Daequan Cook and Dorrel Wright

[CB4MiamiHeat]

What do you guys think of them as being the main backups at SG, SF? How much can they improve?... Can Daeqaun Cook learn how to play defense? Can Dorrel use his athleticism on offense instead of just being a spot up shooter or alley-oop receiver? Or as backups, are they fine the way they are?

Or should we bring back Ricky Davis or go after Micheal Pietrus/Azabukie?

[DBurks2818]

They both have star potential, but Cook is probably closer to reaching that level. He needs:

-Better shot selection
-To move his feet more on defense instead of holding and reaching
-Improve his ballhandling (he'll be deadly if he can do this, because his mid-range game is refined for a rookie)
-To become a better playmaker for others (likely the last skill he'll develop)

Wright is more likely to become Gerald Wallace and blow up for someone else if he doesn't fit in E-Spoel's system. He's still young with some decent experience.

[DayofMourning]

I disagree.

Wright is being pigeon holed into a spot up shooter in the current version of our offense. Remember Keith Askins role? Majerle's? Posey's? Wright is the current SF and that's what Pat expects of him. With more free reign he'd be a 20 point scorer. His defensive is undervalued here as well.

Cook looks to be a good shooter, but I don't see a lot of potential in the rest of his game. I didn't see it at Ohio State or the couple of games I watched of him in high school either. He's one dimensional, but I believe he'll round off his game a little, not a lot, and become a strong mid range to long range shooter. I definitely would like to keep him here as eventual offense off the bench.

[DBurks2818]

I don't know. Cook's potential is obvious to me. You don't come in lighting up defenses as a 19-year old in your first season (in your first *game*) without having a lot of potential. Granted he tailed off and his good games were way more infrequent than his bad games, but so were his minutes. He hit the wall and will be able to prove himself again next year.

I don't understand what you mean disagreeing with my stance on DWright. We're saying the same thing there.

[DayofMourning]

I disagree with your assessment that Cook is closer to reaching star potential.

Cook is reeeaaallyyy streaky. Albeit, he didn't have the best situation to succeed in with our team last year, but he needs to find a comfort level and that will come with experience. I don't see him becoming a "star" though. He is one dimensional right now and I haven't seen any other facets of the game he succeeds at other than shooting the ball.

[DBurks2818]

Well he's a rookie that only had half a season of college experience. He's got even less experience than Wright and yet has the drive, poise, confidence, and aggressiveness to attack teams from day 1.*That's* why he's closer to becoming a star. Even though he still hasn't put in as many hours of practice as DWright, he's not afraid to do whatever it takes to reach that level.

Cook: "I want to be a superstar."

I know it may seem silly, but have you ever heard Wright say anything like that? It's all about desire.

Next year will be more telling.

[miamiballer]

my opinion is that cook can be a solid scoring punch off the bench and that he's young and talented but def. wont be a star

wright has a solid game but will be really well served on another team or one that plays to his talents...if he played in GS he would be a star IMO

[DayofMourning]

Just because you are aggressive doesn't mean you have star potential. The sum of your game and how developed each part is has more to say about that. Wright can do many more things than Cook can. I've seen that from day one. He has excellent height and length, strong defense and rebounding, real good shooting percentages, and very good athleticism. Cook has none of that except for athleticism. He doesn't have it in his character or his approach to the game. I would love to see him do it and evolve his game, but the basic foundation of a player stays the same. I don't see Cook being the all around talent that Wright is. I give Cook the edge in aggressive nature, but when he goes out and shoots one of seven from long range I have a hard time praising his aggressive nature.

[miamiballer]

yeah cook has more confidence but wright has a more well rounded game

[BBallFreak]

With more free reign he'd be a 20 point scorer. His defensive is undervalued here as well.

No, just.... no....

[HeatGuyInChicago]

I hope they can become Voshon Lenard (Cook) and Keith Askins (Wright). As the Rock says "Know your role, and shut your mouth."

Go Heat!!!

[CB4MiamiHeat]

20ppg!?!? Really id be ecstatic if hes like Josh Childress or Pietrus..where he can come off the bench and get like 10pts a game with really good defense.

[DayofMourning]

Ricky Davis was a 20 point scorer if you don't remember....

If you have a problem with how a poster presents his opinions, put him on ignore. But he hasn't broken any rules, so there's no reason you should be asking him to change his conduct and calling him out like this. No backseat moderating. Thanks.

[DayofMourning]

20ppg!?!? Really id be ecstatic if hes like Josh Childress or Pietrus..where he can come off the bench and get like 10pts a game with really good defense.

I don't see Wright ever getting 20 a game on the Heat. Let that be said. He'd have to be on a team that features him. You have to look at a guy who shoots 49% from the field could average 20 a game on 15 shots a game. It's not so hard to believe. Wright is an efficient shooter and his length and rebounding ability would only heighten his ability to score 20.

[HeatSince88]

Seriously, can we just sticky a thread called "The Dorell Wright Excuse Machine?" It would have 1000 pages by now dating back to 2004. At least everyone has laid off the Tracy McGrady BS. For now.

About the topic: I don't like relying on either of these guys to fill roles for us, especially if we plan on making a run in the playoffs. When's the last time either of them has filled a significant role for a team? That's right everybody .... HIGH SCHOOL. Not in the NBA, not even in college, but in high school.

Dorell's been at it in the NBA since 2004, and had the job outright handed to him last year. He failed to hold it, despite no real talent behind him trying to take it. Likewise, by the end of Cook's freshman year in college when things like defense and making the right pass became crucial for the Buckeyes, he couldn't get off the bench. The last time these guys had and kept any type of meaningful role was high school.

Still, these guys both have nice potential and should NOT be given up on obviously. But if we can find a proven NBA swingman to come off the bench, defend, and hit shots, we must do so. Then if Dorell or Cook beats him out for that role somehow, more power to them. Suddenly, we would have this thing called "depth" that other teams seem to talk about a lot.

In regards to what kind of players they are or can be ...

- Right now Cook is nothing but a shooter who shoots poorly (38% FG/ 32% 3PT). He's got a ways to go. But I have to admit, I think he's got "it" ... that savvy that you either have right away or never have at all. Right now though, he's no better than a Juan Dixon or some other minimum salary role player, but there's potential there. If he works hard for the next few years, I can see him becoming at best a Cuttino Mobley. But there's no way I just HAND him a role right now. He's not ready, and it's not fair to waste another year of Wade's Heat career on guys who aren't ready to win. When they are ready, they can earn the PT like everyone else does. That's how it works.

- Dorell is obviously tantalizing with his athleticism, but he's going nowhere if he can't hit a jumper consistently or make better decisions about when to pass, or when to shoot. It's not asking a lot really. He lacks the bulk and toughness to get to the rim and finish consistently (a la Wade or Marion) so he MUST sharpen that range. Unfortunately, the savvy I talked about Cook having has escaped Dorell Wright. He just doesn't have it, and there's no way you can just go get it. Right now, Wright's inconsistency puts him hardly better than guys like Ariza or Newble. He may flash more than them here and there numbers-wise, but their consistency defensively and mentally on offense exceeds Dorell's. His remaining upside could land him somewhere around the 2006 (declining) version of Andrei Kirilenko *IF* everything went right from here on out. But I'm not lead to believe that will happen given his lack of progress over the last 4 years.

Long story short: let the kids continue to work at it, but seek a guy who's already PROVEN he can defend, hit open shots, and play smart basketball ... Wade deserves it. And if Dorell or Cook somehow beat the guy out for minutes, great - that's how it should work.

[CB4MiamiHeat]

great post i agree...im not a big fan of "potential" either, id rather get a solid proven role player....i think Cook has that swagger, theres a possibility he can be a high scoring 6th man.....Wright im not so high on.....

[MartyConlonJr]

Wade's gonna gulp up about 38 minutes a night, leaving Cook with bugger all, less if Banks/Chalmers deserve minutes and take some at the 2 guard. Between 30 mins for Haslem, 38 for Beasley and 38 for Marion, with Beasley and Marion both able to play the SF spot, Wright may not see the floor. In that respect, both are acceptable backups, if they manage to earn real minutes, more power to them.

C - Haslem (15) / Mourning (20) / Blount (13)
PF - Beasley (33) / Haslem (15)
SF - Marion (38 ) / Beasley (5) / Wright (5)
SG - Wade (38 ) / Cook (10)
PG - Banks (25) / Chalmers (15) / Quinn (8 )

Just as an example, this could be our depth chart if Cook and Wright are unreliable. Optimistically, you probably prefer Wade, Marion and Beasley to play less than 38, but Marion has had 37-40 mpg most his career, Wade around 38, and if Beasley is as NBA ready as exected, he could see those big minutes

[dflash3]

I've given up on Wright after so many seasons of giving him excuses. All I hope from him is to become a quality role player who can defend and hit open jumpers. I still have hope for Cook though, since he seems like someone who will put in the hard work necessary to improve his skills compared to Wright.

[DayofMourning]

Seriously, can we just sticky a thread called "The Dorell Wright Excuse Machine?" It would have 1000 pages by now dating back to 2004. At least everyone has laid off the Tracy McGrady BS. For now.

About the topic: I don't like relying on either of these guys to fill roles for us, especially if we plan on making a run in the playoffs. When's the last time either of them has filled a significant role for a team? That's right everybody .... HIGH SCHOOL. Not in the NBA, not even in college, but in high school.

Dorell's been at it in the NBA since 2004, and had the job outright handed to him last year. He failed to hold it, despite no real talent behind him trying to take it. Likewise, by the end of Cook's freshman year in college when things like defense and making the right pass became crucial for the Buckeyes, he couldn't get off the bench. The last time these guys had and kept any type of meaningful role was high school.

Still, these guys both have nice potential and should NOT be given up on obviously. But if we can find a proven NBA swingman to come off the bench, defend, and hit shots, we must do so. Then if Dorell or Cook beats him out for that role somehow, more power to them. Suddenly, we would have this thing called "depth" that other teams seem to talk about a lot.

In regards to what kind of players they are or can be ...

- Right now Cook is nothing but a shooter who shoots poorly (38% FG/ 32% 3PT). He's got a ways to go. But I have to admit, I think he's got "it" ... that savvy that you either have right away or never have at all. Right now though, he's no better than a Juan Dixon or some other minimum salary role player, but there's potential there. If he works hard for the next few years, I can see him becoming at best a Cuttino Mobley. But there's no way I just HAND him a role right now. He's not ready, and it's not fair to waste another year of Wade's Heat career on guys who aren't ready to win. When they are ready, they can earn the PT like everyone else does. That's how it works.

- Dorell is obviously tantalizing with his athleticism, but he's going nowhere if he can't hit a jumper consistently or make better decisions about when to pass, or when to shoot. It's not asking a lot really. He lacks the bulk and toughness to get to the rim and finish consistently (a la Wade or Marion) so he MUST sharpen that range. Unfortunately, the savvy I talked about Cook having has escaped Dorell Wright. He just doesn't have it, and there's no way you can just go get it. Right now, Wright's inconsistency puts him hardly better than guys like Ariza or Newble. He may flash more than them here and there numbers-wise, but their consistency defensively and mentally on offense exceeds Dorell's. His remaining upside could land him somewhere around the 2006 (declining) version of Andrei Kirilenko *IF* everything went right from here on out. But I'm not lead to believe that will happen given his lack of progress over the last 4 years.

Long story short: let the kids continue to work at it, but seek a guy who's already PROVEN he can defend, hit open shots, and play smart basketball ... Wade deserves it. And if Dorell or Cook somehow beat the guy out for minutes, great - that's how it should work.

Wright has gotten a lot better since his start in the league. He's only 22. Sorry for that excuse, but Wright has definite upside still. My point of view, Wright has a role on this team and without Riley choking the life out of him every time he makes a mistake then maybe he'll gain the all important confidence he needs. He has the tools to exceed. Wasn't Billups in a similar situation before he finally got his chance? Out of place and underappreciated before he got to Detroit and then things changed. Maybe a new coach and a facelift of the team will give him his opportunity.

[HeatSince88]

Wade's gonna gulp up about 38 minutes a night, leaving Cook with bugger all, less if Banks/Chalmers deserve minutes and take some at the 2 guard. Between 30 mins for Haslem, 38 for Beasley and 38 for Marion, with Beasley and Marion both able to play the SF spot, Wright may not see the floor. In that respect, both are acceptable backups, if they manage to earn real minutes, more power to them.

C - Haslem (15) / Mourning (20) / Blount (13)
PF - Beasley (33) / Haslem (15)
SF - Marion (38 ) / Beasley (5) / Wright (5)
SG - Wade (38 ) / Cook (10)
PG - Banks (25) / Chalmers (15) / Quinn (8 )

Just as an example, this could be our depth chart if Cook and Wright are unreliable. Optimistically, you probably prefer Wade, Marion and Beasley to play less than 38, but Marion has had 37-40 mpg most his career, Wade around 38, and if Beasley is as NBA ready as exected, he could see those big minutes

But when someone gets injured (and they WILL) that adds 38 minutes to Cook and Dorell, bringing their total to 53 minutes a game.

That's what I'm talking about with depth. If we can find a guy who can definitely hit shots and definitely defend consistently, why not? At the very least, when that injury happens, we're not leaning on D-Leaguers to save our season again.

It's worth at least looking for that guy, maybe even using Ricky or JWill in a sign-and-trade. Would Ricky fit in G-State? Would Pietrus fit here? There's somewhere to start ...