the NBA's Rising Stars game roster selection. The selection process consisted of TNT's Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal picking from 18 sophomores and rookies. But, in a late turn, the neutral Kenny Smith added Jeremy Lin - the number one story heading into the break. To balance things out, Smith added Cole to make the numbers even.
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The final teams shook out as follows:
Team Chuck: Wall, Irving, Cousins, George, Williams, Brooks, Hayward, Splitter,Leonard, Turner
Team Shaq: Griffin, Lin, Rubio, Monroe, Morris, Walker, Fields, Cole, Knight, Thompson
Cole joins five other Heat players participating in the weekend, with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in the game with James Jones and Mario Chalmers participating in the three-point contest.
For more on the Heat, head over to our Miami blog Peninsula is Mightier. Our Orlando Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post will have more on the entire weekend.