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Golden State Warriors fans have been waiting for what feels like an eternity to see former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman back on the court. His absence wasn’t Klay Thompson-esque, of course, but the big man was seemingly “a week or two” away from returning for months on end.
On Thursday night, however, Wiseman finally played in his first game since tearing his meniscus last April. Suiting up for Golden State’s G League affiliate, the 20-year-old raised eyebrows by putting up 18 points and six boards in just 21 minutes of play.
It was a banner night for the baller and the Warriors organization alike. That said, a familiar face did his best to spoil the occasion for the good guys.
Namely, former Warriors guard and two-time NBA champion Quinn Cook, who hit the court as a member of the Sea Dubs’ opponents, the Stockton Kings.
Santa Cruz Gets Cooked
Cook, who signed a G League deal last month and found his way to the Kings shortly thereafter, was appearing in just the third game of his comeback run. However, the journeyman baller was nonetheless firing on all cylinders against Santa Cruz, a team he spent significant time with just a few years back as a two-way signee.
In 33 minutes of play, the one-time Warrior dropped a team-high 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting (and 3-of-7 from deep). He also added six assists and five rebounds to lead his squad to a 109-99 win.
Frankly, Cook looked like a player who should probably be plying his trade in the Association right now. Nevertheless, his current spot in Stockton is a far cry from where he was just a few, short months ago.
As noted during his January appearance on Dubs Talk, the 28-year-old dealt with a calf injury that lingered into the summer (and beyond) from his time with the Lakers and the Cavs last season. The injury continued to plague him into training camp with the Blazers and he was ultimately cut as a result.
From there, he went to Russia and Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB League and EuroCup. However, the two sides decided to part ways in December.
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Cook’s Two-Way Success & Title Wins
Although he didn’t hear his name called during 2015 draft, Cook caught on with the Cavs’ affiliate — the Canton Charge — and made the most of his time there. Over parts of two seasons with the team, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 37.7% from behind the arc.
That output was enough to net him 10-day contracts with the Mavericks and Pelicans in 2016-17.
After failing to catch on with the Hawks that fall, he finally landed with Golden State, with whom he became a two-way success story. Cook would play in 107 games for the Dubs from 2017 to ’19, averaging 7.7 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 41.8% from distance. Along the way, he won a title in 2018.
When the Warriors ultimately decided to let him walk, Cook signed with the Lakers for the pandemic-shortened ’19-20 campaign, capturing his second championship ring as a result.
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