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In 2015, Quinn Cook had his first chance to blow up an NBA formation with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, Cook played only six games before the pre-season, but he tied a relationship with LeBron James that would pay him dividends.
Earlier this month, Cook was replaced by the Golden State Warriors, the team that offered him his first full-time job in the NBA and the team with which he won a championship last year. After two promising seasons in Oakland, Cook was able to land a major contract for the first time in his young career. He also had the luxury of deciding where he wanted to play after signing 10-day and partially guaranteed contracts in previous seasons.
Cook seemed to be aiming at Los Angeles and his former teammate, James, did everything to get Cook to fulfill his wish. At a conference call Thursday, Cook said James and he wanted to meet on the Lakers.
"(LeBron being here) played an important role because I know that LeBron makes everyone better. It brings the best of everyone, and I saw it a bit during my stay in Cleveland. He made me a better player in two months, "Cook said.
"To have a full season with him, I can only imagine the type of player I can be. It was really a big thing. Obviously, we have an excellent relationship. He called Rob [Pelinka] in my name, "continued Cook. "I am happy that he believes in me and that he wants me to be part of this team. It meant a lot. "
This may seem like a terribly kind gesture for someone with whom James has only spent a few weeks during the pre-season several years ago, but according to Mark Medina of The Mercury News, James and Cook have kept in touch over the years. Cook also has a relationship with Davis:
Cook already had close relations with James and Anthony Davis. Cook called Davis "brother" after Cook played against each other during the 2011 McDonald's All-American match and had a brief stint together in New Orleans (2016). -17). Cook called James "my vet" for two reasons. James, who is close to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, has often attended Blue Devils games during his four-year run (2011-2015). Cook played in the Cleveland Cavaliers training camp roster in 2015. During his various stints in New Orleans (2016-17), Dallas (2016-7) and Golden State (2017-19). ), James stayed in touch.
"At any point in my career, he would make sure I was good, talking to and giving me advice," Cook said of James. "Having a guy like that in your corner, who I can talk to at any time and give me advice, helps me at every step of my career. It's something I never took for granted. I can not wait to find him again. "
Cook will fight for a few minutes as leader with Rajon Rondo, who signed with the Lakers last season, and Alex Caruso, who has been part of the team for two seasons, but with the support of James and Davis he should be able to play an important role in the rotation of head coach Frank Vogel. It does not hurt, either, that his career is 41.8% behind the 3-point line.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll on podcast feed iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at the address @RadRivas.
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