LA Clippers Pre-Season Press Conference

[aburns211]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I'd like to welcome everyone and thank those of you that have shown up here this afternoon. I know that you have prepared a lot of questions, but I would like to recap last season as well as discuss plans and expectations for the upcoming season.

Last season was sort of a roller coaster. I knew we would compete well, but I didn't expect us to perform as well as we did. We had some injuries through the middle of the season that stalled us temporarily; then we made a late run to secure the 4th seed in the Western Conference. With a game 7 win at home, we were able to advance to the 2nd round of the playoffs for the first time in my career. I was confident going into the Wolves series, however, hope was squashed quickly as we were swept. It was a little disappointing, but when I look back on the season as a whole, I am proud of our season and excited to get the new season off the ground.

In the draft, we picked up a sharpshooter from the great state of Alaska, Trajan Langdon. Although Trajan has a lot of room to improve, we see him developing into an offensive spark off the bench in the near future. Our two big goals in free agency were to pick up a starting 3 and a big man that could play the 4 or the 5. We were able to sign Rick Fox to a 3 year deal. He solidifies the 3 spot and provides us the opportunity to use Willie Anderson as our 6th man, filling in at both the 2 and 3 position. We are excited to see all that Rick can bring to our team. We struck out on all of our big targets and were not able to land a high quality big man. We are hoping one of our guys can develop to fill that role or maybe we can make a move to bring in some more talent.

Looking forward to this season, we have 2 primary goals. 1 is to improve our win total for the 3rd consecutive season. Our total of 52 from last season will be tough to beat, but I am confident we can get it done. 2 is to win the Pacific division title. Competition is fierce in the Pacific as usual, but don't be surprised if we sneak through and win the division. I am pumped up about this season and cant wait for it to get started. With this being a contract year for Spree, he has been relentless this off-season. I was walking into the office early last week, and I found Spree passed out on the gym floor. I woke him up asked what was going on, he said, "Oh sorry Drew, I've been working my tail off in the gym and I must have fallen asleep. This is a big year for me, I need to be able to feed my family." I have never seen him work so hard; expect big things from Spree this year!

With that, I will now open the floor to any questions you may have...

[Bowtothebill23]

Jack Markson from the Golden Take. In the Pacific, it's largely considered a 3 horse race between the Kings, Warriors, and Lakers. Do you consider your team deserving of being mentioned in Pacific contention or do you think you're a few steps away. Also, with Fox being 30 and Sprewell at 29, do you feel your window is closing and if so, how quickly?

[WigNosy]

A lot of people around the league are saying Matt Geiger needs help or he'll be overwhelmed by the size in the Pacific. How do you plan to address the lack of beef upfront in a division with the likes of Kemp, Camby, and Garnett?

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: Last season's incredible two-man run kinda flew under the radar a bit. With the additions of Matt Geiger and Rick Fox, do you feel as if you deserve to be treated as a legitimate threat in the West? Also, how confident are you that you'll be able to work out a new deal with Spree this season?

[aburns211]

Jack Markson from the Golden Take. In the Pacific, it's largely considered a 3 horse race between the Kings, Warriors, and Lakers. Do you consider your team deserving of being mentioned in Pacific contention or do you think you're a few steps away. Also, with Fox being 30 and Sprewell at 29, do you feel your window is closing and if so, how quickly?

I definitely think we are contenders in the Pacific. We competed well last season, and I think we are a little better coming into this season. We've had a great off-season and we like our chances.

There is no proverbial window closing, but there is a sense of urgency. We want to win now.

[aburns211]

A lot of people around the league are saying Matt Geiger needs help or he'll be overwhelmed by the size in the Pacific. How do you plan to address the lack of beef upfront in a division with the likes of Kemp, Camby, and Garnett?

That is a good question and an obvious concern of ours. Someone on our roster will have to step up. As the season progresses, if we can't find someone to step up and fill that role; we will look to make a move to bring someone in.

[aburns211]

Random Reporter: Last season's incredible two-man run kinda flew under the radar a bit. With the additions of Matt Geiger and Rick Fox, do you feel as if you deserve to be treated as a legitimate threat in the West? Also, how confident are you that you'll be able to work out a new deal with Spree this season?

If teams want to continue to dismiss us as contenders, that is perfectly fine with me. We will continue to work hard and stay focused on our goals; I'm not really concerned if we are treated as a legitimate contender or not. As far as Spree, that is on the back burner for now. We are excited about playing basketball and winning games. We will work those things out some other time.

[JNR]

Generic Wolves Reporter: Do you think your team's ceiling is higher than the second round of the playoffs?

[kucoach7]

Another big man question for you. This is less of a personnel question and more of a coaching question. What will be your defensive strategy be to account for your lack of post defensive prowess?

[NickMalone77]

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: Most look at your team as kinda pigeonholed towards the bottom portion of the Western Conference playoffs but would you ever consider packaging Spreewell while he would still command high price on the trade market and start over?

[aburns211]

Generic Wolves Reporter: Do you think your team's ceiling is higher than the second round of the playoffs?

Our ceiling? Our ceiling is the league championship. I obviously don't think we are a lock, or even top 5 on paper, but anything can happen in the playoffs.

[aburns211]

Another big man question for you. This is less of a personnel question and more of a coaching question. What will be your defensive strategy be to account for your lack of post defensive prowess?

Our plan will be to try different looks and see what works best. We know that just maning up against guys like Kemp or Webber isnt going to be pretty; but we can work in a press or a half court trap to try to pressure the guards into a turnover or a bad shot before those guys ever touch the ball.

[aburns211]

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: Most look at your team as kinda pigeonholed towards the bottom portion of the Western Conference playoffs but would you ever consider packaging Spreewell while he would still command high price on the trade market and start over?

First of all, I wouldn't agree that we are "pigeonholed towards the bottom portion of the Western Conference". If things fall into place for us, we can compete for a championship, in this season or years to come. But to answer your question, I wouldn't be honest if I told you dealing Spree this season never crossed my mind. However, as I stated before, I think this year's team could compete for a championship. And I do not want to squander an opportunity to win now for a hope to win later.