Backstage with Bernie: Training Camp, Day 4
October 6, 2006

The Bobcats hit the court for their fourth day of practice at Trask Coliseum on the campus of UNC Wilmington in Wilmington, NC, on Friday. General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff had this to say following the fourth day of practice:

(On Gerald Wallace having a breakout season)
Years, minutes and success all contribute to that. I think he has all of those under his belt. I think the other thing is that he’s gotten respect from around the league and his peers. Now it becomes more difficult for him because he has a reputation. But the part that I like about him is that he’s finally getting some acclaim for his defense.

(On Wallace’s defense)
He’s going to gamble on defense. But it’s an advantage to have Emeka (Okafor) get back to protect him in those situations. When you start playing together as a team, you know the weaknesses of your guys and the tendencies of your guys, and you take care of them. Gerald is pretty good at that, too. But his on-the-ball defense is pretty good because of his feet. There were some games last year where he was the only guy who could shut them down. I have no problem with that. You ask your teammates to cover you. I believe in that. I believe that a guy does what he can do, and then it’s up to his teammates to make sure they protect him.

(On the remainder of the training camp schedule)
We’re off tomorrow. They have their rookie day, and they’ll have treatments and all that to let their bodies heal.

(On the scrimmage during practice)
What stood out to me was how much more time we need. It’s basically keeping our poise. There was that one time we cut it to three. There was that one time that something happened when we didn’t get the rebound, and the lead went to seven instead of having an opportunity to cut it to one. Those little things are what we need to work on. But that is what practice is all about, and that’s what we need to do.

(On the reasoning behind having an off-day)
You have to give when guys work as hard as these guys work. If you don't, then what you end up doing is really wearing out the guys who come every day and practice when the other guys are off because of injuries. The thing is about getting to that first game and you’re healthy. I’m not concerned about the exhibition, but I’m concerned about getting to that first game healthy. Here is a basketball team that every time they take the court, whether its practice or a game, they are going to give you the maximum effort. So sometimes that has to be rewarded. They have to understand that as long as they do that, they are rewarded.

(On the team’s effort)
That was the first thing that we talked about. We’ve got to sustain. When you are talking about making the next step, you can’t forget about those things that lead up to it. We have to sustain our professionalism and our commitment to effort.

(On Othella Harrington)
I think he brings to practice what Brevin (Knight) brings. Our frontline does not have the experience, and you can see him talking to guys. Here’s a guy who has gotten it done for 11 years, and he’s not a great athlete. But he has a great head and great toughness. You can see him talking to Emeka and some of the other guys. That is the value he has. He has the respect because of the years that he’s been in the league. But he does it in a very friendly way, not arrogant or anything like that.

(On Melvin Ely’s MRI results being negative)
It’s a positive. When he’s healthy, he gives us depth in the frontline. We know him, his capabilities, his strengths and weaknesses. But ultimately he gives us depth on the front line and a guy who is really good on the block.