October 27, 2004

As the season gets underway, Head Coach Maurice Cheeks offers up his take on the current roster. See what he had to say about each player.



Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Shareef has played better at the 3 than I had thought. I realize that he had played it before, but I think he has made a conscious effort of trying to play the 3 spot. When he plays someone who is a great small forward, I think he's smart enough to try and figure out a way to defend him. Shareef is a smart basketball player, and I'm not concerned about him not knowing what to do.



Derek Anderson
When Derek and Damon are playing together, the way they play is a pretty good mix. It's not always built on the way he plays, but it's the way they play together. Obviously, Derek making shots and driving to the basket and drawing fouls is a big part of that. He has a lot of talent, we just need him healthy so he can play at his best.



Richie Frahm
People take for granted that all Richie can do is make shots, but I don't think that's really the essence of his game. He can defend. He's physical and he can do a lot of little things. And throughout camp, he has made shot after shot. The way Richie has played may have me change my thinking a bit, that maybe he will get more minutes at shooting guard, because he has played extremely well.



Viktor Khryapa
He can defend and he can make some shots. He hasn't defended at this level yet, and we were hoping he would be able to. Maybe he'll get healthy enough at some point in the season that he will be able to get into a couple of games. For now, it's really hard to say how he could fit in on this team.



Darius Miles
He has been exhibiting a lot more -- on the defensive end, he's been great -- on the offensive end and he's been better. His jump shot has gotten a lot better, and he's putting the ball down and getting to the basket. He's a young player with a lot of drive. He wants to be the best and he wants to dominate. Given that, he'll just keep getting better and better.



Travis Outlaw
Travis has improved a lot this season. He is much better now than he was at the start of training camp. His jump shot has improved, his ballhandling has improved and his defense has improved. He looks like he knows what he is supposed to be doing on the court. He is making tremendous strides. He's still pretty young and has a lot he can work on, but he's willing to do it, so that says a lot.



Ruben Patterson
Ruben is a high-energy player who wants to be on the court. He knows that's not going to happen a lot with our current roster. Right now, Darius and Shareef are playing the bulk of the minutes. There are situations where Ruben can play some more minutes, but it's not always going to be the amount of minutes he would like. Things happen throughout the course of the season, where something may happen and a guy may not get on the floor. And I always know I can put him out there when we need a spark of energy.



Joel Przybilla
Joel has been better than I thought. We signed him because he was a good rebounder and shot-blocker. But he has worked hard, hustled and earned the backup spot behind Theo. His offensive game needs work, but he's capable of making a short jump shot. We know Joel isn't going to score double-figure points each game, but the important thing is that he knows his role on this team. He's also just a great guy with a good attitude and fun sense of humor.



Theo Ratliff
Anytime anyone gets near our rim, he's there to take it away. Even if he's not there blocking the shot, the thought of Theo of being down there eliminates the guy going in for a lay-up. Theo has no fear. He's never worried about getting dunked on. He's always there to protect our defense.

I've been telling him to score a little bit more. We throw him the ball on the offensive end; he's looking to pass the ball to everybody else. I've told him when we throw the ball down to him, to look for his opportunities. Catch the ball, turn around and look to score a little bit more.


Zach Randolph
The way he started making his mark was picking up stuff from everyone else. Offensive rebounds and picking little garbage stuff from everyone else. Run on the break, somebody misses a shot and he's there to lay it in. He got a lot of plays like that.

After that, he started getting a lot of plays run for him. So when you get a lot of plays run for you, you don't feel like you have to work as hard on the offensive end and pick up for other people and work as hard on the offensive boards as you did before. It took some of his aggressive play from him. You take some of those plays away and let him work hard on the offensive end, it makes him a little more hungry and I think that's what happened.


Vladimir Stepania
He's a very good defender. He can rebound the ball and extend the screen-and-roll and front the post. But obviously, his health is a concern. If he can get his health to where it needs to be, he can be a real contributor to our team. Now that we've had him in a pre-season game and he showed the effort, throwing him into the mix gives us even more possibilities.



Damon Stoudamire
I expect his leadership on and off the floor. Damon making perimeter shots is going to be a big part of the team. We always do well when his shots are going down. There are times when he's not making shots, but he has the ability to penetrate and make other players better. Damon is just the kind of guy you can count on. He does what needs to be done, he's not afraid to be holding the ball at a critical point and he can lead the other players on the court.



Sebastian Telfair
He's very clever with the ball, and he can see the floor as well as anyone. He can make some passes that I wouldn't have ever even dreamed about trying when I was playing. He is a special player, and he wants to get better and learn by working hard. I am constantly amazed at what this kid can do and he has so much talent at such a young age.



Nick Van Exel
Nick surprised us all. You always hear these things about people, until you get them and get around them. I've been surprised by his professionalism, the respect he commands on the floor and his ability to run a basketball team. We all know he can make shots, but the way he runs a basketball team, the way he gets his team together -- they all love playing with him. That's because he knows how to pass the ball, he can make a shot.

I think he surprised everyone by the way he approaches the game. He has a respect thing that goes once he steps on the floor, he's attentive to all things. I don't think anyone knew that, if you're not around him or have been coaching him.


Qyntel Woods
Overall, his game has been so much better. Rebounding, pushing the ball up the floor, he's just been improving. His opportunities have been more at the 2 than the 3. We tend to discount him at the 2, because Richie Frahm has shot the ball so well, but I don't think we should discount him, because Qyntel has done very well also. He certainly came into camp in great shape with a lot more bulk. He was very energetic and ready to contribute to the team.