Behind the Scenes with JB Bickerstaff: Day 4
July 6, 2006

(On practice)
It went well. The guys are getting a little tired -- it’s been a long week early in the morning, but the guys came out and competed. We worked on our execution and tried to stay on half court as much as we could, so we are not wearing guys out. But we are getting better and that’s what you want to see everyday – everyone getting better individually and as a team.

(On star players)
Sean May, Adam (Morrison), and Alan (Anderson), I think have stepped up. We had a scrimmage last night and those guys were very impressive. I think all of them had almost 30 points last night -- I don’t know what that says about our defense, but I guess we are pretty good offensively. But the guys that you expect to play well have played well and I think that is a good sign for us.

(On the rookies stepping up)
We were talking about that last night. Adam put on a pretty impressive show. There was a stretch last night where he may have scored 13 or 14 points in a row and there wasn’t really anything anyone could do about it. The best part about that is that his teammates recognize that and continue to give him the ball. They start to run plays for him and getting him the ball -- he was scoring all over, not only on the block, but he was shooting threes and putting it on the floor. I think he’s one of the guys who is pretty impressive. Ryan (Hollins) has earned the respect of his teammates because of his ability to do the things he can do. At seven feet tall he’s special -- there aren’t many athletes in the world that are like him.

(On Curtis Withers)
I think he brings toughness and energy. He’s a garbage guy, he will do all the dirty work, he will rebound, take charge of block shots and he doesn’t have a problem with it. He doesn’t have a problem being physical and setting screens. His teammates appreciate him for it and I think that’s what this is all about, your teammates being appreciative of what you do, respecting what you do and earning that respect.

(On Withers’ chances of playing with the Bobcats permanently)
He has a pretty good chance. We are going to go sit down, probably tonight, after our second scrimmage and evaluate everything. But Curtis has done a good job. He has definitely earned the respect of his teammates and all the coaches. It’s a matter of us going downstairs and determining what our needs are.

(On Curtis’ comfort in Charlotte)
Anytime you stay close to home you are more comfortable. He’s been good with his teammates and I think that’s more important, your relationship with your teammates. I think you can go anywhere, but as long as you are comfortable with your teammates I think it will fit.

(On the comfort of Sean May and Adam Morrison)
The more you play with someone and the more you are around somebody the more they understand you. In basketball that’s what it’s about, being understood, people knowing who you are, what your role is and what you do and then not compromising it and not letting you get exposed. Those guys work well together and it could be from some of that USA Basketball experience.