Yardbarker: Daequan Cook

Do the No Defense Knicks Fit in NYC?

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:41:47 -0500

It's getting close to the end of the regular season in the NBA and for 16 well-deserved teams, the real season begins. The rest are left to ponder what never was and what changes need to be made in the future. I watched the playoff-bound Miami Heat against the lottery-bound New York Knicks tonight and you could tell just by looking at how the teams played on defense which team was going to the playoffs and who was not,

On the Ball, Crowd their Space:

I just want to focus on defense on the ball. If you don't close out properly on defense, bad things happen. In this first sequence, Crawford of the Knicks just lets Daequan Cook of the Heat shoot the open 3-pointer right in his face. He doesn't even move on the pump fake,

In this second sequence, Beasley gets the ball at the top of the key, despite Harrington giving him all this space, he still gets to the rim with ease and the help defense is nowhere to be found, and there was a defensive foul to boot,

I'm not sure what the vibe is in NYC, but I have to say, that my own personal opinion is that Mike D'Antoni's 7 seconds or less is not a good fit. When I think of the Knicks, of NYC, I think of tough, dog-eat-dog, no holds barred attitude. I think of New York Giants tough defense. I think of Mariano Rivera tough. I think of Charles Oakley, Patrick Ewing, Bill Bradley and Willis Reed tough. I think of the rough and tumble playgrounds of Rucker Park, the quintessential "New York City" point guards with the likes of Mark Jackson, Kenny Anderson, Rod Strickland, and yes, even Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair.

My point is, this style of play doesn't fit the character of NYC. This city is one that has educated basketball fans. They don't need to be "entertained" with a high-flying high-scoring gimmicky-offense, yes, I said "gimmick". This isn't Phoenix after all, MSG knows what a winner looks like and this ain't it.

Summary:

Much is made about when Lebron James makes his move to NYC. If and when that happens, 7 seconds or less isn't the style of play that suits Lebron James's skills either. Could he adapt to it? Sure, but why would he? Shouldn't the system adapt to him? To be sure, the Knicks have improved over their dismal record last year, but 30-51 is still nothing to be happy about. Defensively, the Knicks have worsened both in FG% and points allowed, ranking in the bottom 3 in each this season.

For more great video info on defensive close outs, check out Seth Greenberg's DVD on Closing Out and Defending Special Situations. Coach Greenberg is the head coach at Virginia Tech. Discuss this and the rest of your favorite basketball topics at the X's and O's Basketball Forum.

Is it all over?

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:37:51 -0500

I'm hurting. I'm not taking it personally but I am hurt. I have to think the Bobcats are way out on their hope to make the playoffs. All those away games coming up and 2 straight, heartbreaking losses, I have to start thinking, this might not be it. Last night was fun, I mean going to the game and the excitement of the crowd an the new people taking interest in my team. But then leaving after the loss and people smiling and the drummers in the Atrium, I j...

A Tribute to: The Miami Heat Dancers

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 03:28:57 -0500

The NBA is holding it’s annual “Dance Team Bracket,” and these ladies are about to win it for the 4th year in a row. As a tribute, here are some of their hottest photos. Guess there's a reason they keep on winning. Congratulations on the unprecedented accomplishment, ladies.

The Heat Can Score, When The Suns Defend

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:17:22 -0500

Last night the Heat beat the Suns with a pretty balanced scoring attack. But, this is a case where the stats are kind of off. Even though DWade didn't have to carry the team, the Suns don't play consistent defense, so Cook got open shots, most of their shots were open and easy. Daequan Cook can ...

Who was a Great Miami Heat Three Point Shooter?

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:46:59 -0500

Try and name as many three point shooters as you can in Miami Heat history. I may have left out a few good ones, but I did mention all the GREAT ones. This is a must take quiz for all Heat fans.?

Daequan Cook Shows How to Setup your Cuts

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:37:32 -0500

Watching some NBA games yesterday, caught part of the second half between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks. We know the Hawks are doing decent following their playoffs from last year. But the Miami Heat have really improved as well, most of it being due to Dwyane Wade being healthy.

I highlighted this specific play not necessarily because it's any better of a play than any other offensive play, but I just thought it showed that if players execute the fundamentals correctly, like setting up your cuts, setting good screens, and using them, any play can work well.

Box Stagger for Corner 3-pointer:

Very basic set play for the corner-wing 3-pointer. Ball at the top of the key, O5 sets a fake screen for O2 to make it look like O2 will pop out to the same side wing. O2 v-cuts and goes baseline instead. O4 and O3 set stagger area screens,

X2 gets stuck out of position from the initial v-cut and fake screen and so O2 has plenty of space to get to the corner-wing spot. O1 dribble relocates to make the shorter pass. The corner-wing positioning is important because if O2 comes all the way up to the wing, X3 probably can switch and cover in time,

Setup your Cuts:

The most important part that makes this play work is the way Daequan Cook sets up his cut. You have to sell the cut with misdirection and change of speed, to fake one way and go the other way. All the great players know how to use these details to gain their advantage,

Summary:

It's why fundamentals are so much more important than what offensive sets you run. If your players don't understand the basics of basketball, the vernacular, why things work and others don't, your offense will never be any good. You can fake it with good athleticism or skill, but eventually that will catch up to you against good teams.

As for the Heat, I think they could be the Hawks of last year. They could sneak up on one of those big 3 in the East and make a run of it. They have the talent, just need the consistency. My gut feel though is that they're still 1 or 2 years away from being a contender though.

If you're looking for more on getting open and becoming a better scorer, take a look at the Five-star Basketball DVD on getting open and attacking. Coach Bergeron goes through all the basics of cutting as well as flashing to the post and dribble penetration.. Head over to the X's and O's Basketball forum to discuss this and many more of your favorite basketball topics.

Rumor: Carlos Boozer Set to Join Wade, Beasley in Miami ('09)

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:37:28 -0500

Dorell Wright's guaranteed two-year deal left the Heat with a little more than $50 million in 2009-10 contracts for 10 players (only Daequan Cook's $1.3 million is at Miami's option). That means ? unless multiyear deals are dumped ? the Heat likely will have a little more than $11 million next summer (if Shawn Marion isn't re-signed) to pursue a free agent such as Carlos Boozer. (The Heat has told people it can see Michael Beasley playing small forward eventually, allowing a p...

Throw Some D's On That?Just Bought A Cadillac

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 16:58:19 -0500

Mike Conley Sr. quickly created MAC Management Group when he realized that he was in for a big payday. The former youth coach for Greg Oden, Daequan Cook, and Conley Jr. was uncomfortable going at starting an agency all on his lonesome and decided to team up with Bill Duffy of BDA Sports. All three of the aforementioned players were selected in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, making Conley Sr. a big name in the athlete representation industry. All has been quiet for Conley Sr. since the draft. Oden got hurt and has not been able to play in a single game thus far and Kevin Durant has been making the headlines for being #1 in virtually every rookie category. With a few days before the year switches to 2008, the last thing Conley Sr. expected was for his name to be printed in numerous publications. Who knew Conley Sr. was interested in expanding MAC Management Group outside of basketball? His success thus far would at least warrant him to play by the rules during recruiting, right? News out of Arkansas is that Conley Sr. has been dipping into the football recruiting pool, going after Darren McFadden of the University of Arkansas. The speculation is based on the fact that McFadden was present while Conley Sr. just bought a Cadillac (throw some D's on that..). D-Mac was seen driving the Escalade [Darren McFadden's Availability In Question]. A simple, obvious statement by a few TV stations (including KTHV), sent the sports nation in a frenzy: According to a complianace (nice spelling error) director from another University, if D-Mac received the car as a payment for future services, he is then a proferssional (nice spelling error #2) and no longer elligible (nice spelling error #3) for college football. A spelling error here and there in a journalistic piece and I am not too worried about its credibility. Three in the same sentence, and I wonder who is put in charge of digging up this information. KARK-TV added that the Escalade was put in the name of McFadden's mother, but his mother claims that the SUV is in the name of D-Mac's stepmom [Razorbacks report]. Conley Sr. immediately denied all accusations. But could there be some sort of validity to all of this? Conley Sr. did attend the University of Arkansas, after all, and may have felt invincible on the recruiting trail after having one of the most successful first year's that any agent has ever seen. Conley Sr. is quoted as saying, I haven't been in Fayetteville in a while, and I certainly haven't been in any car dealerships with Darren McFadden. [Arkansas probes report as TV station issues apology]. But University of Arkansas compliance will look into the matter anyway. I think that this is an important story for one reason. Whether or not Conley Sr. was actually involved in any way with the purchase or had any communication with D-Mac, this should be a clear message that times are changing and the regulation of sports agents is getting more stringent. Using myself as an example, I filed my registration papers in the state of Florida in July 2007. At that time, I paid approximately $1,300 in order to be considered and filed all my paperwork. The state lost my fingerprint card and another sheet (what else can you expect from bureaucracy?) and I had to resubmit both forms again in October. To this date, my file is still in progress. Why? Because the fingerprint card had to be sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and then onto the FBI for background checks, which usually takes more than 90 days. A cosmetologist application would take 6 days maximum to clear. If you think Florida takes registration seriously, Arkansas is the Inquisition. If you are going to try recruiting clients at the University of Arkansas, I suggest reading these two pieces: Questions & Answers Related to Agents and University of Arkansas Agent Policy It looks like Conley Sr. had little to no involvement in the purchase of the SUV and that the TV station got the whole thing wrong. KARK-TV has already issued a public apology to Conley Sr. and apologized to D-Mac for reporting false facts. The station should be free from a libel suit in the same way that the MLB should be protected in the Clemens case. I still think it's a little odd that anyone would randomly include Conley Sr.'s name in this report. Even if he is an Arkansas alum, you have to really have a creative mind to throw his name into a story with Darren McFadden driving a new Escalade. I am not pointing fingers or saying that Conley Sr. bought the car for the McFadden's, I am merely saying that he was probably at least in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Some Quick Notes

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:34:41 -0500

1. My Colts have been hit by the injury bug and I'm very worried about what we will look like at the start of the post season. 2. I assume quite a few of you who read my blog watch college basketball, lookout for Eric "EJ" Gordon this year. He should be a monster in the B10 this year. It's amazing how good our AAU team was a couple years ago... PG - Me ( Memphis Grizzlies ) SG- Eric Gordon SF- Daequan Cook ( Miami Heat) PF- Josh Mcroberts ( Portland Trailblazers) C-- Greg Oden ( Portland Trailblazers) I gotta give a shout out to my man Grayson ( Gardner-Webb) for going into Rupp and dropping 22 on the Wildcats. He also played on my AAU team. If any of you have any specific questions you want to ask about NBA or college leave them in replies and I will answer them in a couple days.

Rush, Rush: Pacers Rally From Seven Point Deficit to Freeze the Heat

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 06:19:53 -0500

Kareem Rush hit two clutch three pointers to help Indiana rally from a seven point deficit to post an 87-85 win over Miami. Danny Granger led the Pacers with 25 points, rookie Daequan Cook had a team-high 17 points for the Heat and Shaquille O'Neal had his second consecutive double-single (eight points, seven rebounds) before fouling out with more than five minutes left.

Cleveland

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 23:33:47 -0500

This past friday I went to Cleveland, to do an appearance for Topps. I did something that I have never done before, go to a card convention. It was called The National. There were alot of people there for trading cards and other sports memorabilia. It was really cool. Most of the time i was with ERIC from Topps, he is a cool dude. They made everything harmless and I had fun. I had a chance to help in on a Pack War session that was pretty fun. When I gave out cards, everyone was screaming and grabbing. It was a good atmosphere. I ended up getting on the Ferris Wheel that was there. It was cool and it didn't move that fast, but it was big. I'm not even gonna lie though, after about three times going around I was like I need to get off this thing. After that convention, I went back to my hotel and went to work signing over a thousand stickers within a hour and a half. It wasn't too bad. ERIC and i watched "End of Days" on USA. It's with Arnold S. (i dont know how to spell it), but it was one of his movies. Then I went up to my room to get ready for this Topps party that they had going on at this restaurant called Fahrenheit. It is a really nice place. When I get back i def. will stop in. The party was cool though. They had a Topps thing that i took pictures in front of and they printed out the pictures right then. I enjoyed my night. People showed up to the party, but it was funny cause it was phat for a good thirty minutes then I noticed people were leaving. It was still cool because i got to go to another place were Daequan Cook was and I chilled with him for a little bit, then when he left to head back to Dayton, David Lighty showed up and I chilled with him for the rest of the night. Cleveland is a really cool city, I had fun, and i got to see my teammates. I did have an eight o'clock flight the next morning so that sucked really bad, but it was worth it. Thanks to Topps and ERIC!!!!!!

Daequan Cook's ego will meet its match in Miami

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 01:32:25 -0500

Much has been made about Daequan Cook's ego, but after being drafted 21st overall by the Philadelphia 76ers and promptly traded to the Miami Heat (along with a 2009 second round pick), Cook's ego will meet an even bigger ego: that of the Big Aristotle, Shaquille O'Neal. There's nothing like the reality of playing in the NBA to bring down an arrogant college basketball player, but the fun really begins when you pair him with someone that has a combination of skills and ego like The Diesel. If Shaq is Superman, then the best Cook is is Robin. In other words, one can fly and the other can't. And when you can't fly, there's only so long you can stay up in the clouds.

The Daequan Cook Press Conference

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:45:08 -0500

Daequan Cook is introduced to the local South Florida media and Heat fans. Doesn't Pat Riley look like this is going to be a long season for the mighty Heatians?