Portland Preseason Presser 2014-2015
Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 2:18 pm
GM Kevin U. Coach VII: Welcome back to another year of Blazer basketball! Let's start by talking about the elephant not in the room, Ron Artest. Last year Ron broke his leg, AGAIN, 29 minutes into the first game of the season. He then came back to help us make the playoffs only to injure his leg, AGAIN, 24 minutes into the second playoff game. We made a competitive offer to him and he chose to leave for Indiana. All in all it was a fitting end to his anticlimactic tenure here. I would say that I wish him the best but I don't. We made the playoffs all four years Ron was here and yet he only really played in the first of those playoff runs. Would we have won a championship with a healthy Ron? Maybe, probably not but maybe. All I can say is good riddance!
SG Derrick Rose: Now that all that salt is out of the way, I just want to say thank you to all the fans for supporting us. Last year was tough. We had to play most of the season short-handed. Then we had to play even more short-handed in the playoffs after Hamed and Ron went down, yet me made it through. We've won 5 playoff series in 4 years after the Blazers only won one in the first 17 years. That is a huge accomplishment. However, I had a sit-down with Kevin and Coach Toni this offseason and talked things over. My goal, since I got here has been to change the culture of this organization and yet, we still don't have sell-out crowds, even during the playoffs. After years with a stable core, the locker room was still ice cold so we decided to change things up.
GM Kevin U. Coach VII: Early in the offseason we met two goals we had, bring in a stretch four and bring in another facilitator. It is great to see Jonas back in Portland, having lived up to the potential we saw in him when we drafted him in the second round years ago. We're also excited about what Ish can do on both ends of the floor for years to come. However, after a lack luster UFA and a TC that only went well for Derrick, Jonas, and Ish, we panicked a bit and that panic helped us to fulfill our other three goals for the offseason, get younger, cheaper, and deeper. It was painful to lose Hunter, a guy who has been amazing for us but we feel like the Gortat/Perkins combo should be able to keep up the high standard for rim protection he has set. Thad Young is kind of a Luol Deng 2.0 but only 26 and on a great contract.
Coach Toni Kukoc: This year our plan is to play Derrick off the ball more. When he was carrying such a heavy load as the lead facilitator and scorer, he struggled with turnovers. Hopefully he can get in a post up position and get easier cuts to the basket more often. We're looking for Ish to do what Chauncey did for us two years ago, take the tough defensive assignments, take care of the ball on offense, and make timely buckets. With him and Thad patrolling the perimeter, we hope to get more steals this year, something we've struggled with in the past. We're really excited to see Jerekbo out there with Rose. Hopefully he can stretch the floor to give more room for Derrick to do what he does and to hit open threes as the defense collapses on Derrick as he drives.
GM Kevin U. Coach VII: We'll now open the floor to questions.
SG Derrick Rose: Now that all that salt is out of the way, I just want to say thank you to all the fans for supporting us. Last year was tough. We had to play most of the season short-handed. Then we had to play even more short-handed in the playoffs after Hamed and Ron went down, yet me made it through. We've won 5 playoff series in 4 years after the Blazers only won one in the first 17 years. That is a huge accomplishment. However, I had a sit-down with Kevin and Coach Toni this offseason and talked things over. My goal, since I got here has been to change the culture of this organization and yet, we still don't have sell-out crowds, even during the playoffs. After years with a stable core, the locker room was still ice cold so we decided to change things up.
GM Kevin U. Coach VII: Early in the offseason we met two goals we had, bring in a stretch four and bring in another facilitator. It is great to see Jonas back in Portland, having lived up to the potential we saw in him when we drafted him in the second round years ago. We're also excited about what Ish can do on both ends of the floor for years to come. However, after a lack luster UFA and a TC that only went well for Derrick, Jonas, and Ish, we panicked a bit and that panic helped us to fulfill our other three goals for the offseason, get younger, cheaper, and deeper. It was painful to lose Hunter, a guy who has been amazing for us but we feel like the Gortat/Perkins combo should be able to keep up the high standard for rim protection he has set. Thad Young is kind of a Luol Deng 2.0 but only 26 and on a great contract.
Coach Toni Kukoc: This year our plan is to play Derrick off the ball more. When he was carrying such a heavy load as the lead facilitator and scorer, he struggled with turnovers. Hopefully he can get in a post up position and get easier cuts to the basket more often. We're looking for Ish to do what Chauncey did for us two years ago, take the tough defensive assignments, take care of the ball on offense, and make timely buckets. With him and Thad patrolling the perimeter, we hope to get more steals this year, something we've struggled with in the past. We're really excited to see Jerekbo out there with Rose. Hopefully he can stretch the floor to give more room for Derrick to do what he does and to hit open threes as the defense collapses on Derrick as he drives.
GM Kevin U. Coach VII: We'll now open the floor to questions.