The Los Angeles Clippers today signed free agent forward Brian Cook. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
Cook, 29, appeared in 15 games for the Houston Rockets last season, averaging 1.4 points and 0.6 rebounds. A seven-year NBA veteran, the six-foot-nine, 234 pound Cook has appeared in 349 career games with the Rockets, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, tallying career averages of 5.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.3 blocks.
The former University of Illinois star was originally drafted by the Lakers with the 24th overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. As a rookie, Cook appeared in 35 games and 13 playoff contests as a member of the 2004 Western Conference Champions. Cook played four complete seasons with the Lakers, making a career-high 81 appearances in 2005-06, the same season he averaged a career-best 7.9 points and 3.4 rebounds.
In his career, Cook has played in 31 total playoff games, averaging 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds. A career 39 percent three-point shooter, Cook has attempted over 80 three-pointers in five different pro seasons, shooting nearly 43 percent from beyond the arc in 2005-06.
Cook joined the Orlando Magic in a trade on Nov. 20, 2007 where he played in 66 total games from 2007-2009. The Lincoln, Illinois native was then traded to Houston on Feb. 19, 2009 as a part of a three-team trade. The Rockets waived Cook on Feb. 19, 2010.
The 2002-03 Big Ten Player of the Year and Third-Team All-American selection as a senior, Cook averaged 20.0 points and 7.6 rebounds in his final college season and finished his Illinois career as the third leading scorer in school history.
Cooks father Norm was a star at the University of Kansas and played in 27 NBA games with the Celtics and Denver Nuggets from 1976-78.