‘Cats Capture Cook
The NBA's newest team adds yet another former D-Leaguer.

08.03.04 – The NBA-expansion Charlotte Bobcats have signed former NBDL Fayetteville Patriots' point guard Omar Cook.

Cook will reunite with current Bobcats Assistant Coach Jeff Capel, who guided the Patriots to the NBDL postseason in 2004.

Bobcats General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff is sure the 6'1", 190-pound Cook will be a positive addition to the team.

"Omar has the innate qualities of a point guard," said Bickerstaff. "He has good ball-handling skills and a good body, plus a good understanding of the game. You need your point guard to understand plays and when they are developing and the options. The reads have to be instinctive and he has those instincts."

Cook joined the Bobcats as a member of the team's entry for the 2004 Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue, a summer league held by the Utah Jazz.

He did extremely well there, tying for the league lead with 5.0 assists and placing third with 2.0 steals. Cook started the final five games of the tournament and averaged 3.7 points and 22.3 minutes.

Omar finished the 2003-04 NBA season with the Portland Trailblazers. He signed a 10-day contract on Feb. 3, 2004 and gained a second 10-day contract before signing a longer contract with Portland on Feb. 27. In his inaugural NBA season, Cook averaged 8.2 minutes in 17 appearances with the Blazers.

Cook was called up to the Blazers from the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBDL, where he played in 24 games in 2003-04 and paced the D-League with 9.0 assists and 2.6 steals, while adding 10.2 points.

The unselfish Cook has gained a name around the NBDL as an assisting man, a player who loves to dish the ball rather than take it to the hole.

His 215 assists through 24 games last year put him on pace to shatter his own NBDL single-season record for assists (306).

In three seasons with Fayetteville, Cook was named to the All-NBDL Second Team in 2002 and 2004 and was selected All-NBDL Honorable Mention in 2003.

He also holds the D-League record with 19 assists in a game on Feb. 8, 2002 against Charleston.