Two immediate needs: Daequan Cook, rebounds

Heat opponents took note of Daequan Cook winning the three-point contest at All-Star weekend. They stick to him like glue. He’s 4-for-14 from the field in the three games since the All-Star break. He’s 2-for-9 on three-pointers. The days of open shots are gone for now.

Coach Erik Spoelstra thinks Cook needs to focus on his overall game and his three-point shooting will follow.

“He’s going to have to work harder to make an impact on the game, and it doesn’t have to be shooting,” Spoelstra said. “He can make an impact without scoring. He’s been consistently one of our better defenders and he needs to get back to making an impact right away with his energy. If you do that using the karma of the game you’ll find open spots to make shots, or make a play, or make an extra pass for somebody else.”

As for the rebounding problems, the Heat ranks 28th in the 30-team league at 39 rebounds per game. Miami was out-rebounded by Minnesota, 49-24, and by Orlando, 53-28. Jermaine O’Neal should help. Losing Shawn Marion (8.7 rebounds per game) hurts.

The bigger issue, however, is the Heat gets very little rebounding off the bench aside from Michael Beasley’s 5.1 per game.

“The rebounding is definitely a concern,” Spoelstra said. The Palm Beach Post