Portland Preseason Presser 2019-2020

[kucoach7]

GM Kevin U Coach VII: This everyone gets one sentence to say what they have to say and then we'll move on to questions. Last year we had the 3rd most wins in club history with 49.

Coach Toni Kukoc: We could have had more wins but we chose to rest our starters the final two weeks of the season.

Norris Cole: I really hope I can beat out Lonzo for the back up point guard spot.

Leon Turner: After another disappointing camp I may not survive much longer here.

Derrick Rose: Last season we had the best clubhouse vibe in all my years playing in Portland.

Shaun Livingston: The only reason I haven't been cut is because it won't move the team down to the next tax bracket.

Lonzo Ball: I really hope I can prove that I still have what it takes to be a difference maker in this league.

C.J. McCollum: My goals for this year are to score 30 points a game, be an All-Star, and win a championship.

Jeremy Lamb: Our bench really struggled last year so I might be coming off the bench this year to give us a boost in those second units.

Jayson Tatum: I'm still really struggling with pro-level defense but I know my raw talent is going to make me a great player some day.

Kyle Singler: Man, I had a bad camp.

Kenneth Faried: I considered leaving for Detroit but ultimately decided that we have the chance to do something great here in Portland and I want to be a part of that.

Ed Davis: I had the best year of my life last season and I know my minutes may be down this year but I'm still going to do whatever I can to help the team.

Andrew Bogut: I can hardly move and hardly get off the ground, but hey, that is why Jeff is here.

Jeff Withey: I loved playing in Portland so when they offered me a contract I gladly accepted and I'm glad to be back and part of a winning squad this time around.

GM Coach VII: Okay, that does it. Question time.

[garbageman]

Do you think the West has gotten better or worse this year?

[kucoach7]

Do you think the West has gotten better or worse this year?

Probably about the same. There are teams on the rise. Probably every team in the Pacific is better this year. But the decline of the Grizzlies, Rockets, and Pelicans offsets those gains.

[false9]

Do you see yourself on equal footing with the defending Western Conference champs?

[Eazy P]

On paper your team is looking Poised for a title run. With the way the West is looking do you see this team as a 60 win team? Do you see this team winning the Northwest this season?

[kucoach7]

Do you see yourself on equal footing with the defending Western Conference champs?

I think we are closer this year than last. Obviously they have a defensive edge on us but we're hoping our depth can put us over the top.

[kucoach7]

On paper your team is looking Poised for a title run. With the way the West is looking do you see this team as a 60 win team? Do you see this team winning the Northwest this season?

We have never won a division title so we're always hoping to do that but never really believing it can happen. I also don't think we're a 60 win team. The West will have a lot of land mine away games this year with a lot of good teams trying to prove they can make the jump to great. In short, history has taught me to have no faith in our team.

[TheSyndicate]

Who's the team in the west you're not looking forward to facing in the playoffs?

[kucoach7]

Who's the team in the west you're not looking forward to facing in the playoffs?

The stupid Suns. Don't want to go through that again. Looks great on paper. Not so great on the court.

[digiskunk]

Jayson Tatum has been coming along quite nicely in your program. Do you feel that he's ready to take the next step in his career and begin playing some starter-quality minutes, or is that still a season or two away?

[kucoach7]

Jayson Tatum has been coming along quite nicely in your program. Do you feel that he's ready to take the next step in his career and begin playing some starter-quality minutes, or is that still a season or two away?

He had a bit of disappointing camp. He still made significant progress but not enough for us to really feel confident in him playing extended minutes. I think he is at least a season away from playing non-detrimental starting minutes.