He was probably the most popular player in the NBA other than Michael Jordan, |
He's here to work and give the best effort that he can give. You also get the sense he's not willing to concede anything, which is great for the attitude of our team and where we find ourselves at. |
I got to the office at 7 (a.m.). The phone rang at 7:30 and it was John and he said, 'Hey, we've got this thing going. Do you have any interest in getting in, getting involved in any of these players?' That's exactly what happened. Up to that point, I hadn't even talked to Portland, which is why you can't make absolute statements about these things. |
I'm sure that at some point there's going to be talk about Rick being a lame duck. But there's nothing he's done here that's lame, and I haven't seen him ducking under any doors lately. |
It was clear where we were going. Our prospects were not very good. You don't know what's going to happen, my crystal ball is not that clear. He's helped rescue a season headed into oblivion. |
It's clear to everybody that the team needs an injection. He brings a physical presence out on the floor and we can use his versatility. |
It's unlikely that we would keep a 14th or 15th guy that we would pay tax on, |
It's unpredictable. Sitting where I'm sitting today, I don't think I feel any rush to fill (the 13th spot), but that could change tomorrow. |
Kevin is only in his second year, and Francisco's a rookie, but if we're going to get more athletic, and bigger and longer and those things, and develop some younger players, it's got to start sometime, ... We have a lot of confidence in those guys. |
Kevin is only in his second year, and Francisco's a rookie, but if we're going to get more athletic, and bigger and longer and those things, and develop some younger players, it's got to start sometime. We have a lot of confidence in those guys. |
Not in my mind. |
That's really tough on them, but (Oklahoma City) is probably the best selection that was there for them, ... On such a short time frame to work with, (moving there) is an enormous undertaking. |
That's the kind of story that's yet to be written. All we can say is what we've done to this point. And Ron has helped us reclaim a season that was headed for oblivion. |
The team was going into transition. The team that we had could not continue to exist. Because of age, injury, it could not get to that same level. It had to change. I wish this team could have been frozen in time for 10 years, but that's not the reality. |
We don't have any rights of any kind. It's unlikely that we would do it anyway at this point with the way our roster is. |