Josh Childress' stock has steadily gone up as he has worked out for a number NBA teams after declaring himself eligible for the 2004 NBA Draft following two productive seasons at Stanford. Childress met with the Phoenix media after an intense workout for the Suns and talked about the wide open nature of this year's draft, his progress during the workout process and what he'll be wearing on Draft Night in New York.

Question: How has the pre-draft workout schedule treated you so far?

Josh Childress: The auditioning process is tough. Day in and day out you have to be ready to come out and play. I’ve been traveling a lot, so it’s been tough on my body, but it’s something you have to go through. It’s like an initiation process getting ready to go into the NBA.

Question: What do you think of Phoenix?

Childress: Phoenix is nice. I’ve been pretty successful in the state of Arizona in my past three years. I actually didn’t lose a game here. I enjoy Phoenix. It’s a great place.

Question: What has it been like working out for NBA executives and coaches?

Childress: One of the fortunate things about TV is that they see me play so much. This workout is something where they get to know you a little better on a personal level and see things that they want to see that you can do in their system. But, it’s not that stressful. It’s what I want to do, so I have to be ready for it.

Question: What is your take on where you might be taken?

Childress: That’s one of the craziest things about this process. I don’t know what anyone is thinking right now. It’s out of my hands, so I just have to come out and perform, and play hard every day and hope that someone likes me.

Question: Have you talked to Casey Jacobsen about the Suns and the draft process?

Childress: Casey’s recruiting me. When it’s all said and done, it’s going to come down to who wants my services the most and I’m looking forward to it.

He actually has been very helpful in this process. When I made my decision he had a list of what every team does to put you through their workouts that he had drawn up for the guys the year before and the coaches had saved it. It was very helpful. He broke everything down, and told you what to expect and what not to expect during the process. He was really helpful in that regard. It was a big time cheat sheet.

Question: Do you look at all the mock drafts?

Childress: You really can’t pay attention to those things because those aren’t GMs talking. Those are just speculation; guys thinking they know what teams want and what teams are looking for. You kind of have to take that with a grain of salt. I am more interested in what the GMs, the owners and the head coaches are telling me, and my representative, as opposed to these mock drafts say. They don’t know, just like I don’t know. We’ll all find out June 24.

Question: How do you think you would fit in with the Suns?

Childress: That’s definitely one of the things I was thinking about. I think it’s one of the things the staff was thinking about. In talking to them, they see me as more of a shooting guard. I don’t know exactly how deep they are at the shooting guard position, but I know this team is stacked with wings. Like I said, you don’t know. There are trades; there are many things that come into consideration. I just have to come out and perform for each team like it’s the team that’s going to pick me.

Question: How do you feel your experience at Stanford prepare you for the NBA?

Childress: I think my experience there helped me because I was able to fundamentally learn the game of basketball. It helped me to learn to win, just do whatever it takes to win. That’s one thing that Coach Montgomery is all about: Winning, being dedicated, playing smart and I think that’s the biggest thing that will carry over.

Question: How does it feel to have your draft stock on the rise in the last few weeks and why do you think that is?

Childress: That was my hope. I’d hoped I could come in here and prove guys wrong, and prove to these teams that I’m stronger than they expected, I’m more athletic than they expected, and I can play in the open court, which is something I didn’t get to do a whole lot of at Stanford. I think that’s why my stock has risen. I’ve been able to show that I can play in a fast break system and I can handle pressure. I can bang with guys. I can do all those things that were always considered my weaknesses.

Question: Have you consulted with Ben Wallace for hair care advice?

Childress: No. I can consult him on how to win, but not on hair (laughs).

Question: Does it bother you that this draft seems so wide open?

Childress: That’s what’s scary. There is nothing definite in this draft. Some of these teams could trade. Orlando could trade, Chicago could trade, the Clippers could trade, there’s no definite pick. Last year, Cleveland was for sure going to pick LeBron James. There was a definite one through five picks, whereas this year it’s… Who knows?

Question: Do you feel teams look at you having more value because of your college experience?

Childress: I think they do. I think they’re interested in someone who can come in right away and contribute and someone who can assimilate to the culture of the NBA. It’s not easy all of a sudden making millions of dollars and having all these people hang onto you. I think that’s a definite plus in my favor. I’ve had three years of college. I’ve matured as a person. I’ve learned to see through people’s motive and see what they really want, which some of these high school players might not be able to do.

Question: What is your feeling on David Stern’s desire for an age limit in the NBA Draft?

Childress: It would be helping me right now (laughs). I don’t know, I really don’t. it’s tough to tell a kid that even though you’re good enough to go make millions of dollars, you have to wait. What helped me in my decision was the thinking that you go to college to get a successful job, to go into the work force. If I can leave early and do the same thing, then why not? It’s a majority of these guys dreams to play in the NBA and to tell them they have to wait another few years, it’s a touchy subject. From my end, there’s no right or wrong answer.

Question: Is the mystery surrounding where you will get drafted exciting for you as the big day approaches?

Childress: No, not at all. It’s nerve-racking. It’s stressful. These are job interviews and it’s on a much larger scale than normal jobs. The most stressful thing about it is that you have no clue. You have no clue what these teams are thinking. Everybody’s going to tell you they’re interested in you and that they think you’ll be a good fit here, but you don’t know.

Question: Will you be in New York for the draft?

Childress: They sent out invitations yesterday and I’m hoping that I got one at my house. I’ve got my suit all picked out. Low key, conservative. Nothing too flashy.