During the preseason, it didn't appear Quentin Richardson did anything particularly impressive to be the starter at small forward.

But through his first five games, Richardson was drawing rave reviews, not just from his teammates and coaches, but also from the opposition.

``The guy that's surprising me is Richardson,'' Nuggets coach George Karl said. ``I think he's having a scary year. Shooting over 50 percent from [three-point range], has the defensive maturity and rebounding maturity to him that I don't remember in his past years. He just seems like he's kind of recommitted, regrouped.''

Richardson hit nine three-pointers in two games entering Friday's game, putting him at 52.2 percent for the year. He also finds himself defending the opposition's best player in key spots. Richardson has shown a knack for drawing charges -- a skill that is highly coveted in the Heat organization.

``When we saw Quentin after a week of camp, it was almost like this is where he was supposed to be,'' Erik Spoelstra said. ``His type of mentality and the way he competes and, again, his disposition, those are qualities of a Miami Heat player that we like.''

COOK SITS OUT

Daequan Cook (sore right shoulder) worked out in the Heat's practice facility hours before Friday's game, but Spoelstra said he decided to sit him one more game.

``If you just walked in the gym and saw him doing that workout, you'd probably think he could play,'' Spoelstra said. ``But we'll get him in a full-contact practice before [he plays].''

The Heat has three days off, and probably two full practices, before returning to the floor against the Wizards on Tuesday.

NOT A SIGN

Spoelstra said Michael Beasley being on the bench at the end of games recently doesn't necessarily mean he won't finish games in the future.

``It's early,'' Spoelstra said. ``I like many things that Mike has done so far, but to be more specific, I like some of the defensive things and the rebounding numbers that he didn't necessarily do last year. I'm not judging him, or putting things in cement right now. To me . . . this is part of a young player's development. And, ultimately, it's about winning games.''

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