Cooke is an impressionable teenager, but this isn't a film about a good kid gone bad. There's a level of introspection to Cooke, who is often seen discussing his options about going to college vs. entering the NBA draft straight out of high school. Cooke and his buddies discuss Kwame Brown, who entered the draft the year before Cooke's eligibility, and consider what they'd do with the salary Brown was offered. Their dreamy ideas are countered by former NBA coach Mike Fratello, who presents a shocking breakdown of just how little a million dollars will get you in the NBA. After taxes, agents, fees, insurance and other necessities, a player was making less money than someone with far less yearly gross.
Há um nível de introspecção ao Cooke, que muitas vezes se vê discutindo suas opções entre ir à faculdade e entrar no draft do NBA direto do ensino médio. Cooke e seus amigos discutem Kwame Brown, que entrou no draft um ano antes da eligibilidade do Cooke, e consideram o que fariam com o salário que foi oferecido a Brown. Suas idéias sonhadoras são contrariadas pelo antigo treinador do NBA Mike Fratello, que mostra uma chocante realidade do quão pouco do milhão de dólares do NBA sobraria para ele. Após impostos, comissões, taxas, seguro e outras necessidades, um jogador conseguia menos dinheiro que alguém com renda anual bem menor.
It would seem that Shopkorn made the wrong decision by following Cooke, but hindsight is 20/20. When Cooke enters the draft in 2002, he was hotter than the younger LeBron James. One of the best scenes in "Lenny Cooke" details Cooke's big game against James, the outcome of which looked like many last second King James heartbreakers. There's also footage of Cooke squaring off with his fellow draftee Stoudemire. When the draft ended, Stoudemire was on his way to the NBA, and Cooke was never called to the league.
