Bickerstaff And Higgins Meet With Media Prior To Draft
With the 2007 NBA Draft just two days away, Bobcats Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bernie Bickerstaff and General Manager Rod Higgins met with the local media to discuss just what the Bobcats might be thinking come Thursday night.
Bickerstaff: Let me start off by saying this is something I haven’t missed.
(On the large number of prospects that have worked out)
(On who has been the most impressive in workouts)
(On the possibility of there being a lot of trades on draft day)
(On if he thinks that ultimately, the Bobcats will be picking at eight and 22)
(On if he has heard about the Phoenix Suns trying to trade into the lottery)
(On if the trade talks are focused on draft picks or if they involve existing players)
(On how many teams have contacted the Bobcats about trade possibilities)
(On if the main focus coming out of this draft is to acquire two quality players that will help the team win)
(On if they would be happy drafting at eight and 22)
Bickerstaff: The fear is if you look at this draft, it’s not a draft of big players who have an impact on the block. It’s more filled with wing players. The way that the game is being played now, everybody is going small, and everybody is going to try to emulate what they did in Golden State this year, what Phoenix had done, and how Gerald (Wallace) was utilized. Everybody that we talk to now wants to be (Kevin) Garnett or one of those guys that play out on the perimeter anyway, so the game has changed in terms of the post-up stuff. Gerald (Wallace) is 6-5/6-6 and he’s a pretty good post-up player.
(On Gerald Wallace and other free agents on the team)
(On if there is anything specific that they are looking for from their summer league players)
(On if it says a lot that players like Raymond Felton and Adam Morrison want to compete in the summer league)
(On the new hirings and how everything will work together)
(On the involvement of Michael Jordan at the workouts)
Higgins: He’s always asking questions, making comments, and joking around. He’s really into it as an owner, coach, player and as a friend. He’s really into wanting to help out this organization as much as possible. As Bernie stated, in terms of his spirit, he’s here every day. We all are trying to put this team in a position to continue the improvement that Bernie has established moving forward. We all feel good about our young talent, Michael included.
Bickerstaff: They don’t treat Michael the way that they treat other owners. I don’t understand why. I’m perplexed by that. Jerry Buss is treated differently than Michael. Michael is an owner, he has put his cash in, but he’s not treated the same way. They want different things out of him. In other words, I’m saying that he does not get the same deference that the other owners get. The rules are different for him. I don’t know why it is, I’m just making the statement that he is an owner.
(On if he is talking about when Michael Jordan is on the phone with another owner or trying to talk to other owner)
(On his new role in the front office)
(On if they are interested in acquiring Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant)
(On the fact that all of the “natural bigs” will be gone by the time the Bobcats select at number eight)
(On if they would consider drafting a player that they haven’t worked out)
June 26, 2007
Bickerstaff: I think that’s probably why we don’t have any decision. We’ve brought in 30 or more guys, so we’re probably more confused now than we were when we started.
Higgins: We’ve had some interesting guys – (Joakim) Noah, (Al) Thornton, (Corey) Brewer, (Javaris) Crittenton. All of those guys are going to warrant some attention once we look at pick number eight. Then obviously number 22, we will have an opportunity to draft or choose from some of the guys that we’ve brought in. Like Bernie said, I don’t think we can pinpoint a guy right now. We’ve talked about best athlete, best player, but we also know that those picks can come and go because of trade possibilities.
Bickerstaff: There are a lot of rumors and we would like to start some (laughter).
Bickerstaff: At this point, there is a possibility that we won’t be.
Bickerstaff: Yeah, but do you know what, when you look at pick number 24, there are probably 12 teams in the league that say they can get that pick. So, that should tell you something right there.
Bickerstaff: Our philosophy is that if you trade the picks, then it has to make you immediately better in those situations. Those are some of the scenarios that we have on the table. Right now, it is all talk until you actually agree to something. There are scenarios that are out there that look good to us and we like because they make us better. There are some out there that are good, but they are picks, and you just add young players and talent to the mix.
Bickerstaff: We’ve had a significant amount of inquiries about both picks. No one has really insulted as, and that happens in this league. Everybody seems to know what is best for their team.
Bickerstaff: There is no doubt about it. We feel really good about the draft. After one and two (Greg Oden and Kevin Durant), Atlanta is really the turning point in the draft, because they’ve got picks three and 11. There are going to be some terrific players in this draft, going right on down to 30 and into the second round.
Higgins: There’s no question we would. Like Bernie stated, there are terrific players that can come in from one to probably 20 that can get minutes for you right away. We’re going to be fortunate enough to get a player, particularly at eight, that will come in and contribute, and we will develop him. So, we’re particularly looking forward to that pick. We’ll see how it plays out. Who knows though, if we’re not calling at eight, that means we got a pretty good player that we’ve traded for.
Bickerstaff: We won’t speak about those guys until July 1.
Bickerstaff: That’s up to Sam (Vincent) and how he does that. I gave up coaching. That’s Sam’s responsibility, and he’s got it. Obviously what we want to see is improvement in the basketball team. We want to see improvement in our players. It doesn’t necessarily have to happen in this span of the summer league, it’s an ongoing process. What we want is the work ethic and the application of trying to get better.
Higgins: There’s no question that it says a lot when the young guys want to come in and improve and prove to their new coach that they want to be a part of success. Coach Vincent is going to come in and is going to demand certain things from these young players and you have to give them a lot of credit for wanting to do that. A lot of guys want to enjoy their summers, and I’m sure they’re no different. They will be guys that we will lean on a lot, but at the end of the day, we’re going to try to develop these guys and encourage them and help them as much as we possibility can. They are both terrific ball players.
Bickerstaff: I don’t think anything has changed. Since I have been in the National Basketball Association, the protocol has been the same. We make recommendations to the owners and the owners either approve it or say no and move in a different direction. So, there has been no change in terms of when Ed (Tapscott) was here or Bob (Johnson) is here. Our responsibility is to go to Michael (Jordan) or Bob (Johnson) and say, here’s the due-diligence that we’ve done, here’s what we recommend, and we go with it. The Adam Morrison situation last year was a consensus. Everybody had a part in it, and the consensus was unanimous. It would be a lack of respect to not listen to the opinions and input of guys like Kenny Williamson, Frank Ross and (Rick) Weitzman, that are out on the road every day, putting their time in at different venues.
Bickerstaff: He’s involved spiritually sometimes, and with films, but for the most part, he has been involved. The most amazing thing about this guy is his retention ability and his ability to take information, absorb it and retain it. So, he’s completely involved, it’s not laissez-faire.
Bickerstaff: No. I’m talking about the media, how they treat him and what they expect from him. Jerry Buss doesn’t talk. Occasionally he does. And I’m just using Jerry Buss because he is out there and the first thing I think of is the “B” in the alphabet. But I think Michael should have the same respect in terms of how you treat other owners. He’s the guy that is going to make the decisions like all owners, but we go to him with our opinions, and then obviously, Michael has to sign off on it. But he signs off on it because he’s also involved with his camps and he’s seen a lot of the guys. That’s all we’re fighting for; that he gets the same deference.
Bickerstaff: It’s been great. With Rod (Higgins) coming on board, nothing has really changed. I sleep better. I don’t have to worry about the coaching aspects. When you are there coaching all summer, you have to worry about a lot of things, and that’s always present. From that standpoint, I think the family attitude that was implemented when we started is continuing to get better. There is respect for each other within our family, and I think that is important. What’s important is that they understand that if we are going to be successful, it has to be a collective effort. That starts with Kenny (Williamson) and those guys. They don’t get enough credit for what they do.
Bickerstaff: We have been admonished for talking about other teams’ players. I think Michael (Jordan) was fined one time for the (Kevin) Durant comments. So, I think we’re going to defer in terms of talking about those players. I will say that we have no problem being facilitators.
Bickerstaff: We think that (Al) Horford and (Greg) Oden are natural bigs, but they will be gone. (Spencer) Hawes could be there. When we’re talking about a guy who can step in right now on the block, I don’t now how many of the young guys, other than maybe Oden, can do it. I think some of the wings would be more capable of being ready to step in and do it on the block than some of the bigs in terms of being ready. When you talk about Yi (Jianlian), he is more of a perimeter guy. Hawes is probably a guy that it is going to take two or three years to be ready, and we are trying to get some kind of immediate impact.
Bickerstaff: We are going to consider everybody. The work has been done in terms of watching those guys throughout the year. So, we’re not eliminating any possibilities.
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