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SG Daequan Cook (Ironi Hai Motors Nes-Ziona - Israel)

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Heat rookie Daequan Cook's offense adds to Pat Riley's recipe
By Michael Cunningham | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 3, 2007

Denver - It's Pat Riley and Heat guard Daequan Cook is a rookie, so there's a chance a productive stretch for Cook could be followed by a seemingly mysterious stretch on the bench.

But it looks like Cook has at least temporarily overcome Riley's usual reluctance to play rookies in large roles.

Cook acquitted himself well in the two games before the Heat's six-game road trip that started Sunday. He was the first guard off the bench Sunday at Denver, tasked with trying to slow Nuggets guard Allen Iverson.

Cook might yet become a permanent part of Riley's rotation.

"I think he's shown he probably deserves an opportunity to keep playing," Riley said before the Heat faced the Nuggets.
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Heat rookie Daequan Cook's offense adds to Pat Riley's recipe -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
 
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Time to start Cook
By Chris Perkins | Tuesday, December 4, 2007

At 4-13 the Heat should look to the future, which is its next game, and start rookie guard Daequan Cook in a three-guard lineup.

Nothing against veteran forward Penny Hardaway, but he doesn?t shoot the ball and isn?t much of a scoirng threat. Cook is the exact opposite on both counts. Plus, he hustles and is athletic, both things Miami needs.

And even if he makes mistakes it?s largely been because of inexperience and not because he?s lazy or doesn?t give good effort.

Cook won?t solve the free throw shooting problems or make up for all of the blown defensive assignments, and there will definitely be some matchup problems. But he gets you closer to what you want to be, which is a winning team.

Cook needs to start Thursday at Portland.
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Palm Beach Post - News and Classifieds for Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast

Pressure Cook-er
Heat rookie steps into fire; Durant regains top spot
Posted: Monday December 3, 2007


Imagine (OK, dream) for a moment that you're an NBA rookie.

Now picture yourself taking the floor as a teammate with the likes of Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning

OK, nervous yet? Well, it's been an eye-opening experience for Daequan Cook, the Miami rookie out of Ohio State, who just debuted his blog on Slam.

Among the tidbits was this gem: "If you screw up a play, especially a play for Shaq or Dwyane, they'll get mad at you. They look forward to plays getting called for them, especially Shaq. D-Wade can kind of create his own shot if he has to, but Shaq, he gets upset if you mess up on a play for him. He'll joke around with you but he also lets you know that you can't be on the floor if you're going to mess up the team's plays."

No pressure, kid.

So far, though, Cook has played without fear, which is a big reason why he's getting so much playing time in Miami, a rare feat for a rookie on a Pat Riley-coached team. Cook has provided a spark to a squad struggling to find answers, chipping in 10.2 points per game (third among rookies) in only 19.2 minutes.

All while trying not to screw up Shaq's plays.
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SI.com - Writers - Drew Packham: Durant regains top spot in Rookie Rankings - Monday December 3, 2007 6:09PM
 
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Cook giving Heat a 'lift'
Posted on Sat, Dec. 08, 2007
Same old tired result for Heat

OAKLAND -- Heat guard Daequan Cook isn't a candidate for a starting job, but coach Pat Riley said his confidence in the rookie first-round draft pick could lead to a more regular role in the rotation.

''He's great coming off the bench and gives us a real lift,'' Riley said. ``He can play long minutes. I'm not going to talk about the lineups. We've been changing the lineups all the time. But he can play.''

Cook has put together an impressive stretch of games on the team's six-game Western Conference trip. He entered Friday's game having scored in double figures in three consecutive games, including a career-high 20 off the bench Thursday at Portland.

Cook averaged 14 points on 53.3 percent shooting from the field during the first three games of the trip, which wraps up with games Sunday against the Clippers and Monday against the Suns.

''I'm feeling better and better each game,'' Cook said. ``Coach has the confidence to put me out there in tough situations. I'm a great offensive threat.''
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Cook giving Heat a 'lift' - 12/08/2007 - MiamiHerald.com
 
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Cook Makes Most Of Shot

By: Wendell Maxey
Last Updated: 12/9/07

Back on draft night Daequan Cook had to wait his turn and wait his turn and wait his turn but my how times have changed.
Cook sat patiently by at Madison Square Garden in late June as two of his Ohio State Buckeye teammates got the chance to shake David Stern's hand before he eventually did. That was Greg Oden and Mike Conley's night in many ways but now it is Cook's time to one up them.

While Oden sits out the season in Portland with microfracture surgery and Conley is out indefinitely with a tear in his right shoulder for Memphis, it's the former 21st overall pick who is healthy and playing headstrong for the Miami Heat.

"He's a very confident guy," Dwyane Wade said of the rookie guard. "You know, at Ohio State they had a very good year and had some great young talent. He's always ready to prove he should have been a little more than what people thought of him."

Now after Miami's "abysmal" 4-15 start to the season, Cook is proving he is one of the few bright spots lost between the questions regarding Wade's health and Shaq's fading age. And although the Heat are backcourt heavy with guards Jason Williams and Ricky Davis, Cook gives Riley an added dimension to go small and score when Shaq gets into foul trouble (as he did in a recent loss to Portland) or when Wade faces double-teams (as he has done all season).

"He's great," Riley said of Cook's play of late. "He's great coming off the bench and gives us a real lift and can play long minutes."

So far this season, Cook is averaging 10.7 points with 2.5 rebounds per game in about 21 minutes a night. Those aren't exactly Kevin Durant numbers but they are solid enough to make him second among all rookies in scoring. He's scored double-digits seven out of the twelve games he's appeared in and still doesn't have a start to show for it.
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HOOPSWORLD | NBA News, Rumors and Information
 
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Injuries leaving Riley few options at point guard
By Ira Winderman | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 23, 2007

Chris Quinn is out for a week.

Smush Parker is out forever.
And the last man standing, Jason Williams, missed time last week with a hyper-extended knee.

So is there a point guard in the house?

Heat coach Pat Riley said he hopes rookie Daequan Cook can provide an answer to the team's diminishing inventory at the position.

"Daequan's going to be handling some of the point at times," Riley said before Saturday's home game against the Jazz.

Cook, who spent time at the point during his lone season at Ohio State, welcomes the opportunity.

"I'm very comfortable there," said Cook, who nonetheless entered at shooting guard in Saturday's first quarter. "There have been times, not just on this level, but in college, also in high school, I was a point guard."

While it is not a natural position for the 6-foot-5 shooter, Cook said he upgraded his handle by working out before last June's draft with fellow Ohio State guard Mike Conley Jr.
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Injuries leaving Riley few options at point guard -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
 
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I remember Cook getting some garbage time at the point in at least one blowout last year. He looked very uncomfortable, turned the ball over once, and didn't really run the offense, just pounded the ball at the top of the key. I don't even remember which game it was, but Coach took him out after only a few possessions and let the scrubs finish the game.
 
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Heat's Cook feeling ready
Posted on Thu, Dec. 27, 2007

PHILADELPHIA -- COOK FRESH

If a rookie wall exists, Heat guard Daequan Cook isn't aware of it. Cook's role continued to expand when he moved from shooting guard to point guard for stretches against the Sixers.

Cook played in his 20th NBA game Wednesday. He played in 39 games in his lone season at Ohio State. But Cook said the grind of an 82-game NBA schedule hasn't worn him down just yet.

On Wednesday, he faced the team that selected him No. 21 overall in June's draft. The Heat, which chose center Jason Smith with the No. 20 pick, then swapped selections with the Sixers the night of the draft.

Cook is averaging 8.6 points in 18.2 minutes a game this season. Smith is averaging 4.9 points in 13.3 minutes a game for the Sixers.

''I'm always focused and I don't think I'm going to hit a wall,'' Cook said. ``That's just a term I think people use when they expect negative things to happen.''
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Heat's Cook feeling ready - 12/27/2007 - MiamiHerald.com
 
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Cook is having another great game for the Heat. It was obvious watching his style of play at OSU that his game was better suited for the NBA.

Shots that are considered terrible and selfish at the college level are the norm in the NBA. Daquan does a great job of elevating above his defenders and shooting off the dribble with guys in his pocket.

The college game is just more suited for movement of the ball and running offenses until a great shot is presented. This is also the reason college basketball is significantly more enjoyable than the NBA but I digress.
 
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billmac91;1050489; said:
Cook is having another great game for the Heat. It was obvious watching his style of play at OSU that his game was better suited for the NBA.

Shots that are considered terrible and selfish at the college level are the norm in the NBA. Daquan does a great job of elevating above his defenders and shooting off the dribble with guys in his pocket.

The college game is just more suited for movement of the ball and running offenses until a great shot is presented. This is also the reason college basketball is significantly more enjoyable than the NBA but I digress.
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Imo great and well executed college ball(especially mid way in conf play through march) is a tad more enjoyable than the NBA. College passion coupled with the tournament puts it over the top,however a great playoff series can be just as good as march madness(which is hit or miss most years imo) Right now though, I'd probably watch Boston vs Detroit over almost any college game. It's painful watching a team like Illinois ineptly attempting to score passing the ball around the perimeter high school style.

Good point about quan's offensive style,but imo it was his defense or lack thereof that pulled him down in favor of the more hungry David Lighty. I really don't see it as an nba vs college style of play type thing. I see lots of players with Cook's style in college programs with an nba bombs away type philosophy. I just saw it as a situation where Coach Matta had the luxury of using an excellent defender in Lighty over Cook down the stretch when they needeed to stop guys in crucial games.

It's not that suprising to see him playing well. He did manage to get Big Ten Six Man of the year after all.:) With the number of games/injuries in the NBA it's easy for a coach like Riley to give a rookie valuable experience. Conversely,from conference play on just about every game is super important in the NCAA. Especially with a 30+ win team like last year, you can really see why Matta went with Lighty more down the stretch.

Daequan is a lock to be in the rookie vs soph all star game with his play. His first year has me very interested to see how Kosta will do his rookie year(whenever that may be of course:osu:)
 
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BACKCOURT REUNION

Rookie guards Daequan Cook and Mike Conley had a reunion of sorts Sunday, facing one another for the first time since their battles in practice as Ohio State teammates.

Cook started at shooting guard for the Heat and finished with nine points, five rebounds and two assists. Conley started at point guard for the Grizzlies and closed with 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

''We've talked about this and have looked forward to this since college,'' Cook said. ``Our games have gotten a lot better since then.''

Said Conley: ``It was fun. I couldn't help but to talk trash to him.''
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OFF THE BENCH - 01/07/2008 - MiamiHerald.com
 
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