Heat's Cook has a shot at success
Former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry sat courtside in a sweltering gym and nodded in approval as aspiring marksman Daequan Cook struggled through a shooting slump.
Daequan Cook, a first-round pick acquired by the Heat, was in the process of missing 11 of his first 12 shots in a Pepsi Pro Summer League game last week in Orlando. As the Heat closed in on its third consecutive loss, Daequan Cook launched -- and made -- what appeared a meaningless jumper to finish 2 of 13 from the field.
Curry couldn't have been more impressed.
But Curry, who retired with the ninth-best shooting percentage from three-point range in NBA history, looked beyond the statistics and saw two intangibles he believes will make Daequan Cook special.
Daequan Cook, Curry said, is short on memory and long on confidence.
''Being an effective shooter in this league is about confidence first,'' said Curry, an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats. ``He doesn't worry about his misses and only remembers his makes. . . . Now, he's just got to get in the gym, perfect the NBA fundamentals and put it all together.''
That process soon will intensify for Daequan Cook as he tries to bounce back from a disappointing debut in his first NBA test run. Daequan Cook averaged 9.8 points and shot 28.3 percent from the field in five games.
But the ever-confident Daequan Cook, 19, refuses to accept his performance as a failed first impression. Instead, he considers it a slightly rocky start down a road that soon will lead to a spot in the Heat's playing rotation.
After a short trip home to Dayton, Ohio, this week, Daequan Cook plans to return to Miami to start daily individual workouts with the coaching staff -- two months in advance of the Heat open training camp in October.
''I'm not just doing it because the coaches may want me to, but because I feel like I'm capable of playing this year,'' said Daequan Cook, the 21st overall pick in the draft.
Daequan Cook, a 6-5 guard who played one season at Ohio State, said his offensive struggles last week didn't humble him as much as they made him hungrier. Heat assistant Erik Spoelstra, who coached the summer team, said Daequan Cook's appetite would face a greater challenge in coming workouts.
''I told him once we started that we were going to coach him every possession if it's practice or a game-type situation,'' Spoelstra said. ``Moving forward, there's so much to learn, but he's got great potential.''
That potential must quickly lead to progress if Daequan Cook is to help fill the void created by the free agency departure of Jason Kapono, the NBA's three-point shooting percentage leader last season.
Although Daequan Cook shot 42.1 percent from three-point range last week, his defense appears ahead of his offense.
Daequan Cook hounded Charlotte's Adam Morrison, Orlando's J.J. Redick and New Jersey's Robert Hite, a former Heat guard, into 10 turnovers and a combined 11-of-34 shooting.
Daequan Cook has yet to guard a veteran or play in an NBA arena, but summer-league games gave him a sampling of the college-to-pro jump.
''You notice how big the floor is -- how quick the pace is,'' Daequan Cook said. ``Everybody is as good as you.''
Curry said Daequan Cook has the strength, footwork, quickness and touch to give him a shooter's chance to thrive. All Daequan Cook needs is game experience and direction.
''You may have had it coming out of college, but it's a different world now,'' Curry said.
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