Chicago Bulls 2001 Preseason Press Conference

[PrepP]

PrepP: Welcome everybody! Let's get started! First we want to thank our fans for the enthusiasm around this team year in and year out. Last year was my first full season as GM/Coach of your Chicago Bulls and we were able to meet our goal of reaching the playoffs following a very dismal year before that.

Even though we were eliminated in the first round, our very young team gave a veteran Celtics team a run for its money. We are proud of how this team has improved over such a short amount of time and are again setting our sights on the playoffs. Our young core continues to improve with experience and this year we are looking to get past the first round and eventually to compete for a championship. Baby steps.

Our coaching staff continues to work with our young core guys in the off season and we have seen some nice results from that. We matched an offer for forward Tim Thomas this off season and are very pleased with his dedication to improving in the off season. Mike Bibby , who finished second for 6th man of the year last year, is looking forward to starting at PG. Stephen Jackson is another guy who has impressed us with his work ethic and dedication on the defensive side of the ball. We are eager to watch him mature into a great player in years to come. Brad Miller has continued to improve his shooting and we love his unique mix of inside and outside skill-set. When you have a gym rat like Kobe on the team he really pushes these young guys to get in the gym by his own example.

This off season we also brought in veteran 20 ppg scorer Glenn Rice. He will give us that extra scoring punch and veteran presence that we hope can help us improve our record and go further in the postseason.

We have a new look bench this year with a good mix of youth and experience. Samaki Walker, Raef Lafrentz, Wally Szczerbiak, and Brian Shaw know the roles they need to feel and will be key to how well we do this year.

This year we are going to continue to play an uptempo pace but also look for more 3 point shots. Rebounding is still something we need to improve on but that is something we are looking at how to improve.

I hope everyone is as excited as I am about this young team. While we feel we have a solid core that just needs more experience we are also currently looking at trades to improve . If another GM reaches out to us with a deal that we feel helps us improve for the future we will certainly consider it.

Kobe and myself are available for any media questions.

Thanks!

[NickMalone77]

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: Kobe, do you feel almost a growing sense of entitlement and some Discouragement over how your team has struggled to make the playoffs and get out of the first round or are you happy with how you've been able to grow with this team?

[PrepP]

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: Kobe, do you feel almost a growing sense of entitlement and some Discouragement over how your team has struggled to make the playoffs and get out of the first round or are you happy with how you've been able to grow with this team?

Well you can look at it two ways. It all depends on your personality. You can say that we failed because we couldn't get past the first round of the playoffs and look for people to blame it on OR you can look at how much improvement this team has made from only a year out of a 16 win season and new management taking over half way through that season.

I tend to look at it the latter way. Don't get me wrong......I'm a fierce competitor and want to win NOW! But the realist in me recognizes that we are a very young team and have to suffer some growing pains before we can compete with the big dogs. It would be a different story if we had bad management, but I am impressed with what Prep has brought to this team and the direction he has us going. I'm looking at the 20+ game improvement we made in just one year under him and making the playoffs and being competitive against a Celtics team who has been there for many years. It's a growing process and I'm looking forward to getting their again this year and pushing ourselves to do better.

[JNR]

GWR: Can you talk about Tim Thomas for a minute? He's gone from a project to a max level guy whose 3 point shot is among the best in the league. Did his growth surprise you at all? Do you feel like he joins Kobe as a team focal point going forward?

[PrepP]

GWR: Can you talk about Tim Thomas for a minute? He's gone from a project to a max level guy whose 3 point shot is among the best in the league. Did his growth surprise you at all? Do you feel like he joins Kobe as a team focal point going forward?

Tim is certainly a guy who has impressed us with his growth over the last 2 seasons. He has solidified his position as a key player on this young Bulls team next to Kobe. We like his skill set especially his ability to stretch the floor out past the 3 point line. He is one of the best young shooters in the league and we feel he was snubbed from the 3 point contest last year. Nonetheless, our goals are much higher than competing in 3 point contests and we feel Tim is a guy that will help us get to where we want to be.

[coltsguy510]

Kobe, do you expect to keep up your production from previous seasons despite major setbacks this offseason due to what seems to be a lack of focus on basketball?

[PrepP]

Kobe, do you expect to keep up your production from previous seasons despite major setbacks this off season due to what seems to be a lack of focus on basketball?

kobelaugh.jpg (103.22 KiB) Viewed 1241 times

Do What!?....Huh?....Can I see some credentials?...... They will let anybody do this job won't they?....(laughing with kobe smirk). Lack of focus? ........ Major setbacks?.......Do you even ball bro? ........ Who do you work for? The Globe? ........I can see the headline now......."Kobe Bryant lost talent during alien abduction"....... Come on man. This ain't Space Jam.

Take notes.

I don't lose focus. There are NO setbacks.

Next question.

[IamQuailman]

Awarded 5 points! Thanks for your contribution!

[PrepP]

Awarded 5 points! Thanks for your contribution!

thanks