(McGrady) can hurt you with the shot or the pass. Obviously a pick-and-roll with him and Yao together is hard to guard. |
(McGrady) played super hard today. He just doesn't make (shots) at home like he makes on the road. I can't explain it. We don't have an inside presence right now (without Yao) to throw the ball into to keep the defense honest. He's trying to make a lot of tough shots while playing big minutes. |
(With their) team speed, in general, they cause us some problems. When they play both point guards ( Chris Paul and Speedy Claxton ) together it makes it doubly difficult to try and keep them out of the lane, because you've got two guys who are trying to catch-and-go or pick-and-roll, multiple pick-and-rolls. |
(Yao) did all right, but it's not about individual performance in this league. It's team play and playing collectively. He's still trying to get back in game mode, and we know it will take a while before he's back at full strength. I thought overall, though, he did some good things, but he's still not at 100 percent. |
A lot of our guys are at the crossroads of their careers. Some know it, and some don't. Individually and as a team, we have a lot to play for, regardless of where we stand in the standings. But more so, we owe it when people pay to come see us. |
A warning on a racial epithet? What gets you thrown out? |
Against that team, we're at a quickness disadvantage. So it makes it look like an effort disadvantage, when it truly is a quickness thing. And we don't have the habit or discipline. |
All the great perimeter scorers in this league have a better chance in transition than they do against set defense to get to the line. There's less you can do to scheme in transition. That's not Tracy's greatest strength, but I think it would really help him to get out more actively because I think he could find more freedom, more room to move. |
As much as I loved the team last year and still do, when you lose in the first round (of the playoffs) you have to make some moves. It's all about the results we get. Hopefully, we're going to get some good results. |
Because I knew we were trading for Keith, I thought it was the right time to get together and evaluate where we were going. We came to the conclusion that it would be best if we try to find another team for (Anderson). |
Because of how uninspired we were against the Lakers, it's easy to forget we won four in a row. Winning tonight, we did some real good things. |
But he's aggressive. You've got to give him credit for that. He's a young player who plays real hard. He's got to figure it out, and we've got to figure out where he can play. |
Certainly over 48 minutes, he's the second-most efficient center in the league behind Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal), ... What he has accomplished at his size has never been tried — to be a significant player rather than a fill-a-role player. |
Even though we have a mediocre record, you don't have to be a mediocre player. It's all dependent on how hard you're willing to work to win and how much you want to put into it. You may not always win, but you can certainly put forth great effort and play with passion and discipline. |
Every team relies on greatness down the stretch. However, I do believe that good teams can function efficiently with or without one player. Our chore to function without the one player is going to be tested. |