SALT LAKE CITY _ Warriors guard Quinn Cook put everything in perspective over his recently signed two-year contract with the Warriors after spending the nearly past three years trying to secure an NBA future.
"It's a dream come true and thankful for the opportunity. I'm just humbled," Cook said following morning shootaround on Tuesday. "It's just more motivation for me to help this team out as much as possible. I know they believe in me. It's more motivation to get better as a teammate and keep growing."
The Warriors and Cook officially signed a guaranteed deal on Tuesday that will secure him for the team's playoff roster and for the 2018-19 season. The Warriors had waived Omri Casspi on Saturday to open a roster spot for Cook, whom the Warriors considered a priority amid a diminished backcourt in Stephen Curry (left MCL sprain left knee) and Patrick McCaw (bone bruise near spine). The Warriors also became further impressed with Cook's production and professionalism. He has averaged 17.5 points while shooting 53 percent from the field and 50.7 percent from 3-point range as well as 4.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 35 minutes per game in the last 14 contests.
Despite those numbers, Cook said, "I want to keep getting better. Keep living in the moment, staying ready and staying solid." How so?
"Keep staying consistent and not just playing well over a 10-game span," Cook said. "Make it 20 games. Make it 30 games. Be a consistent pro. Keep getting better and learning from all of these guys like I've been doing. It's good to have some security."
That contrasted to what the undrafted Cook went through after helping Duke win the NCAA championship in 2015. Cook went through training camp roster cuts with Cleveland (2015) and Atlanta (2017), played on 10-day contract with Dallas (2017) and New Orleans (2017). Cook also was released by New Orleans after playing on its summer league team. When the Hawks released Cook in mid October, the Warriors signed Cook to a two-way contract that enabled him to spend up to 45 days with the team and to play for its G-League team in Santa Cruz. Cook then became the first G-League player in the league's 17-year history to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the foul line in a season.
"Even when I was on two-way (deal), I was just thankful to be a part of this organization," Cook said. "Now I'm on a guaranteed deal. It's a dream come true. I'm thankful because I get to learn even more now."
