DI: How have you adjusted to the LA traffic?
BC: It's the maddest I've ever been in my life. I'm used to Chicago traffic, but it's five lanes here and you sit in stand-still traffic for hours. I'm sitting in the car and the motorcycles are riding right by me. I'm thinking 'Man, I wish I could ride them.' But I never get on a bike. I never get on a bike (laugh).

DI: Knowing the storied history of the Lakers and seeing that stars like Karl Malone and Gary Payton took pay cuts to play for the Lakers, do you feel the pressure to win a championship already?
BC: I think everybody does. Everybody has been working really hard and they said they've been training a lot harder in the off-season. You look up there and you see all of those trophies. It's a championship program. They expect winning. They expect you to be at your best.

DI: What did you do after you were drafted?
BC: I went to Chicago for a while to work out. Then I went home to Lincoln for about a month and hung out with my family. I just chilled and kicked it for a bit. Then they wanted us to come out here early.

DI: What's the first item you splurged on with your new contract?
BC: I bought my mom a car. And then I bought myself a car.

DI: Have you gotten a chance to work with Phil Jackson much and what advice has he given you?
BC: I haven't met him yet face-to-face. I've talked to him on the phone. But he's been on vacation so I haven't seen him. You saw him before me. He's in the building so maybe I'll meet him today. (editor's note: DI writers Chris Neubauer and Colleen Kane met Jackson as they were entering the Lakers practice facility to conduct the interview with Cook).

DI: Has famous Lakers fan and Oscar winning actor Jack Nicholson given you a welcoming call yet?
BC: Not yet. Me and Luke are just the bottom of the bunch. We're just rookies.

DI: Have the coaches talked to you about your role on the team?
BC: Shaq's down low. And the other guys just have to know each spot on the floor. I've got the ability to face up and shoot or post up smaller guys. The NBA is all about exploiting mis-matches and using the strengths of players. This offense allows me to use my strengths.

DI: The Kobe Bryant situation has got to be kind of weird for you, you've never met the guy but I'm sure you're asked about it all the time. What's the feeling around here?
BC: I have no idea what's going on. I haven't even met the guy yet. It's not much of a distraction. People go to work here every day and be themselves.

DI: How long will it take you to adjust to LA?
BC: It won't take that long because I'm comfortable on the basketball court. I've been playing for a while so it's just a game to me. It's fun to me. There's a business part to it and you've got to look out for yourself.

DI: What do you miss most about Champaign?
BC: My teammates and the people in the organization. They've been my family for the past four years. I miss Jerrance (Howard) and Sean (Harrington) the most because I came in with them. I've still got a lot of connections there. I miss Rod Cardinal and all of those guys.

DI: How are the Illini adjusting to new coach Bruce Weber and what kind of season can we look forward to?
BC: They're adjusting well to him. They like his offense. He runs a motion offense and they like it. They're going to be fine. They've got great leadership with Jerrance, Roger (Powell), Dee (Brown) and Luther (Head). It's going to take some time to get used to the new coach. But the trip to Europe helped them. They went 6-0.

—Chris Neubauer and Colleen Kane

Question: You got your first taste of NBA basketball. What did you notice about it so far?
Brian: It definitely was much faster. Everything just moved more quickly. And definitely more physical.

Question: You’re coming to a Laker team that desperately needs help at the power forward position. What would you like to bring to the table?
Brian: I hope I can be effective on the offensive end and also show more of my defensive skills.

Question: What would you like to improve upon with these Summer Pro League games?
Brian: Defense, defense, defense.

Question: The obvious question would be, how has the transition been from college to pro?
Brian: It’s too early to tell. Our Summer Pro League team has only had one practice together, so it’s hard to get a good idea.

Question: What did you work on in the one practice?
Brian: The triangle (offense), over and over again.

Question: How is that coming along?
Brian: It’s a real difficult offense to learn. You don’t understand that until you have to play within it. It’s going to take a while to get used to it.

Question: Both you and fellow draft pick Luke Walton are conceivably vying for the same spot at power forward, what is that like?
Brian: Our games are real different and we probably won’t be asked to do the same things. It’ll work out.

Question: After your first Summer Pro League game, what would you say about the Laker prospects so far?
Brian: There’s a lot of good talent here. People don’t care if you were drafted or not. Everybody is hungry and trying to make it in the league. Everybody plays hard.

Question: Do you think you’ll have a good chance at starting when the season begins?
Brian: That’s so far away. I have so much to learn about the offense, the team and the league. I just want to improve as a player. The rest will take care of itself.

Question: You were an offensive-minded player at Illinois. Do you believe you’ll have to change your game somewhat since you won’t be the focal point here?
Brian: It’s like I said, I’ve got to improve defensively. If I take care of business defensively, the offense will take care of itself.

Question: What would you say to those people who think you’re not physical enough inside?
Brian: I’d say wait and see. My game isn’t one-dimensional. At Illinois I played the way my team needed me to play. I’ll play the way my team needs me to play now.

Question: What do you think is your biggest challenge in transitioning from college to the NBA?
Brian: Being able to play well every night. You’re playing the best of the best every single night and in a long season you have to be ready to meet that challenge every night.

"I'm just blessed that God gave me the opportunity to play," Cook said. "This is a dream come true. Everyone dreams of making it to this point and becoming one of the best in the world."
"I feel like I should have went higher," Cook said. "This will just motivate me to work harder."
"I actually ended in a great spot," Cook said. "I have the opportunity to learn from tow of the best players in the game in Kobe and Shaq and the best coach in Phil Jackson."
"My father paved the way for me," Cook said. "I always felt like if he could do it then I could do it too. I got my athleticism from his and my dreams from him. And, I have a lot of love in my heart for him."
"(The criticism) was evident with where I got picked. But, I just have to work harder and get into the gym and prove them wrong."
"(Cook) is a big kid that can shoot on the outside off the pass," said Lakers' head coach Phil Jackson. "They'll be good additions to the basketball club."
"(My teammates) have all influenced my career," Cook said. "Without them we wouldn't have won all of the games we won. Coach Self had a lot to do with that. He taught us how to win and to get to the Elite Eight."
"This is a great opportunity for me," Cook said. "There will be a lot of times when (Shaq and Kobe) will be double teammed and hopefully, I'll get some shots off that. I just have to work hard."
"When my named got announced there was a lot of emotion and crying," Cook said. "We're gonna celebrate for a little bit."

"He's a skilled guy," coach Frank Johnson said. "He can present some problems because he can shoot the ball and he can handle it and make plays off the dribble. Any time you've got a guy who can spread the floor, it causes problems.

"You saw it in the (NBA) Finals with San Antonio. As he gets better, Amare (Stoudemire) is going to create some double teams the way Tim Duncan does for the Spurs, and then you need to have somebody out there who can hit the shot."

"I think my stock is going up," Cook said. "I think I've got a little buzz going around about me, so hopefully everything goes well."

"Nobody wants to miss out on that next Dirk Nowitzki, so they roll the dice," said Mark West, the Suns' assistant general manager. "This kid (Cook) has played here, we've seen a lot of him. But he's 6-10 and people can get 7-footers overseas, so they roll the dice."

on the workout
Cook: It was a great workout. You know, a lot of running ... a lot of shots going up ... a lot of one-on-one competition. I just try to come in here and show what I can do.

on the draft getting closer
Cook: I’m ready to get all of these workouts done with and go home and spend Draft day with my family and friends and keep my fingers crossed and leave it in God’s hands.

on what he’s heard on where he might go
Cook: I don’t know. It’s so up in the air right now. You don’t know until that day.

on what he knows about the Hornets
Cook: I don’t know too much about them. I watched all of basketball. I don’t have a favorite team or anything that I watch so I watched them a few times. They’re athletic, quick, can run the floor and hopefully I’ll be a part of it.

on how he will fit in the NBA
Cook: I think I can play on the inside and outside and show both sides of my game. I think I can shoot pretty well and pass the ball. I think I’ve got a pretty good basketball IQ. I think I could help a team out a lot.

on if he would consider it a slide if he were picked at 18
Cook: I’m just waiting to get my name called. I don’t care. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to be invited to the workouts and this is just a blessing for me.

on Brian Cook
Head Coach TIM FLOYD: Very interesting prospect in that he’s the right height, the right type of athleticism, kind of like the new wave fours that you see in this league in terms of the rangey type of four. I think in the old days in the NBA, they all looked like (Charles) Oakley: 6-8, rugged, 250, 260 but the new wave four is a guy who’s mobile, that’s versatile enough to play inside or outside. He’s skilled enough to do all of those things. I think he’s going to be a fine NBA player.

on the workouts
Executive VP/General Manager BOB BASS: We had Brian Cook in and we had (Jerome) Beasley back for a second look and they’re both within a quarter of an inch of each other so we had good size out there. Both of them are 6-10 with their shoes on. Both had good workouts again and I’m sure they’re going to be drafted somewhere. (Brian Cook) is a skilled player. He’s a very skilled player. He’s got good size and he shoots the ball outside. I would say he’s got skills.

Question: How did your workout go today?
Brian Cook: It went real well. The second time getting looked at by the coaching staff. I’m just blessed I had the opportunity to come out here.

Question: What kind of a message does it send that they had you out a second time?
Cook: Hopefully, things go well. I know the head of the organization real well. With (Suns CEO Jerry) Colangelo, an Illini alum. Hopefully everything goes well, we’ll see.

Question: What did you want to show here today?
Cook: I just wanted to show all my skills, that I can handle the ball, shoot and bang down low. I just wanted to show everybody that I had an inside and outside game.

Question: How would you see your role on the Suns' roster should they draft you?
Cook: It would be an athletic roster. I think I could run the floor pretty well for a big guy, shoot and pass pretty well for a big guy.

Question: What are you hearing about your draft situation right now?
Cook: It changes every day. I’m not going to know until that day. I’ll just keep my fingers crossed and let it be in God’s hands.

Question: Do you follow the coverage and look at all the mock drafts out there?
Cook: No. You don’t know who’s doing that. I don’t pay attention to all that media stuff.

Question: What’s on your schedule from here?
Cook: I go to Orlando on Monday, back to Memphis on Tuesday and I think New Orleans on Wednesday.

Question: Do you think it benefited you to play all four years of college?
Cook: I think so. Each year I tried to improve and by my senior year, it all just paid off. I’ve still got a lot to learn. I know next year, it’s going to be a transition process. I have to learn and there’s going to be peaks and valleys, but I’m ready.

Question: Do you feel like you’re improving your position in the draft with these workouts?
Cook: Yeah, I think so. I think my stock’s going up. I think I’ve got a little buzz going around about me. Hopefully, everything goes well.

Question: Do you think that without the influx of European players that you would be projected much higher than you are?
Cook: The NBA is the best basketball players in the world. With the foreign players, they’ve got good fundamentals. They know how to play. It’s a combination of the world.

Question: You seemed to hit the floor a few times and came up bloody after one play. Have all your workouts been this physical?
Cook: That’s how I play. I’ve always played like that at Illinois, diving for loose balls. I think that’s helped me a lot.

Question: Was there a lot of pressure for you going to Illinois as the state’s Mr. Basketball from high school?
Cook: There was a lot of pressure. I got a lot of criticism earlier on in my career about not being tough, being soft. At first when I got there I didn’t produce like people expected me to, but I proved every year. By my senior year, I thought I led the team. We had a lot of young guys. A lot of freshman came in and I just started taking them under my wings and lead by example.

Question: Was there any validity to the soft label you were given early on at Illinois and what did you do to change that perception?
Cook: I came back my senior year just to show that I could lead, that I could carry a team on my back, I could be aggressive and take shots. I could hit game-winning shots, things like that. That’s what the knock was, that I wasn’t big in crunch time throughout my three years.

Question: Do you think you’ve put those questions to rest at this point?
Cook: That’s the thing with all these workouts. A lot of these guys haven’t seen me play personally. They’re worried about their own season. They haven’t seen me play in college. I wanted to come here and work hard, and show people that I am tough and that I can play. I love proving people wrong.

Celtics.com: How did your workout go today?
Cook: I thought it went real well, I thought I shot the ball well. There are a lot of things I need to work on, that I need to learn, but that will come.

Celtics.com: Where is your next workout?
Cook: Milwaukee.

Celtics.com: How has playing in the Big 10, being the Big 10 Player of the Year prepared you for the NBA?
Cook: I think its prepared me real well, you know having a younger team, carrying them on my back, and being the leader of that team, I had to get us out of tough situations sometimes. It's always going to be a tough situation in the NBA.

Celtics.com: You've been projected anywhere from late lottery to the early second round. Is it tough having so many uncertainties?
Cook: Its kind of tough, I just try to go into these workouts and work hard, give my best effort and let fate take its course.

“I was looking something maybe like the Globetrotters.” Brian said of Brown's alley-oop fun.
Cook was questioned if he was starting to turn into a young Rasheed Wallace after picking up his second career technical foul. “Nah,” he chuckled. “Hopefully, it’s my last if I can keep my mouth shut.The gym was quiet and everyone heard it. I was just speaking my mind. I think he thought I was trying to show him up.”
“What else can I do?” he told reporters as to why he acting like an assistant coach after getting pulling with 4 fouls. “It was the only thing I could do.”
“Brian got off to a bad start, he was rushing everything,” coach Self said. “We gotin a jam without Brian, and we got out of it without Brian.”