Portland Preseason Presser 18-19

[kucoach7]

GM Kevin U. Coach VII: Well, guys I did it again. I hit the reset button on the reset and am trying to contend. We brought back Portland's favorite son, Derrick Rose. We brought in some serious rebounding and rim protection with the Faried and Davis trades as well as the Bogut and Wright signings. We also drafted our star of the future in Jayson Tatum (until I lose patience and trade him in a go-for-broke desperate win-now lopsided trade...). All-in-all, I had a great offseason and I just want to take a moment to pat myself on the back. [Some chuckles but mostly groans]

Coach Toni Kukoc: Well done, Kevin. I'm excited to be coaching Derrick again. He may have had his problems with the front office but he and I have always been tight and I look forward to making more deep playoff runs with him. We had a solid camp. Tatum and Turner obviously had good camps. Kenneth had a very nice camp and developed some skills that should help when we try to play him on the wing at times. Jeremy did what he has done time and time again, have the best camp on the team. You don't become a blue chip prospect second round draft pick by wasting time in camp. We're hoping he can continue to improve his post game and ramp up the scoring even more this year. We know were not going to be the best defensive team in the league but I know we can do better than we did in the preseason. Our blueprint to a successful season will look a lot like what Atlanta did last year, just blitz teams into oblivion on offense and use the talent we have on defense wisely.

Derrick Rose: Well, I'm back. [Nervous laughter from the crowd] A lot of people have asked how I felt about that, considering I tried to leave twice in free agency. Look, everything happens for a reason. I've had good times and bad times in Portland. Last year we nearly won it all in Sacramento. Ultimately, Sactown didn't feel like they were built to keep winning now and were better suited to try later. I'll always be grateful for the time I had in Sacramento but I'm excited and humbled to have another shot at bringing a championship to the city of Portland. I love this group of guys already. I have never played with another scorer like CJ. We are going to be hell on wheels for teams night in and night out. Jeremy and the Manimal are two of the scrappiest, grittiest guys in the league. I joke with Ed and Bogut that they are no Steven Hunter (or even Chandler, Griffin, Okafor, or Perkins for that matter) but I know that these guys are world class. Ultimately my goal is what it has always been, win a championship.

Coach Kukoc: Since we only have two returning players from last year, we are going to get the year kicked off with some get-to-know-you games. Okay guys, if you could have any super power, what would it be?

Bogut: The speed of Flash
Augustin: The strength of the Hulk
Tatum: Elastic arms
Rose: Whatever Anthony Davis is doing [Laughs from the team and the crowd]

Coach Kukoc: Good one, Derrick. Now for my favorite game, what is your favorite Pitbull song?

CJ: Oh yeah, I've gotta go with "Get it Started." Love me some Tom Cruise and Mumbai.
Jeremy: Ah man, you took mine. I'll go with "Back in Time." I don't give a number 2!
Davis: I'm going with that playoffs song. If you're ready for the playoffs say playoffs or yeah!

Coach Kukoc: Finally, we'll end with two truths and a lie. Kenneth, why don't you start.

Kenneth: Okay. Well, let's see. I've never made the playoffs. I have over 300 Star Wars figurines. And I'm Muslim. [mumbled guesses from the team]. I've played in the playoffs twice. Come on, guys!
Brant Valdez: I'll go next. I have been cut twice. I once won player of the game. I enjoy Korean pop music. [Everyone guesses player of the game in unison]. Jerks!
Rose: I'll finish up. I'm pissed I'm back in Portland. I didn't actually know who Kenneth Faried was before this season. I hate passing the ball to CJ. [Awkward silence]

[trillotto]

With a 5 year age gap between Jayson Tatum and almost the entire rest of the roster, do you worry about the team being stuck between development and win-now?

[garbageman]

No mention of Jeremy Lamb or CJ McCollum in your press conference. What are their roles going to be on the team this season as both are extremely talented players vying for the same position?

[kucoach7]

With a 5 year age gap between Jayson Tatum and almost the entire rest of the roster, do you worry about the team being stuck between development and win-now?

Yes, I worry. I have been and will be tempted many times to send him off for a star big man or legit SF but for now, I like the idea of having direction in a post-Derrick-Rose-superstar world. It also helps me see a cap reset in the future. Four years from now, he'll be ready to start (TC gods willing) and still on a rookie contract when D-Rose's salary starts to decline and I finish paying for CJ's prime. That is a future I can live with.

[WigNosy]

Who do you see as the first guard off the bench behind McCollum and Rose in your rotation?

[kucoach7]

No mention of Jeremy Lamb or CJ McCollum in your press conference. What are their roles going to be on the team this season as both are extremely talented players vying for the same position?

CJ and Lamb are the only holdovers from last year so they took a back seat during the get-to-know-you games. CJ's role is clear. Punish teams every time they cheat and send help on Rose. Based on the preseason, that part of our gameplan will work out great. Lamb's role is clear but we have to do a better job with it moving forward. He's supposed to be our number three scorer so we'd expect closer to 20 a game from him. If a team manages to bottle up Rose and CJ, Lamb should be there waiting to drain a corner 3. He is our best perimeter defender but we need him to step up his game in the post.

[kucoach7]

Who do you see as the first guard off the bench behind McCollum and Rose in your rotation?

This is a tough question. Our rotation is going to be tight. Ideally, Lamb and CJ take all of the SG minutes and Faried can get a good share of the SF minutes, meaning that when CJ or Lamb come off the floor the first sub could likely be Ed Davis. DJ Augustin will be our backup point so I guess that makes him the first guard off the bench. We're also hoping Valdez can come in and drain some 3's off the bench.

[NOLa.]

Rose and CJ look to be the best PG/SG combo in the league currently. Do you believe these two will lead you to a Derrick Rose repeat Finals appearance? We here in Sacramento wish both of these former players the best!


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[kucoach7]

Rose and CJ look to be the best PG/SG combo in the league currently. Do you believe these two will lead you to a Derrick Rose repeat Finals appearance? We here in Sacramento wish both of these former players the best!


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If we can figure out our defense I think we should be the favorites in the West. The Wolves, Grizzlies, and others have some nice squads but we believe this is our time.

[78#]

How much do you feel different with this type of roster compared to years past in rebuilding mode?


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