On Monday, the Portland Trail Blazers kicked off their 2016-17 season with Media Day at the Moda Center. In between having their photos taken, shooting videos for in-game big screen features and signing autograph after autograph after autograph, players and coaches take questions from the assembled media on a host of topics ranging from what they worked on in the offseason to their hopes for the upcoming campaign.
If you weren't able to watch the press conference live, you can listen to every question and answer from Media Day below, though I've transcribed a few of the more interesting quotes from each interview.
NEIL OLSHEY
Regarding the increase in expectations going into the 2016-17 season..."We’re still about process, we’re still about culture, we’re still about chemistry. I do think our guys getting the experience they got during the playoffs last year was invaluable. You have a bunch of young guys, some of whom hadn’t really played significant games at a playoff level, to have that platform that they can build on moving forward is huge. So I think that accelerates everything for us. Terry and I, we’ve been pretty consistent about not putting numbers or objectives ahead of us. We know that if we follow our process, our culture continues to build, we bring in the right kind of guys under Terry’s stewardship, Dame’s leadership, the consistency we’ve had with our core players, we’re going to continue to grow. At some point we’ll sit at this media day, we won’t be second-guessed what we did in the offseason, but that may be a few years down the road."
TERRY STOTTS
On whether there's an expectation from players who got new contracts to get minutes..."Sometimes that comes into it, I don’t think it will this year. I think, particularly with AC, Meyers and Moe, in particular, coming back from last year’s team, adding Evan and Evan coming off the bench last year for the Celtics for a good part of the season, so I don’t think it’s going to be as much of an issue as sometimes it is around the league. I think we all have a good understanding of the team dynamics. People got their contracts and everybody is happy about that and then you go out and win as a team. "
DAMIAN LILLARD
On how his approach in the offseason has changed ..."Each year when we come back, we come in, we start playing pickup, we lift, we do our workouts and I always will find myself coming in and every pickup game, I be out there just killing myself. I’m trying to take a charge and I’m diving on loose balls, and these are pickup games. I think this year was the first time I realized that, when we played pickup, it was like ‘Man, I’m ready to play the preseason games and put plays in, start manipulating coverages and stuff like that.’ I had less interest in, I’m not going to say the meaningless stuff, but like the stuff that didn’t have a direct impact on games. My mind was like ‘Man, I’m ready to put this play in because I know this dude is going to overhelp here’ and stuff like that. I think that’s the main thing that I noticed changed, just like how my mind was functioning. "
CJ MCCOLLUM
Regarding whether he thinks teams will focus on his more after being named the 2016 Most Improved Player..."I think they’ll have more film on me, they’ll know my tendencies a little bit better and force me to do certain things, but the game doesn’t really change. I’m going to be the same player, I’m going to be aggressive, I’m going to attack. I got guarded by some pretty good players last year and I’m sure I’ll be guarded by them again."
EVAN TURNER
Regarding which position he's prefer to play..."I just want to play, to tell you the truth. That’s my whole thing, just getting on the court. If I’m fortunate enough to get on the court, I think I’ll be able to make a lot of things happen. And once again, I think I’ve been blessed with a decent IQ and the right size and ability to be able to be on the court with a lot of different groups and a lot of different units. So if it’s me playing point guard, I can definitely slide over there. If it’s me playing the wing, I can definitely do that. And if the guy’s not too big, I can probably pay the four-man as well. I’m all about playing and being on the court and making something happen, I don’t care what position I play."
AL-FAROUQ AMINU
On playing primarily at power forward this season...
"Well over the last couple of years I’ve got back and forth at four when needed. In Dallas, I played the four a little bit, actually even played the five a little bit, but mainly at the four. Then toward the end of the year here, I played the four, but kind of like a three because of how the four is now being used. The difference is just a lot of screening, I guess, in a sense. I think that takes some time, I guess you get used to it in the sense that you’re no longer the person requiring screens or anything like that. You’re more so the person that is trying to go out and seek screens and get people open and different things like that. "
MASON PLUMLEE
What he worked on in the offseason..."This offseason was big for me. I feel like I really tried to look at how the playoffs went, how could come back better prepared for the next season for some of the same situations. I’m looking forward to that… Some footwork stuff in the post, shoot midrange jumpshots, having open shots. When you play with great guards, you’re going to have easy looks, so taking advantage of that."
MAURICE HARKLESS
On changes to his shot..."That was one of my main focuses this summer, to improve my shooting. I changed a couple of little things in my shot and I think it’s helped a lot… My eyes, I used to focus on the ball when I released it. I stopped watching the ball and started focusing on just the rim and it’s really helped a lot."
MEYERS LEONARD
Regarding his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery..."I’m feeling amazing, honestly, my shoulder feels great. I met with my surgeon, Dr. El-Attrache in L.A. last Thursday and he was extremely impressed with my strength, range of motion and just how well the rehab process has gone and I’m feeling good. He essentially told me I’m good to go on October 8, meaning five-on-five live contact, no restrictions. We’ve been progressing my time on the court, one-on-one, throw me int some three-on-three, certainly all of the non-contact running through plays, conditioning, anything like that, no restrictions in the weight room. So I’m feeling awesome, and that’s the honest truth."
ED DAVIS
On whether the team signing new players at his position is motivating..."It doesn’t really motivate me. I’ve always been one to focus on myself and just be as prepared as possible. Obviously there’s a lot of competition for spots on this team and I’m up for it, I’m prepared. I feel like my role is going to be the same as last year and I’m looking forward to the season."
FESTUS EZELI
On his health after undergoing a procedure on his knee this offseason..."Knee is getting better. Just started running last week and I think this week we’re going to start ramping up court activities. It’s getting better, getting stronger. I’m just excited about having such a great rehab team with me… I don’t have a timeline myself, we’re just going based on feel and how I feel. There’s no rush, just want to do everything right."
NOAH VONLEH
On his rehabilitation from offseason thigh surgery..."I’m healing pretty fast, healing pretty well and I think I’ll be back on the court soon… No timetable as of yet but after media day is over I’m going to the practice facility, I’m going to meet with the trainers and they’re going to test me and see how my leg is doing, doing certain movements and stuff like that… I’ve been cleared to shoot on the court last week, so I’ve been shooting in the court a lot. That’s pretty much it for right now."