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

[Buckskin86]

COOK HEATS UP
With Sefolosha out, reserve guard Daequan Cook moved up in the rotation, played a season-high 23 minutes, scored nine points on 3-for-7 shooting from 3-point range, had one steal and also had a key assist late in the second overtime.

Cook hit his first 3-pointer since the fourth game of the season (Nov. 3) and admitted his confidence grew from there.

?It?s all about confidence, getting in the rhythm,? Cook said. ?That was basically it for me. Once I got my shot going, I felt very good.?

Cook also was gratified he got to play in key moments of the game. ?Coach trusted me,? Cook said with a smile.

Read more: http://newsok.com/thunder-notebook-...tful-for-sunday/article/3536583#ixzz1CQc5AOrf

 

[Buckskin86]

Ex-Heat draft pick Cook finds Oklahoma City a good fit
January 29, 2011|By Shandel Richardson, Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY ? ? Former Heat guard Daequan Cook enjoyed his time in Miami, but says he's more comfortable these days in Oklahoma City.

Cook said he's able to focus in the smaller city and slower-paced environment. He's reached a comfort zone with his new team, something he may have never experienced with the Heat.

"For me, I was able to get out of there, and put in a better, I mean another, situation," Cook said. "I was able to settle myself down and get myself focused, knowing this year was a big year for me and knowing how important it was to get on the right track."

The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Cook with the 21st pick in the 2007 NBA Draft before trading him to the Heat on the same day. Cook had his moments in Miami, scoring a career-high 27 points against Phoenix in 2009 and winning the 3-point competition All-Star Weekend.

But after the last season, he was a casualty of Heat president Pat Riley wanting to rebuild the team. The Heat traded Cook and their first-round pick to the Thunder for a second-round choice. The moved freed up more than $5 million in salary-cap space, allowing the Heat to re-sign Dwyane Wade and acquire free agents Chris Bosh and LeBron James.

Although he called his time in Miami a "great experience," he said the move was for the better. Cook has struggled to earn minutes with the Thunder, playing just nine games. He's averaged 2.7 points, but did score nine points in 23 minutes Friday against the Washington Wizards. The playing time was a result of Thabo Sefolosha being out with a sprained knee.

"He had a good, key assist at the end of the game to Russell [Westbrook]," Thunder forward Jeff Green said. "I think that kind of built up his confidence, especially after sitting for so long and helping us get a good win [Friday]. Now he's going against his former team and hopefully he continues to shoot the ball well."

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...130-20110129_1_daequan-cook-heat-lebron-james

Daequan Cook finally gets time, looks forward to Heat
by Ethan J. Skolnick

Thabo Sefolosha?s absence, and a two-overtime game, gave Daequan Cook a chance to play nearly 23 minutes on Friday night, including many in crunch time. He scored 9 points on 3-of-9 shooting for the Thunder, and stayed with the quick-triggered Nick Young (32 points, 13-of-33) on most possessions down the stretch.

That was Cook?s longest outing of the season, and only the second time he had played in the Thunder?s past 38 games.

So, naturally, the former Heat guard was in good spirits after the game.

?All about confidence, getting into rhythm,? Cook said. ?Once I got my shot going, I felt very good. So now it?s just about every opportunity I get to go out there and play, making that shot. Coach (Scott Brooks) trusted me. It?s been kind of up and down throughout the game with the defense, but he just told me, ?Lock (Young) up.? And that?s what I went out there and did, just contested all his shots.?

Even with the limited playing time, Cook made it sound as if he welcomed Miami?s pre-draft move ? essentially a salary dump ? which shipped him to the NBA?s smallest market.

?Just had to make a big change,? Cook said. ?Miami was a lot faster than Oklahoma. A lot more settled down here, a lot more focused.?

He called it ?a great experience? being coached first by Pat Riley and then by Erik Spoelstra, and said the Heat had ?a great ballclub,? but ?it?s more than just basketball down there right now. In other words, kind of crazy. For me, I was able to get out of there, and put in a better, I mean another, situation. I was able to settle myself down and get myself focused, knowing this year was a big year for me and knowing how important it was to get on the right track.?

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/heatzone/2011/01/29/daequan-cook-eager-to-face-the-heat/

 

[Buckskin86]

* Thunder coach Scott Brooks chose to go with Daequan Cook over Harden for offensive purposes. Cook made three 3s again today. But his defensive rebound with 40.5 seconds left that led to Durant?s jumper and a one-point lead was huge.

* Cook?s confidence is incredible. And I have a hard time understanding how he maintains such a high amount. The guy doesn?t play for much of the first half of the season but is ready at a moment?s notice. And he?s anything but gun shy. He took a 28-footer in the first half with six seconds still on the shot clock. Brooks will never have to beg him to shoot.

* Here?s what Brooks said about going with Cook over Harden in the fourth: ?I thought Daequan was really good tonight. Everybody gets their opportunities. But I thought he was good. James was good defensively. But I thought offensively Daequan had a good rhythm. He was making 3s for us, and that spacing is important.?

* One last thing on Cook. I love how he fouls. You?re not getting and and one against him. He wraps up and makes sure you?re not getting off a shot. He did a great job of it against Wade and James in the first half. Nick Collison and Eric Maynor are really the only other two on the team that does it so effectively.

http://blog.newsok.com/thunderrumblings/2011/01/30/heat-108-thunder-103/

 

[Buckskin86]

Monday's Thunder Blog: Practice News and Notes
By CHRIS SILVA | THUNDER.NBA.COM
MONDAY'S PRACTICE NOTES
Date: 1/31/11

Daequan Cook said he has remained consistent in his approach ever since he entered the NBA three seasons ago.

When he was traded to the Thunder in the offseason, his daily routine never changed. Even when he didn?t play for a two-month stretch this season, he never broke routine. It?s a big reason why Cook has been able to make key contributions in the Thunder?s two most recent games.

First came his nine-point performance in Friday?s double overtime win over Washington. Then it was his 13-point, four-rebound effort in Sunday?s loss to Miami. In both games, Cook has shot a combined 6-for-12 from behind the arc, sparking the Thunder off the bench with his long-range shooting.

Cook has made the most of his opportunities because he?s been prepared.

?He has a nice stroke and he?s been working on it all season long,? Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks said. ?I thought he had some great practices the last three weeks now and that?s why I gave him an opportunity and he?s made the best of it. It just so happened that Thabo had an injury, so it allowed him to get extended minutes. I thought last night he played good defense as well as he can on a great player like Dwyane Wade but he made some shots we needed.?

On practice days, Cook said he arrives at the team?s facility 90 minutes before practice so he can eat breakfast and go through a series of shooting drills. On game days when the team is on the road, he?s usually the first to arrive at the arena to get his shots up and run the arena stairs. On home game days he?ll do the same, but run a treadmill instead.

?It helps a lot because for one I?m going at game speed and I?m actually working on the same things I would be doing in games,? Cook said, ?so it?s just carrying over into the games.?

It?s why Cook was able to log 23 and 31 minutes in the last two games. Being well conditioned helps him get into a rhythm more quickly. And it keeps him ready for when his number is called. As Cook said, he doesn?t want to be embarrassed for a lack of preparation when his time does come.

?Even though I wasn?t playing I wasn?t lost in space,? Cook said of earlier this season. ?The important thing with me was always staying ready and when I get (an opportunity), take advantage of it.?

http://www.nba.com/thunder/blog_chrissilva/practicenotes_110131.html

 

[Buckskin86]

No Easy Buckets
Posted by Darnell Mayberry
on February 4, 2011

For a guy not known for defense, Daequan Cook (14) doesn't like giving up easy buckets.

Daequan Cook isn?t likely to ever win any awards for his defense.

In fact, it wouldn?t be unfair to label him a liability on that end of the floor.

But one thing that is becoming increasingly clear is that opponents darn sure won?t turn their matchup against Cook into a layup drill.

Cook won?t stand for it. He?s one of the few players on the Thunder who effectively deliver hard fouls to prevent easy scores.

In the first half against Miami on Sunday, Cook wrapped up Dwyane Wade and LeBron James with purpose, preventing them from muscling up high-percentage shots and potentially converting three-point plays. Cook sent them to the foul line and made them earn their points.

To the naked eye, Cook?s 10 first-half points in that game, which included two 3-pointers, were his biggest contribution.

But those two shrewd stops were not small victories. A major factor in the Thunder?s defensive slippage this season can be attributed to allowing to0 many uncontested shots. And that has caused opponents? field-goal percentages to skyrocket, while also setting off a domino effect that leads to breakdowns in other areas of the Thunder?s defense.

?The one thing that we?ve been slacking on a lot of times is the easy buckets in transition,? Cook said. ?So we got to slow that down a little bit. And that?s just always been in me to always foul hard to make sure a guy doesn?t get the shot off.?

Cook?s textbook fouls are rivaled on the Thunder by only Nick Collison and Eric Maynor.

So where did Cook learn to foul?

?I played for Pat Riley,? said Cook, referring to the one-time drill sergeant of a coach whom Cook played for as a rookie during the 2007-08 season. ?It wasn?t nothing easy on that team. I played behind Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O?Neal, guys that are hard foulers. It?s nothing earned easy in this game.?

http://blog.newsok.com/thunderrumblings/2011/02/04/no-easy-buckets/

 

[3074326]

Watching the OSU game and saw a "Cook" with 20 points flash on the bottom of the screen. Check the stats and Daequan has 20 points/5 boards in 18 minutes. Leading scorer on OKC, which has Durant and Westbrook.

 

[naptownbuck]

It was good to see him play well against his former team, the evil empire opps the Miami Heat

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goy_QArcQbI"]YouTube - Daequan Cook vs Miami 1.30.2011[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Starting Blocks with Branson Wright
Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Branson Wright talks with current NBA player, and former Ohio State basketball star, Daequan Cook about the Buckeyes, and his current team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2011/03/ohio_state_buckeyes_daequan_co.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Daequan Cook adopts Ohio family after tragedy
Daequan Cook?s outlook on life was changed by the death of a young boy from Dayton, Ohio, with a similar name, DaQuan Sales.
By Darnell Mayberry, Staff Writer, Oklahoman
Published: April 10, 2011

The story shook Daequan Cook to the core the moment he laid eyes on it.

He knew immediately he had to do something.

Tragedy had struck, and every detail landed right on Cook?s doorstep.

Daequan Cook hugs Janell Sales during his basketball camp at Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio, in 2009. Sales is the mother of DaQuan Sales, who was killed by a motorist just before he was to attend Cook?s camp.
PHOTO BY JIM WITMER, DAYTON DAILY NEWS

On June 13, 2009, a little boy was killed by a hit-and-run. He was 12 years old.

Any human with a heart would have compassion for that alone.

But this little boy?s name was DaQuan Sales. His prename was pronounced the same way as the first-year Thunder shooting guard?s. Sales was killed in Dayton, Ohio, in a neighborhood not far from where Cook grew up.

?It just really hit me,? Cook said. ?Hit me in a spot, a very soft spot.?

Cook was a member of the Miami Heat at the time. He was entering his third NBA season as a rising sharp-shooting threat. He had won the NBA?s 3-point shootout that February at All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. Things were looking up for Cook?s career.

Then came a reality check.

Sales was one of Cook?s biggest fans. The kid loved basketball and wanted to be just like the reigning 3-point king. Sales knew Cook?s stats, rooted for him whenever he was on television and pretended he was Cook while on the playground.

Cook hardly could believe how the tragedy took place.

Sales was riding his bike along Elmhurst Road that Saturday when he was struck by a white Buick that had crossed a double yellow line. Sales was pedaling back home after retrieving a registration form to attend Cook?s annual basketball camp. The camp was scheduled to be held nine days later.

?His mom had told me about how he marked it on his calendar,? Cook said. ?How it was one of the biggest events of his summer to do.?

Cont...

Read more: http://newsok.com/daequan-cook-adopts-ohio-family-after-tragedy/article/3557190#ixzz1J7mGvAEG

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmiH04FFVyY"]YouTube - Film Study - OKC's 3-point play for Daequan Cook[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Thunder: Brooks must shorten his bench
Posted by berrytramel
on May 8, 2011M

Scotty Brooks is learning a valuable lesson in this Western Conference semifinal against Memphis. What works in February doesn?t work in May. When you play quality competition night after night, the same quality competition, teams figure out trends and weaknesses easily.

Which means the Grizzlies aren?t going to let Daequan Cook shoot. The Thunder?s designated 3-point marksman has played 28 minutes in the series and has gotten nine shots; he?s 2-of-7 on 3-point shots, his specialty. Cook was 0-for-3, all 3-pointers, in the Thunder?s Game 3 loss Saturday.

Cook took his place on the court in his customary time, the start of the second and fourth quarters. The Thunder had a 76-63 lead after three quarters. Cook lasted two minutes, 40 seconds. He was pulled with the score 76-69. The Thunder failed to score on their five possessions with Cook in the game. Cook missed a 3-pointer, Eric Maynor missed a pullup jumper, James Harden committed a turnover, Kevin Durant missed a shot that was blocked by O.J. Mayo and Russell Westbrook missed a 3-pointer.

Memphis cut its deficit to 76-69 when Sam Young used a simple pump fake that sent Cook flying towards him and leaving a wide open lane. Young promptly drove in for a thundering dunk that ignited the crowd.

Now, Cook was the least of the Thunder?s offensive ineptness throughout the fourth quarter. The Thunder scored just 10 points the entire period. So that?s not Cook?s fault.

But it?s become clear that the Grizzlies are not going to let Cook run free. He?s not being a decoy, he?s not being productive, he?s a defensive liability.

Cont..

http://blog.newsok.com/berrytramel/2011/05/08/thunder-brooks-must-shorten-his-bench/

 

[Buckskin86]

Daequan Cook and Co. make sure the Thunder had plenty in reserve
Oklahoma City?s bench outscored Memphis? starters 53-45 in a decisive Game 5 victory
BY JOHN ROHDE, Staff Writer
Published: May 12, 2011

The Oklahoma City Thunder bench has excelled all season and has played particularly well in the playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

However, what the Thunder reserves did in Wednesday night?s 99-72 romp during Game 5 was above and beyond the call of normal duty.

The OKC bench outscored the Memphis starting lineup 53-45, a feat unheard of in the playoffs, particularly one that was 2-2 at the time.

?We don?t even look at it like that, man,? said backup point guard Eric Maynor, who handed out nine assists in 23 minutes. ?OKC outscored Memphis, that?s the only thing we?re thinking about.?

Afterward, Thunder coach Scott Brooks expressed no surprise at what his reserves were able to do, not did the reserves themselves.

?Nothing new,? said sixth man James Harden, who had nine points, six rebounds and five assists. ?We?ve been doing it all year, really.?

Shooting guard Daequan Cook was particularly lethal, shooting 6 for 7 from the field, including 4 for 5 from 3-point range, to finish with 18 points in 18 minutes.

?Sniper,? Harden said of Cook. ?When me and Eric find him, he?s ready to shoot at all times. He had it going tonight.?

Cook had been struggling for open looks throughout the entire series, but said things opened up in Game 5 thanks to penetrating playmaking of Maynor and Harden.

?I was surprised,? Cook said of his open opportunities. "With guys tonight getting to the basket, guys were falling off me.?

Cont..

Read more: http://newsok.com/daequan-cook-and-...enty-in-reserve/article/3567241#ixzz1MEf8bF8F

 

[naptownbuck]

Clips of Byron Mullens, Michael Redd, & Daequan Cook in the final game of the Regular Season. Most likely Redd's last game in a Milwaukee uniform.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBXN-aM6Okc"]YouTube - ‪Milwuakee at Oklahoma City (Michael Redd, Daequan Cook, Byron Mullens)‬‏[/ame]

 

[osugrad21]

Some clutch shots tonight

 

[Buckskin86]

Q&A with Thunder guard Daequan Cook
BY DARNELL MAYBERRY, Staff Writer
Published: May 26, 2011

Q: There?s a growing interest in the pad on your shoulder. Can you explain?

A: ?I had kind of banged up my shoulder. It was like a little padding to stop the pressure, like if it got banged or something it wouldn?t get hit. That?s all it was. But I changed it. I?m just wearing a compression shirt now to absorb a lot of that, and it won?t be as much pain. That pad was kind of awkward on my shoulder.?

What?s your experience been like as a first-year member of the Thunder?

?It?s been a great experience. I had a lot of fun with these guys. A lot of us played against each other AAU-wise. So we can cope a lot better. We never thought we?d play together on the same team. It?s been fun. That?s what?s been making the games a lot easier, when you come to a team where guys get along and everything?s fun and not just about business.?

What are your plans for this summer?

?When the summer comes, whether it?s a lockout or not, you want to be prepared for whatever is to come. You?ve got to stay in shape and work out. Of course, spend time with family and get away a little bit, too. This has been the longest I?ve played since being in the NBA.?

You?re a restricted free agent this summer. Would you like to return?

?No question. I made a big impact on this team and had fun playing for this team. I love the organization. It?s a great organization. I fit in well on this team. I play my role very well on this team. And like I said, all the guys on this team grew up with each other. We?re all young and played against each other. We got a lot of memories together.?

Have there been any talks yet?

?We haven?t talked about it. That hasn?t been our focus. It?s been a long season for us, and our focus has just been about the team and getting ?Ws? basically.?

Read more: http://newsok.com/qa-with-thunder-guard-daequan-cook/article/3571390#ixzz1NSTQSnxj