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Pressure Cook-er

Imagine (OK, dream) for a moment that you're an NBA rookie.

Now picture yourself taking the floor as a teammate with the likes of Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning

OK, nervous yet? Well, it's been an eye-opening experience for Daequan Cook, the Miami rookie out of Ohio State, who just debuted his blog on Slam.

Among the tidbits was this gem: "If you screw up a play, especially a play for Shaq or Dwyane, they'll get mad at you. They look forward to plays getting called for them, especially Shaq. D-Wade can kind of create his own shot if he has to, but Shaq, he gets upset if you mess up on a play for him. He'll joke around with you but he also lets you know that you can't be on the floor if you're going to mess up the team's plays."

No pressure, kid.

So far, though, Cook has played without fear, which is a big reason why he's getting so much playing time in Miami, a rare feat for a rookie on a Pat Riley-coached team. Cook has provided a spark to a squad struggling to find answers, chipping in 10.2 points per game (third among rookies) in only 19.2 minutes.

All while trying not to screw up Shaq's plays.

(Send comments, complaints or hype for your favorite rookie to Drew Packham at drew.packham@turner.com.)