TORONTO — Quinn Cook, the Warriors’ backup point guard out of Duke, can’t confirm where his two buddies, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, will land this summer, but he can confirm the two are tight.
Cook, who followed Irving at Duke and is a childhood friend of Durant’s from Seat Pleasant, Md., has socialized with them as a trio. Cook, who lived with Irving when they were together in Cleveland and now lives with Durant in the Oakland area, said those two guys just hit it off.
Cook, on the eve of Thursday’s NBA Finals, said he had not introduced the pair.
“They played Team USA together (in the 2016 Olympics), they both were hanging at All-Star weekends together,’’ Cook told The Post. “That’s how they created a friendship. I didn’t introduce them. They got close and I was already close with both of them.’’
Speculation is rampant Durant and Irving will attempt to team up with the Knicks. However, recent whispers have West Orange, NJ, native Irving eyeing the Nets and Lakers with equal zest.
A league source told The Post earlier this season Durant could want to bring Cook along if he leaves Golden State as a “package deal’’ because of their longtime bond, as part of the same AAU umbrella in Maryland. Cook is a free agent.
“I haven’t talked to Kyrie about free agency,’’ Cook said. “When I talked to him late in the season, the only thing on his mind was trying to help Boston win and we’ve been talking about life and family since. I have no idea. I’m hoping for the best for him.”
Cook got to know Irving well while he was a freshman at Duke and Irving was around a lot.
“He became a close friend,’’ Cook said. “When he got drafted, it was my freshman year and it was the lockout year. So he was at Duke taking classes. I lived with him my rookie year in Cleveland and we became extremely close.’’
Cook, who played four years at Duke from 2011 to 2014, maintains his close ties with the program and has a good feel of Knicks draft candidate RJ Barrett, the 6-foot-7 swingman.
Cook’s “Godbrother’’ is Duke assistant Nolan Smith, and during the All-Star break, he attended a Duke-NC State game.
“I know RJ,’’ Cook said. “Very confident player. He has unique skills. He’s a winner. He comes from a basketball home, seen his father play professionally. He has Steve Nash as godfather and playing for Coach K and the Canadian national team, he’s a winner. He plays hard.
“In his mentality, he wants to do what it takes to win. If he feels he has to take 30 shots or get a triple double to win, he can do it. I think at this level, he’ll have more space and his game will fit better here. I have a good relationship with all the Duke guys.’’
As for Durant’s return to the Finals, Cook can’t predict. Coach Steve Kerr said at Thursday’s morning shootaround he’d be “a long shot’’ to be cleared for a practice before Game 2.
“He’s taken it head-on,’’ Cook said. “He’s rehabbing twice a day, putting in extra work. He’s the first guy in the facility. When I come back at night to shoot, he’s in there. When I’m watching TV, he has to leave the house to go to rehab.
“He’s trying hard to get back. He’s always encouraging us, so he’s important to have a guy like that with his presence. All he wants to do is win a third championship. He’s trying his hardest to get out there.”
https://nypost.com/2019/05/30/quinn-cook-has-unique-view-of-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-free-agency/
2019-05-30 18:57:00Z
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