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

[Buckskin86]

Monday, 03.16.09
Miami Heat's Cook gets to root of the problem
By MICHAEL WALLACE
[email protected]

PHILADELPHIA -- A sweet tooth has contributed to a sour situation for Heat guard Daequan Cook, who missed his second game Sunday to recover from dental surgery.

Cook, the Heat's best three-point shooter, sat out Saturday's win against Utah and missed Sunday's game against Philadelphia as he continues treat swelling and pain.

Cook thought he was was going to the dentist Friday to get a filling, but he learned he had an infection in his rear bottom left tooth. Cook is officially listed as day-to-day, but he was not certain Sunday when he would return.

''I don't know how long I'll be out,'' Cook said, with an ice pack wrapped around his jaw before Sunday's game. ``The doctor said if I got just a filling, it would get a lot worse and I'd end up in somebody's emergency room on the trip. It was a root canal -- it turned into something really bad.''

Cook's pregame routine includes gobbling down a bag of Skittles candy before each game, something he has done since high school. The second-year guard from Ohio State said his candy routine might have led to his problems, but doesn't plan to give up candy anytime soon.

''It had a little bit to do with my Skittles,'' said Cook, who has been on a liquid diet. ``That doesn't mean it's going to stop. I'm just going to chew on my right side for now.''

Miami Heat's Cook gets to root of the problem - Basketball - MiamiHerald.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Miami Heat's Daequan Cook hit in face before expected return

The timing couldn't have been worse for recovering Heat shooting guard Daequan Cook.

Moments after coach Erik Spoelstra said Cook would be available for Wednesday's game against the Boston Celtics, Cook caught an inadvertent blow to the face from teammate James Jones during a drill in Tuesday's practice.

Cook missed the past two games after having dental surgery on a bottom-rear left tooth. He was just beginning to get over the swelling and soreness on the left side of his face. The blow from Jones knocked down Cook, where he lay until trainers arrived.

''He hit me right on it,'' Cook said. ``And I went down like in one of those old [Muhammad] Ali fights.''

Cook, who has worn an ice pack on the side of his face the past few days, hopes to be back on his feet by the start of Wednesday night's game. He leads the Heat in three-point shooting and has been a solid defender in his second season.

Spoelstra said the team has missed what Cook brings to the lineup.

''[He's] another piece that understands our defensive concepts, but also spreads the floor,'' Spoelstra said of Cook, who averages 10 points per game off the bench. ``When he's out, we had to go to some other players, which is fine -- but the more consistency, the better we are.''

Miami Heat's Daequan Cook hit in face before expected return - Miami Heat - MiamiHerald.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Miami Heat's Daequan Cook sees playing time cut while slumping
By CHRIS PERKINS
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 26, 2009

CHICAGO ? Daequan Cook, who used to be the Heat's most reliable bench player, practically has fallen out of the Heat's rotation.

In the past three games, Cook has played a total of 26 minutes - six against Detroit, 14 against Memphis and six against Indiana.

Although Cook, a second-year guard from Ohio State, is regarded as an offensive-minded player - he won the three-point contest at All-Star weekend - coach Erik Spoelstra points to his struggles at both ends of the court as the reason Cook's playing time has diminished.

"What I've noticed is he's not quite as disruptive (on defense) as he was before," Spoelstra said. "That was something he did a great job of early in the season, coming in and sparking us immediately with his defensive energy and getting into the ball, playing the other team's best offensive player whether he's a three, two or one (shooting guard, small forward or point guard). He needs to refocus on those things first."

Offensively, things aren't much better for Cook. He's 3-for-17 (.176) on three-pointers in his past five games and 9-for-30 (.300) overall from the field. Spoelstra said the team has worked with Cook on his shot.

"We worked on his balance quite a bit," he said. "When you're not shooting well, that's usually something you look at first."

Cook's minutes have gone to guard Luther Head. It remains to be seen whether Cook regains his playing time.

Miami Heat's Daequan Cook sees playing time cut while slumping

 

[Buckskin86]

on Sunday, 03.29.09 Recommend (0)share email print comment reprint
Miami Heat's Daequan Cook still in slump

BY MICHAEL WALLACE
[email protected]
As second-year Heat guard Daequan Cook works through a long shooting slump, teammate Dwyane Wade offered simple advice.

''Get through it,'' Wade said. ``When he's successful, that's 11 points [a game] off the bench we're missing. I don't know -- as a second-year guy -- if he understands how important he is to this team.''

Cook entered Saturday's game against Milwaukee aiming to emerge from a slump that began after he won the league's three-point shooting contest at the All-Star break.

Cook had not scored in double figures since March 11. He also had gone scoreless in consecutive games entering Saturday for the first time this season. Coach Erik Spoelstra said Cook's defense has not been up to standards, either.

As a result, Cook's playing time had been cut nearly in half from the 20-plus minutes he averaged earlier this season, when he was one of the first off the bench.

''He knows why things changed,'' Spoelstra said. ``Our lineup is fluid. The production he's had since the All-Star [break] is not what it was before.''

Cook, whose scoring average dipped from a season-high 13 points to 9.4 points, is confident his production will pick up.

''I'm always ready -- always got high spirits,'' he said. ``I stay confident, knowing at any time I could be called on and I've got to perform.''

Miami Heat's Daequan Cook still in slump - Miami Heat - MiamiHerald.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Miami Heat's Daequan Cook sidelined
By Ira Winderman | SunSentinel.com
April 7, 2009

MIAMI - The Miami Heat was without reserve guard Daequan Cook for Tuesday night's home game against the New Orleans Hornets at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Cook was held out with a sore right shoulder, with the team trying to determine when on last week's three-game trip the injury was sustained.

The Heat remains without sidelined power forward Udonis Haslem and injured guard Luther Head. Haslem is out with a lacerated right thumb, with Head sidelined with a broken left hand.

Of Cook's injury, coach Erik Spoelstra said, "It really flared up last game and he couldn't go back in the game in the second half. Actually, he pulled himself out in the second quarter.

"He's been on medicine. He's been treating it. It's extremely sore. Yesterday, he could barely lift his arm up above his head and today it didn't get a whole lot better."

Miami Heat's Daequan Cook sidelined against New Orleans Hornets -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Posted on Saturday, 04.11.09
SUNDAY FOCUS
Miami Heat's Daequan Cook growing up fast
Heat guard Daequan Cook, 21, is hardly discouraged by on-court hardships considering the struggles he has had while growing up.
BY SARAH ROTHSCHILD
[email protected]

Heat guard Daequan Cook is averaging 9.2 points in his second NBA season, although he has been hampered recently by a shoulder injury. JOHN VANBEEKUM / STAFF PHOTO

DAEQUAN COOK
Age: 21.
Height/weight: 6-5, 210.
College: Ohio State (one season, 2006-07).

Nickname: Pooh (given by his grandmother because she thought he looked like Winnie the Pooh when he was born); Heat teammates often call him Dae-Dae.

Highlights: 2009 NBA three-point champion; 2007 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year; led Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar High to a state title in 2006; McDonald's All-American, 2006.

How he got to the Heat: Selected with the 21st pick in the 2007 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, and his draft rights were traded to the Heat with the 76ers' 2009 second-round pick for the draft rights to Jason Smith.

How he became obsessed with Skittles: Cook's grandfather would reward him for good behavior with Skittles when he was young, and so did some teachers. ''He used to sleep with Skittles in his mouth. He still does,'' Cook's mother, Renae, said. ``If you ever see my son standing there and see his mouth moving, and he's sucking on something -- I don't know if it's day old food or Skittles.''

What impressed him about Dwyane Wade's leadership: Last summer, while Wade was preparing for the Olympics and playing in the Beijing Games, he kept tabs on Cook's progress at the Heat facility. ``He [would check] on me, not just text me but text the coaches and ask was I in the gym, what did I do, how did I do? He wanted to make sure I wasn't messing around.''

DAYTON, Ohio -- There are moments when Heat guard Daequan Cook looks like a rising star, such as when he won the All-Star three-point shooting contest.

Then there are times when his shot is not falling, and instead of being the Heat's sixth or seventh man, he gets sparse playing time.

Cook, 21, has overcome hardship all his life. His father spent several years in prison. His mother raised four children while on disability. He was a father before finishing his junior year of high school.

So anything that happens on the court hardly discourages him.

What keeps him going? He is motivated to give his mother a better life, avoid a similar fate as his father and provide for his 4-year-old daughter.

''The hardest thing was growing up without my father,'' Cook said, ``and having to become a man at an early age.''

Miami Heat's Daequan Cook growing up fast - Miami Heat - MiamiHerald.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Israel Gutierrez: Cook needs to shake identity crisis soon

Miami Heat guard Daequan Cook looks for an open man during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009 at AmericanAirlines Arena. HECTOR GABINO / STAFF PHOTO
Photo By Israel Gutierrez
[email protected]

ATLANTA -- Daequan Cook was his usual, spirited, 21-year-old self while he was playing a shooting game with assistant coach Bob McAdoo and a few of his teammates Tuesday.

Then he was pulled aside briefly to answer a few questions. He was asked about his season -- more specifically, his season since the All-Star break.

Suddenly, the shoulders slumped, the eyes drifted downward and his tone featured an unfamiliar despondence.

It was the body language of a shooter suffering from an identity crisis.

James Jones is familiar with the experience. Jones, the Heat's other three-point specialist, went through the struggle for most of this season, a wrist injury taking his primary weapon.

''It's my livelihood,'' Jones said. ``It's my skill. It's my exception. I'm exceptionally blessed and gifted to shoot the ball well. I woke up every morning saying, `Who's a shooter who can't shoot?'

``If I don't have my wrist, what am I, really? That's my identity. But now that I have my gun back -- or like I call it, my 22-caliber pistol -- I'm good.''

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/1011093.html

Heat guard Daequan Cook needs to turn it up
By CHRIS PERKINS
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

ATLANTA ? Daequan Cook, the second-year guard who ignited the Heat at both ends of the court early in the season, isn't sure why his game has nose-dived since he won the three-point shooting contest during All-Star weekend.

"I'm taking it in stride," Cook said before Tuesday's practice at Philips Arena, "but it's been pretty rough."

Cook is shooting just .353 percent from the field since the All-Star break, including .333 from three-point range. That's down from his pre-All-Star totals of .385 from the field and .411 from three-point range. Things are worse when you consider he has shot 50 percent or better in just three of his last 28 games, and hasn't been the disruptive defender he was early in the year.

Cook, who used to be a favorite target of guard Dwyane Wade when Wade was double-teamed, is struggling to pinpoint the reasons.

"Maybe I just haven't been as focused, I've been sagging off a little bit after the All-Star break," Cook said, searching for answers. "I really don't know what's been the problem or reasons for my performance after the All-Star break."

Cook is among many Heat players who need to have a good showing tonight when Miami plays Atlanta at Philips Arena in Game 2 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

Heat guard Daequan Cook needs to turn it up

 

[TGfan06]

great game for Cook. 20 points off 6-3 pointers.

Heat even series with Atlanta

 

[Buckskin86]

Former OSU, Dunbar basketball player spoke at drug court graduation
By Lou Grieco
Staff Writer
Friday, May 15, 2009

Staff photo by Ron Alvey
Daequan Cook, a 2006 Dunbar High School graduate and a guard for the NBA?s Miami Heat, speaks at the Montgomery County Juvenile Drug Court graduation ceremony in the courtroom of Judge Anthony Capizzi (left).

DAYTON ? Miami Heat shooting guard Daequan Cook stood before 15 Montgomery County teenagers who had decided to become drug-free and told them how proud they should be.

?This is one of the biggest steps you can make in life,? Cook said. ?I look forward to hearing about you guys in the future.?

Cook, a Dunbar High School graduate, served as keynote speaker for the Montgomery County Juvenile Drug Court?s graduation ceremony on Friday, May 15.

He talked about how his father served prison time for selling drugs, how his grandmother abused drugs, but how other relatives and friends helped keep him grounded and focused.

?Being in church, believing in God, it helped me out,? Cook said.

Drug Court is an intensive probation program designed to help offenders with substance abuse issues. Nearly 100 young people are involved with the Juvenile Court program. Judge Anthony Capizzi oversees the special docket.

All of the graduates, who are drug-tested weekly, have been drug-free for months, Capizzi said.

Cook, 22, attended Ohio State University for one year before turning pro. He just finished his second season as a professional.

Cook said that though he has not used drugs, he has seen the damage they do. He also warned that the graduates will still have tough times, even if they stay drug-free, but that drug use will only add to, not solve, life?s problems.

?You?re going to have a lot of downfalls,? Cook said. ?Who doesn?t??

NBA's Cook applauds teens’ choice to be drug-free

 

[Buckskin86]

Daequan Cook brings NBA stars to local basketball campHot By Chick Ludwig
Staff Writer
Saturday, June 6, 2009

It?s always a big deal when NBA star Daequan Cook of the Miami Heat comes home.

This time, he?s bringing some of his best friends to Dayton for an event the area?s youth won?t want to miss.

Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers), Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies) and Heat teammates Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers are instructors for the Daequan Cook Basketball Skills Camp for boys and girls on Monday and Tuesday, June 22-23, at Dunbar High School and Louise Troy Elementary School.

How?s that for star power?

?The beauty of this camp is that kids who don?t get a chance to go to NBA games get to see some great players ? who grew up in neighborhoods just like ours ? up close and personal,? said Albert Powell, Dunbar assistant coach and camp coordinator.

?The NBA does a great job encouraging players to give back to their communities, and that?s what Daequan is all about. He?s a great role model. He?s trying to show kids that if you work hard enough, you?ll be a productive citizen. You may not become an NBA player, but you?ll be a success in life.?

Daequan Cook brings NBA stars to local basketball camp

 

[Buckskin86]

Miami Heats Cook to help cover funeral costs of boy hit by car
By Lucas Sullivan | Thursday, June 18, 2009

DAYTON - A Dayton native and NBA star has reached out to the family of DaQuan Sales and offered to help pay for some of the boy?s funeral costs.

Daequan Cook, a guard for the Miami Heat and Dunbar High School grad, contacted DaQuan?s family after reading in the Dayton Daily News that the boy idolized Cook and planned to attend his summer basketball camp next week.

DaQuan Sales, 12, killed Saturday while riding his bike on Elmhurst Road. Contributed photo.

Daequan Cook, was DaQuan?s idol and has offered to help his family pay for funeral services. Staff photo.

DaQuan was killed on Saturday during an apparent hit-and-run accident in the 300 block of Elmhurst Road. Police said the driver, Antwonne McGinnis, did not have a valid license.

Cook is also planning to donate a yearly scholarship in DaQuan?s name for someone to attend his camp, Lissack said. Cook has also invited any of DaQuan?s family members to attend his camp for free.

DaQuan?s mother, Janelle Sales, said her son was a huge fan of Cook?s and idolized the NBA star. Cook and DaQuan?s family have been communicating throughout the week, Lissack said.

Dayton Daily News | Dayton, Ohio, News and Information

 

[jimotis4heisman]

good for cook. certainly had been a positive impact on his communities.

 

[Buckskin86]

Boy who died in accident idolized Dunbar grad
By Tom Archdeacon
Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Jim Witmer NBA player and Dunbar grad Daequan Cook hugs Janelle Sales, mother of DaQuan Sales who was killed by a motorist last week, but had planned on attending today's camp. At left is Shirletta Freeman, an aunt, and (great, great) grandfather Garfield Sales. Cook is holding a two-day basketball camp at Dunbar High School and Louise Troy Elementary.

Both came from Dayton?s West Side and loved basketball. Their first names were pronounced the same and they even had the same nickname ? though one got his from Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade and the other, from his late grandpa.

?DaDa (day-day) would eat, sleep and talk Daequan Cook,? 76-year old Garfield Sales said of his 12-year-old great grandson DaQuan ?DaDa? Sales and the NBA player from Dunbar High he so idolized.

Whenever DaDa played basketball, he pretended to be Cook. Sometimes he even told kids that they were brothers.

?He?d always ask me he if looked like Daequan,? smiled DaDa?s great aunt, Shirletta Freeman.

And when Cook put on a show during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix last February ? winning the 3-Point Shootout ? DaDa was glued to the television at his North Antioch Street home.

?He just cheered and cheered and cheered,? said Janell Sales, his 31-year-old mother. ?He kept going, ?He won, Mom. He won!? ?

Boy who died in accident idolized Dunbar grad

 

[Meyer]

Wow he is really doing great work out there! I know that he's going to develop into a really good player. He obviously has the heart.

 

[Buckskin86]

Miami Heat's Daequan Cook stays true to roots, pays homage to boy, 12, killed by hit-and-run driver
Dave Hyde | Sports Columnist
June 24, 2009

Sometimes you hear a story that's so perfect at shrinking the big business of sports down to human size it needs to be shared. This story involves the Heat's Daequan Cook and his summer basketball camp.

It starts, not with the sadness of this week, but years before the NBA's fame and money arrived with Cook's mother always telling him to remember his roots. Embrace them. Your roots will keep you grounded, she said.

Cook never forgot that, and so during his second Heat season he decided to hold a youth basketball clinic in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. He planned it for this week. Word went out. A 12-year-old kid rode his bicycle to get an application at a local store and mailed it in.

Miami Heat's Daequan Cook stays true to roots, pays homage to boy, 12, killed by hit-and-run driver -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Cook enjoys last day of camp
Oden makes an appearance; Fizdale breaks down some of Cook’s workouts.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

DAYTON — Dunbar High School graduate Daequan Cook wrapped up his two-day basketball camp at his alma mater on Tuesday, June 23. Among the players who showed up was Cook’s former Ohio State teammate Greg Oden.

Other observations:

Goofing around: Cook spent a lot of time interacting with the campers, in more ways than one. Whether it was doing shooting drills or participating in some of the 5-on-5 scrimmages, Cook was there. He definitely had a great time, spending most of the time with a smile on his face.

“It feels real good just getting an opportunity to interact with a lot of the kids,” Cook said.

Celebrity sighting: Oden visited Cook’s camp and the Portland Trail Blazers center interacted well with the campers. But when he was asked to speak to the crowded bleachers of kids from grades 8-12, he was very brief.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/cook-enjoys-last-day-of-camp-175486.html

video of cook and oden

http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayt...greg-oden-talk-2009-10-nba-season-175003.html

photo's from camp

http://projects.daytondailynews.com/cache/galleries/Sports/High School/2009daequancookcamp/