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Q: You popped up everywhere this summer. Was that the busiest offseason you've had?
A: Yeah, pretty much. Just traveling and traveling and enjoying it,
actually. For the first time coming out of the season and being
healthy, having an opportunity to do something besides spending the
whole summer concentrating on rehabbing my body.
Q: Was China the highlight?
A: I definitely think China was the highlight. Being able to see
basketball in a different country and the appreciation for the game and
for the players, for me it was a tremendous experience. Over there it's
like we're rock stars.
Q: Did you have a goal for your weight in mind? Have you hit it?
A: No, I'm just trying to be in a position to have my body in the best
physical shape possible going into the season. I wanted to have a solid
foundation coming into training camp and have an opportunity to work on
continually getting stronger, more flexible, and I know what the season
is gonna entail going on my ninth year, so I'm better prepared to deal
with training camp and the season.
Q: Is this the best shape you've been in?
A: Yes, absolutely. Since college, or my rookie year in the pros.
Q: What kind of challenges will you face this year? Last year you were kind of the underdog.
A: I think we're still underdogs, so to speak. We had an incredible run
and we're faced with a new challenge because we have a totally new team
with younger guys, and we have to jell. This training camp will give us
an opportunity for our core group to really mesh and then get in
Coach's system and try to flourish.
Q: You and Jason Richardson were tight. Can you talk about how the trade came down for you and how you dealt with it?
A: Being in a situation where I've been traded before and seeing a lot
of players traded, I was better equipped to handle it. I thought he
handled it well. It hurt being that for the first time you have a
shooting guard that's bigger than you (laughs) and a guy that could
light it up. I thought we played well in the backcourt together and
he's a great friend, great family, but this is a business and this team
has some goals in order to improve and I know that he's gonna do well
in Charlotte and we're gonna do well here.
Q: Did he confide in you much? Were you able to help him go through it? Because he sounded like he was real shocked.
A: Yeah, being that I played in Charlotte really helps. A lot of the
people that I still have relationships with and I that consider family
make it an easier transition for him off the court and for his family.
Q: A couple weeks ago you were quoted as saying you would definitely
opt out if you don't get the extension by now. Are you going to opt out?
A: No. I've got two more years on my deal. I'm in a position here where
I think we can do some great things and I just want to lead this team.
The season's starting now and my whole concentration and focus is on
making us a better team than we were last year.
Q: Are you disappointed that the extension didn't happen or hasn't happened?
A: You know what? That's not...it really ain't nothing to comment on.
When it happens it'll happen. I'm confident this is an organization
that has a track record of taking care of players that they want and my
job right now is to get this team off to the right track and just
really concentrate on the season.
Q: Do you feel like you're being treated fairly?
A: Hey man, of course. Of course. I've got two years left, you know
what I mean? I make a lot of money and there's no reason for me to
complain. I'm here, my contract states that I'm here and there's really
no reason to talk about contract situations. The quote in Boston was
like, it was totally off-guard but at the same time sometimes you say
things, you get caught up, we were having a lot of fun and we forget
it's gonna go in the papers (laughs).
Q: There's no way that you could not imagine Don Nelson not coming
back. With all the stuff back here in the Bay Area there was always
every day the "Don Nelson Update." But in your mind, you knew the guy
was coming back, right?
A: Yeah, I talked to Coach all summer, throughout the summer and we
never really talked about contracts or money or anything. We just
talked about the season and how he was getting in shape, saying he
looks great like he's been working out, and I think it's contagious,
the fact that we all want to win and we all want to be here and do
something great this season.
Q: As far as the team, the goal is to try and pick up where you left off last year?
A: Absolutely. Absolutely not, actually (laughs). We want to definitely
start off on the note that we finished going into the playoffs. Like I
said, we got some new guys so we have to get them acclimated into the
system and it's gonna take some time for us get our stride and catch
our rhythm but if we can really use this training camp to and this
preseason to get off to a great start during the season I think that'll
bode well for us.
Q: This team, this philosophy of the up-tempo and all, it just seems
to be a natural that it's a wear-down process that after 82 regular
season games and getting into the playoffs, there is a wear-down
effect. How can that not be part of maybe a problem in the playoffs?
A: I think we're a lot deeper and we can use a lot more guys to do a
lot more things. Monta's gonna be fresher and you bring in the likes of
a Troy Hudson who can start for you some games, who can play 30 minutes
and is capable of getting hot and catching fire. Azubuike, he finished
on a great note. Belinelli, rookie kid. We got a lot of guys who can
score a lot of points so I don't think we'll be wearing out because
everyone on this team likes to shoot the ball and likes to score, so
you don't really get tired when you're shooting.
Q: Your coach just said he wants to keep you to about 28 minutes a game.
A: Awesome. That's awesome (laughs).
Q: Do you think that's realistic?
A: Yeah, I think so. I know it's gonna be tough in the beginning with
Stephen Jackson being out. I'm gonna be called upon to play a lot more
minutes, but I hope to play somewhere in that 30-35 minute range sort
of like Steve Nash and be used in key stretches of the game. I think we
have the talent now and the experience with Monta having another year
under his belt, and Stephen Jackson. Last year I had to play so much
just because there was really nobody to back me up and nobody to play
the two once Jason Richardson got hurt and we couldn't really rely on a
lot of guys. But this year we have so many guys we can rely on that the
pressure's not on me to play 40 minutes.
Q: You're not the only guy with a contract year. Matt came in for
the short money, Pietrus probably will come in for the short money. Don
himself has one year.
A: You know what? It's the NBA and it's a business. We're all fortunate
to be here and to be playing for the amount of money and coaching for
the amount of money that we're getting. Basketball is something where,
if I wasn't in the NBA I'd probably be across the street at the 24-Hour
Fitness getting my ball on for free (laughs). It's just one of those
things where you have to respect the business of the game and know that
if you be good to the game the game will be good to you.
Q: So many years it's been just making the playoffs around here. How does that goal change this year?
A: That's the goal first and foremost, is just to get to the playoffs,
and once you get to the playoffs, win a championship. Teams like San
Antonio, who have won the championship, that's their ultimate goal. For
us, we want to get to the playoffs again and from that point improve on
what we did last year, and I think we have the talent and experience to
do it.
Q: Would you put the championship as a goal?
A: Absolutely, absolutely. You want to think that every time you step
out there on the floor and I think that's gonna be the difference this
year, is that guys are gonna be thinking championship and be held
accountable on a whole other level with ourselves to put ourselves as
close as we possibly can.
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