Backstage with Bernie: Training Camp, Day 2
October 4, 2006

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

(On the point guard situation heading into the season)
We’ve got (Raymond) Felton and (Brevin) Knight. We have (Kevin) Burleson and (Will) Conroy. We’ve got those four guys. It’s no different than it’s been. We’ve got depth in the backcourt.

(On if he will play two point guards at one time)
We play them together. Sometimes we play them with others, but there’s nothing there. There aren’t any issues there. It’s important to have two point guards. There are no issues. Everybody seems to keep looking for negativity, but there isn’t any.

(On if a team can run better with one clear point guard)
There is no man. If you are going to be successful, it has to be a collective group. I remember that Boston didn’t have a clear point guard when they had their dynasty. They had guards. This stuff just started to evolve when they decided to assign numbers to people. I think what’s important is that when we are talking about a guy like Sean May. When they ask you what he is, the answer is that he’s a basketball player. I think teams that have those types of guys that know how to play basketball can get away with a lot of situations. They are good basketball players.

(On if Felton and Knight have bought into the concept of having two point guards)
It doesn’t matter. What’s important is the team. That’s all we care about – what’s best for the team.

(On the abundance of big men)
We just have to see how it goes through training camp. I think what we feel is that we’re comfortable because if it’s a problem, it’s a pleasant problem. We’ve got to figure out the best way to utilize the size that we have. This will probably be the most competitive camp because of that frontline. You talk about Melvin (Ely), Othella (Harrington), (Walter) Hermann and Jake (Voskuhl) and then you have Emeka (Okafor) and Primoz (Brezec). It’s a positive thing. We’ve been trying to get size for three years. But I know we came in here last year and had this same conversation. We talked about the depth that we had. As it turns out, we had no depth because everybody went down in that situation.

(On the difficulty of finding big men if someone gets injured)
It’s hard to find solid NBA players that know how to play. You very seldom see Othella dunking or doing any of that stuff. He is just very clever with his game. You can find guards easier. But the special players you don’t find. It’s unique. They develop, and those are the players that you can’t find.

(On Adam Morrison)
I have really only seen him for two days. We had him in summer camp, but that’s a whole different realm. I’m confident that he’s going to be a good player and that he fits our personality. He’s a guy who fits into our team because of his ability to create space. The one thing he’s getting is respect from his teammates because they know he brings a specific weapon to our basketball team and that helps everybody. I think Adam is more than a one-dimensional player. Those of you who have been here and watched our one-on-one drills, you see that his feet are pretty quick. I think he’s an asset, but he’s a rookie. The one thing that I’ve found over the years is that you’ve got to be patient with rookies. As long as he’s going full speed, we have to always understand that he’s going to make mistakes, but he’s going to make them going full speed.

(On Morrison’s personality)
I think he’s a good guy. I think he’s a really good guy and has a sense of humor. He’s a good teammate, and that’s the one thing that we have here is good teammates. That’s one thing that’s very important to us. I guess people think he’s different, but I don’t have any problem with that. He’s a basketball player and that’s what he gets paid to do. If you get the other amenities with it, then that’s a plus.

(On Gerald Wallace)
I think his confidence level will be high, and I think this will be a coming out season for him. I thought last season he got confidence and his swagger. Usually what happens is you have some success. When we put him on the block last year he did some things we didn’t know he could do. He finishes well. It’s amazing the way things happen in his sport. Something will happen that you don’t like, but then there comes a benefit. That’s why you always have to look at the positive side of things. The glass always has to be half full.

(On if he will use Wallace differently than he would before last season)
The spectrum has opened up, so yes.