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Q: What was it like, just looking back, the whole experience of
playing and upsetting Dallas in the first round with everyone watching,
everywhere?
A: I think it kind of shocked the world and really put the Warriors
back on the map. We're here this season to show that wasn't a fluke and
it wasn't luck. We are we as good as we showed we were and having
everyone from the jump, from training camp to work with each other,
hopefully everyone stays healthy and it's gonna be another good season
for us.
Q: How good do you think Baron will be in a contract year?
A: I've known Baron since high school and know what he can do. As long
as he stays healthy and now he's got this extra motivation, I'd even
say a chip on his shoulder he'll come out and play with. If he stays
healthy it's gonna be a fun season, a real fun season.
Q: Sometimes when guys have contracts coming up, it tends to
fracture a team. This team has a lot of guys that are in that position.
How dangerous is that?
A: I understand where you're coming from and I've seen it happen on
other teams, but this team, there's such an unselfishness on this team
and everyone wants to pull for everyone. We're friends on and off the
court and we honestly want to see everyone do well. With Baron's
contract, my contract, Monta, Dre, Jack, MP, if MP comes back, we've
got a lot of stuff up in the air but our common goal is to win. Then
everyone gets paid and everyone's happy when you win. We know if we all
win, hopefully they'll have to pay all of us and we'll all come back,
because that's what I want to do.
Q: Nellie said MP's coming back.
A: There we go. We got our last piece in here and it's time to go to work now.
Q: Obviously Stephen Jackson's emotions propel him and in large part
the team, but in the playoffs things got kind of out of hand. How tough
is that for him to kind of walk that fine line?
A: That's who he is. He plays with his emotion on his sleeve. I'm the
same way. I think this year we're a little bit more mature, we're a
year older, a year in the system, and I think last year's stuff with
the refs won't be a problem this year.
Q: What are some of the things you've worked on over the summer or plan to take care of in the preseason?
A: My mid-range game, shooting off the dribble because I know a lot of
people will be trying to run me off the 3-point line this year, so I've
put a concerted effort into getting to the basket a lot harder and
being able to pull up on the mid-range.
Q: How special was it to you to nearly be out of the league at the
start of the season before the training camp invite to playing such a
vital role in what many consider to be the biggest upset in the history
of the playoffs with Dallas?
A: It was a great opportunity for me. I can't thank the organization
and Nellie enough for believing in me and giving me that opportunity,
and they put me out there and I was finally able to have a chance to
play my game. I showed them a little bit of what I can do and this year
I really plan to show not only this organization but the whole NBA that
last year was just scratching the surface.
Q: Jason Richardson held that starting shooting guard role his
entire career. How tough is it going to be for whoever ends up taking
that over to fill that spot?
A: I have a feeling it's going to be Monta at the two and he's one of
the best young players in the NBA. For sure we'll miss Jason's heart
and soul but we've gotta move on. As much as we'll miss him he's gonna
miss us. It's part of the game and we're very happy we still have Monta
and I'm sure Monta's gonna do a great job playing that two spot.
Q: Is that the most interesting battle of training camp, Monta and Marco fighting over those minutes?
A: Yeah. It's gonna be fun. I know Monta has a lot to prove after kind
of an up and down playoff series and that all comes as part of being
young. But he's a year older, a year more experienced and coming in he
worked hard this summer on his game and I expect Monta to pick up where
he left off during the regular season.
Q: Do you feel like you should be part of that conversation?
A: I'd rather come off the bench. I can play well starting or coming
off the bench, but I like being that spark off the bench and if our
team is down I can try to get everyone going again. I'm assuming I'll
probably be coming off the bench and that's not a problem with me.
Q: That kind of plays into some of the contract stuff that went on
in the offseason. Some people were speculating a multi-year deal, X
amount of money, but then you got the one year here. Do you still feel
that gives you something you have to prove?
A: Absolutely. I definitely thought after last year, I thought it'd be
a multi-year deal but it wasn't. So with the one-year deal I'm very
happy to be back here, very fortunate and hopefully they'll see what
they need to see this year to sign me to a multi-year deal next year.
Q: So that really gives you more of a motivating factor. In a lot of
cases you see somebody take a big contract, the number of years, and
the play slacks off. Does that really matter to you?
A: It's been a roller coaster for me to even get here, so I don't take
anything for granted. I'm very happy to get the contract I got and I'm
definitely gonna keep working hard. I know I've improved a lot this
summer and I'm ready to go out there and get that big one for next
summer.
Q: You added the California tattoo over the offseason. Any plans for the next one?
A: I got about five or six new ones this summer so right now I'm kind
of just gonna relax and focus on basketball. I went through enough pain
this summer with tattoos so I got what I got and it's time for
basketball.
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