Larry Harris Media Availability
Training Center - April 24, 2007
Bucks General Manager Larry Harris took part in an end-of-season media availability session on Tuesday, April 24, at the team's training center in St. Francis, WI. Head Coach Larry Krystkowiak also spoke to the media.
Well it’s good to meet with you guys at the end (of the season). Obviously you’ve heard a lot of comments from Larry (Krystkowiak) about the team and the things we’ve done. I want to start off with the article that Charles (Gardner) (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) did. I want to go on record without hesitation that I am completely one hundred percent on board behind what Senator Kohl said yesterday about myself. I love Milwaukee and this is the only place I have ever worked. I am completely comfortable with 1 year left on my contract. It’s what he said perfectly – (next) season will play itself out. If we do what we’re expected to do, you will see my shining face. If it’s not, then we will go in a different direction. And you know what? I’m comfortable with that because, to me, I don’t work any harder whether I have one year, four years, five years, three years, two years, two days or two hours (left). I’m comfortable with what I can do for this organization and for the fans. I think I know what the Milwaukee Bucks, the fans, the media all want because it’s the same thing to win.
This year, though, (was) very disappointing for myself. We didn’t get done what we were supposed to get done. We came in with a lot of expectations. Certainly, starting with a team we felt was a playoff team, a team that could get themselves into the second round. We can talk about injuries and all those things, but we still had enough talent on the floor to be able to do some things we needed to do. We showed that even with Larry (Krystkowiak), as shorthanded as he was. (At times this season), we put ourselves in the position to win some games and just weren’t able to close them out for different reasons.
All in all, the injuries did play a part in it, but I’m not going to use that excuse at all. We did not get the job done. We let our fans down, we let the organization down and next year is going to be different. Why? It’s because things go in cycles. Hopefully we are going to have a healthy team and we’ll get a chance to see what our team is all about.
I like the core that is coming back. We have eight players under contract and, barring any trades, a majority of them you will see next season. We have a number of quality free agents on our team. Obviously, we have money that we’re going to be able to use in that arena as well as out in free agency to look at other options.
As I have stated many times, there are three areas that we need to address and that’s with our own players getting better. And yes, we can do things in the summer. We’ve challenged each of our players – just what Larry Krystkowiak said – in the end-of-season conversations we had with them. But we need to address and we need to bring more of a physical presence. We’ve got to bring somebody up onto the front line. We need to address the athletic 3-2, 3-4 spot, kind of swinging back, and we obviously need to address our point guard situation.
So we have the draft. We’re going to be 1-6 and, trust me, wherever we land we are going to get a player that’s going to be able to play for us next season and going to be able to produce in a major way. ‘Major’ being a guy that is going to be able to be in our rotation wherever Larry (Krystkowiak) sees fit. I mean, when you’re drafting that high you have to be excited about the player and what he can do for you. I really believe we’re going to get that.
The other thing is I also want to state is the fact that we let the fans down. But having said that, I just got a stat which I thought was very impressive. We played eight games in April and we had over 16,000 fans on average come and see us play. That is even with the (Milwaukee) Brewers starting as well as they did. I think the fans are anxious to see what we’re going to do. It’s kind of a wait-and-see (situation), but I think they did show the fact that they do support the Milwaukee Bucks. They understand some of the things that we were going through. They still came out and were there night in and night out for us in April. I give them a lot of credit for doing that. We’re going to get this right. I just want you guys to know that. I think Larry (Krystkowiak) is the right choice as the coach. I think what he brings to the table for us is leadership. The direction that he has, the passion that he has and, most importantly, he’s going to make everyone accountable. That’s how he played and that’s (what) he’s going to demand (of) the players. We met with all of them and told them, the one (thing) that came across … in communication was that (they’re) all accountable and that’s from Michael Redd all the way down to number 15. Again, they all buy into it when you’re in the season, but there was a passion in that room with Larry (Krystkowiak) in the conversation he had with the players that they wanted to get started. We basically said, “Look, we gave you two weeks off – (days) that we should be playing in the playoffs. Three to four weeks or however many – so we need to get that for next season.” So we encourage the guys to get here as quick as they can in September and make a commitment to being back in Milwaukee.
| Is it fair for the Head Coach (if things don’t workout for you next year) for another GM to come in who didn’t hire him? |
Yeah, again, Larry has played and he has had different jobs. It’s just the nature of the NBA and all professional sports. He’s not going to lose any sleep wondering if I’m here or if I’m not. The relationship that we have is very good; it’s at its infancy stages. We’ve had great dialogue and a lot of communication. I think if that strengthens and we have that give and take and a lot of information is exchanged; he’s open to listening, which I think is very important. On top of all that I think we’ve got to go in knowing we’re going to do the best we can and we think we’re going to have a successful year – which I think we will – then we’ll be together. I don’t think he’s going to worry about that and he shouldn’t at all.
| What is your number one priority for the Bucks this off-season? |
You know what? Let’s try and get the number one pick. You know a little luck, whatever it is. I think we’re having an online thing about that. Obviously, the draft is going to drive it. That is the first thing. That will kind of set the table for one of those things. Getting back into the playoffs is a priority. That’s what we want to try and do. That’s where we want to be. This summer is as exciting as it was two years ago when we had the money and we were able to do the things that we did. Again, we have the flexibility with our own free agents. We have the ability to look at some other free agents off some other teams. We have a high draft pick that we never anticipated we were going to get - so that is an extra bonus. I told Larry (K) this, and my staff, it’s almost like we get a free agent back in Bobby Simmons because he never got to play. You guys got to see just a glimpse of what Charlie Villanueva can do. Those are exciting pieces to me. So, the number one priority is to get ourselves back to where we thought we were going to be when we were healthy at the beginning of this season, as well as add the top draft choice with some free agents. I think for the first time, at least in my tenure, we’re going to be moving forward with a nucleus of players that everybody can recognize. And I think Larry (K) even stated he feels comfortable with what we have in place with some of the additions that we’re going to make. That is music to my ears. I’m not into adding seven or eight guys every year and thinking that you can just keep turning this roster over and over and over (until it is) successful.
| Is Mo Williams part of that nucleus? |
Well, we obviously need a point guard. He had a very impressive year. There’s no question about that from a statistical standpoint, and we’ve got to address the point guard position.
| Are you on the same page (as owner Senator Kohl) with the Bucks needing a “Superstar"? |
Well I think when you’re trying to find talent you always want to find the players that can become superstars. I think if you look at the teams, Miami won it last year and you can say they have two superstars. They acquired one in free agency and they drafted one of them. So there are different ways to get those. I think you can probably put the superstars basically on a small stack. We kind of know who they are. They’re hard to get but you’ve got to kind of make your own with the players that you do have. In Milwaukee, we’re trying to get Michael Redd to that level. We hope that Andrew Bogut will get to that level. The rest of the players, we’ll see how they come along. But certainly those are two pieces we feel have a chance to get to that level. What I’m saying by getting to that level is putting you in position to win an NBA Championship, not (just) talk about (it), and making other players around you better. It’s not about stats. It’s more than just “what have you done for me lately?” Those two guys have got to carry our franchise. They have the potential to be that. So my job is to try to find pieces that fit around them, whether it’s the draft or a trade or free agency. So eventually you can put a team together that has a bunch of superstars. But yet you look at Detroit (and) I don’t know how many (of them are) so-called superstars, (but) they have a lot of very good players. Maybe that is where we need to go until those guys develop into that role. San Antonio, you can say they have one superstar and a lot of very good players around (him). Same thing (with)Phoenix, obviously a superstar in Steve Nash and a lot of good players around (him) as well. It can be done in different ways, but I think if you can find a player to add to your roster that brings that about – it’s very hard to do. It looks like a lot of them are doing it in free agency, but Tim Duncan is one that (San Antonio) drafted and he elevated himself into that position.
| What is the status of your current free agents? |
Well, we have potential seven and a couple with options in Earl Boykins (player option) and Brian Skinner (team option). Certainly, Mo Williams, Charlie Bell, Ersan Ilyasova and Ruben Patterson are guys that had various degrees of success and did things for us throughout the year. Those are obviously the four guys we will be looking at as well as other players off of other teams.
| You’re going to have a high draft pick, but it is more crucial to hit it big in free agency this year? |
Yes, if you can. Again, it depends where we’re going to finish up. If you get the number one pick or the number two pick, it changes the direction of what you’re going to do in free agency. The third and fourth pick, there’s a lot of different things that happen after that, a lot of different scenarios come into play. Free agency can go in many different directions, but we need to address these three spots. Only one is going to be addressed by the draft, whichever one that will be.
| Does it seem to be true that the power positions are good in the draft? |
Well, it’s the depth of the draft. There’s no question or doubt about it. Again, it’s unfortunate we can’t do this end of season press conference with you guys on May 25 or 26. Or if we did it May 5 it would be better. We can’t really talk about (draft eligible players) until we receive (a) letter (that says who they are) so all we know is what you know. (With) speculation that all these guys are coming out, all we can do is kind of talk around guys, which really doesn’t give you a whole lot. But if everybody stays in – and everybody knows who the names are – the depth of the draft is really at the power positions and it’s a need for us. Larry (K) talked about it very briefly – about toughness – but we need physicality. We found that the one thing Brian Skinner brought was the fact he was drawing DNPs early in the season but then in New York he just kind of exploded. It’s not that his game changed. We realized that, going into free agency, if he’s not back with us, we need that presence. Andrew (Bogut) is going to try and Charlie (Villanueva) is going to try. We’ve got Dan Gadzuric. But their ilk is not of that pounding, physical-banging nature. Not that they don’t like contact to varying degrees, but they’re not like Brian Skinner. That to me is kind of an area of emphasis and that could be free agency or the draft.
| What do you say about Charlie (Villanueva) after this year? After T.J. Ford had so much success in Toronto. |
Well, obviously, you are asking me to defend myself. You know, I traded someone who had been hurt for 18 months, rehabbed and put himself back on the floor. The one thing about T.J. Ford, he won at every level. It was not surprising that when he is healthy, his team wins. He has it. It just didn’t happen in grade school and all of a sudden he just figured it out in the pro game. It followed him – success follows him. I think that happens with people. And for us, as our starting point guard, to go and get one of the top rookies, potentially a Rookie of the Year at a big position, which we truly needed, (it made sense). Obviously, rub the crystal ball and say “Hey, your guy is going to get hurt and the other guy is going to be healthy,” is just one of those things. But a trade is not made for one year. You have to look at the long-term deal. I think Charlie is going to be a very good player. He is going to help us get in the playoffs and do the things T.J. Ford did for (Toronto). Let’s evaluate it over the span of the contracts of the guys and see where they go. For me, Charlie is one of the most gifted offensive players at 6-11. To me, that’s a skill. He can score. He can get 10 points and 6 rebounds in his sleep by just stepping out on the floor. Now what we have to do is hone his skills to where he brings a physical presence. Where they’re not taking advantage of him at the offensive end of the floor. He’s got to recognize that, in order to stay on the floor – he’s no different than anybody else – he’s got to play defensive. He’s got to make a commitment to that. That effort will get you by with this team, but if you’re going to be lazy and you’re not going to do what we need you to do, there are going to be other guys we’re going to go into because we need to win. That’s what we’re here for. We’re not in the rebuilding mode. We’re here to win and Charlie can be a big part of that. It’s really on him as well. We’re going to give him all the tools just like we would give Mo Williams those tools, Bobby Simmons to get back on the floor, our draft pick, Dan Gadzuric. A lot of that onus is on us, but we also have to put it back on them as well, and I think Charlie is going to expect that. I really do.
| Do you see him playing the 3 or the 4 position? |
It’s a question that is always asked. It’s really Larry’s (K) decision, but I will tell you I think he is a 4. Larry (K) knows that. Can he play 3? That’s what they can figure out. We were talking today in our own little group, if you have a zone defense, if you believe in zone defense (then) you can put Charlie Villanueva and maybe some draft pick or some free agent and Andrew Bogut across the front line. That may be able to cross all 50 feet. You may have a chance. You could look pretty good in a zone defense. I’m not sure how many games you’d win, or if you could do that. Or if (there are) match-ups where Charlie is so much taller than (his opponent), we put him in the post and people can double-team him because Charlie can pass. I mean, there are different ways you can take advantage of that. If you’re looking at the Dallas/Golden State series, Dirk Nowitzki did not look comfortable playing in that mishmash. There are different ways to skin a cat and I think that’s where Larry (K) is going to figure that out. There may be times where he plays 3 and maybe fouls or something may occur – it may dictate that Charlie goes there. But I think when we traded for him we felt he was a power forward, a facing power forward that could take advantage of his ability to play inside and out.
| Is there room for Ruben Patterson with Bobby Simmons coming back? |
One of the things that Bobby brings to the table is that he is a very skilled player. He can shoot the basketball and do those kinds of things. But we still need that athleticism and we need someone behind him that complements him and that’s why (we thought) Ruben (and Bobby) would fit good together. They’re different. The way they play is much different. The fans loved Ruben Patterson and what he brought to the table. And if there is one thing that I’ve learned, it’s that he identifies what Milwaukee is all about. He is blue-collar the whole way. So, as we are looking into free agency, Ruben (is) one of those guys we have to identify (as) a need for us. Bobby Simmons doesn’t play that style. Not that he wouldn’t, but Bobby Simmons does not. I didn’t sign him as a free agent for him to be the junkyard dog. That’s just not how he is and that’s not what we’re looking for him to do. Is he a good shooter, defender, all-around player? Yeah, he’s good. But we need a type of player Ruben is, the way he attacks a game and how aggressive he is, because I think that’s contagious. Here we are talking about defense and Larry is going to talk about (it). He’s going to think about all these drills and all the things he’s going to do this summer. A lot of accountability in the pre-season, but if you don’t give them the tools to have guys out there that are stoppers (who) have that defensive mentality, then I failed him. We have to bring that type of presence back out in free agency or it could even be in the draft as well. But that is certainly the type of player we will definitely be looking at for sure.
| When it comes to keeping your free agents, do you internally set a dollar figure when dealing with them? |
It’s at little early for that. But I will say this: we do all the studies at each of the positions. I think what you have to go into when your dealing in free agency, you have to know what the most recent contracts are based on stats and age and so on – where teams are at as far as luxury tax and salary cap implications. But you have to look at the way the league is going. You have to make an educated decision when you go out in free agency. You’re not going to offer a guy $2 million when what he’s done for you is equating to guys that are making $7 or 8 million. I know that is a big disparity, but a lot of the leg work that is done behind the scenes before we go on July 1 is that when we make those offers we try to be at least competitive, giving you a respectful offer, knowing that there’s always negotiating that goes on. None of that goes without looking at stats and trends and things of that nature. I just think you have to be knowledgeable about what you’re willing to do and accomplish because if it gets to that point, we can’t go there because down the road we’ve got to pay player A, B, C and D. That’s the decision you have to make. It becomes an economic thing. We always have back-up plans. If Player A decides to go somewhere else, we’ve got to have B, C, and D ready and we will.
| Could Charlie Bell play point guard for you? |
That’s a good question. I know that a lot of people have only seen him once – I think with the triple-double that he had – where he got a chance to play (the point exclusively. We believe he can. We believe that one of the things he can do is play. We’ve identified this year that he’s a really short small forward. We’ve identified that. We got a lot of time to figure that out – that he really struggles with 6-9 small forwards. So what we’re going try and do is (focus on) where he really excels – he believes he’s a point guard. He’s not afraid of it. We challenged him this summer to play exclusively at point guard whenever he’s at Michigan State or whatever he’s doing (his workouts). Don’t play any two guard and certainly don’t play any small forward. We’ve seen you do that and you’re good. It’s handle the ball, do the things you need to do as a point guard because Larry (K) really believes he can be that. I think if you’re coach believes in you, I think the players will respond. It was encouraging to hear that in the postseason meetings that Larry and I had and in addition to talking to Charlie. It gives us more depth at that position. (We said) Charlie, when you come back now and as we’re looking at you in free agency, we just don’t see you as a 2 or we just don’t see you as a 3. Now you’re talking about a guy who has the ability to play all 3 positions. (Maybe) we have an injury and Charlie Bell becomes our power forward. He literally is a 1-2 that can play some 3. So when he’s out there in free agency and he’s looking at all these options that he can go to, there aren’t going to be many places where he’s comfortable with the coaching staff, loves the city, is close to his family – not so close that they don’t bug him all the time, but close enough he can get across the water. He’s used to the weather and he knows his role and where we’re going to use him. I think that is as important as (him wondering) “where is my opportunity?” or (“can I start?”). I think when he equates everything – and the money will be in a reasonable number – (when he figures out) where he’s acceptable – and that we are – he will be back.
| Do you consult any of your players on what free agents to get or draft picks to choose? |
When we met with each player, we asked them about players that were free agents for us. Especially the guys returning. What do you think about Mo? What do you think about Charlie? They know. They live in the locker room. They’ve lived with these guys. What do you think? It was funny because the more we got in the process with each player – we probably met with each player an hour, some an hour and a half, anywhere from 45 (minutes) to an hour and a half – early on it was like teacher and pupil, but as we got in and got a little more comfortable, they were a little more open to us. I think that kind of give and take was very informational and very beneficial to us. We also ask them about free agents and who we should take in the draft. We mentioned names that are obviously out on the Internet. They had opinions. They had thoughts and we asked them what kind of players do we need to add to make our team better. It was interesting. They all came in kind of the same three – we need this, this and this – which is similar to what we were saying. More of them felt we need more help upfront with the big guys. We addressed different situations. But I told Michael, Andrew and Mo and those types of guys, if there comes a time when everybody’s with us and we’re out there in free agency, I may need you to call – I may need you to be a part of it. When we’re getting closer to the draft, I’ll call you and let you know where we’re going and so on and so forth. So they’re a part of it. I think it’s important. As I told them, I am not going to kid you just because you like someone because he went to your same school. That doesn’t mean we’re going to take him. It’s just one of those things. I think it’s important to get their input so they feel like they are a part of the process.
| Will you be at the lottery this year? |
Yes, I will be. I heard today that lightning doesn’t strike twice. Skip (Robinson) (Director of Community & Player Relations) and I went last year, but I am getting a lot of heat from people internally (saying) they don’t want him to come because they don’t think both of us can do it again. But I don’t know. I think we’re doing something online again. We are trying to find Cleo (the lucky fishing lure that was in Larry’s pocket when the Bucks landed the #1 pick in 2005) and we’re trying to find the wristbands. I may actually have a little wagon of stuff it seems with everything I’m going to be bringing. On a serious note, the draft is very, very deep and it’s exciting. I didn’t wish it upon us but we will certainly take it. Hopefully we will be like San Antonio. They got Tim Duncan and they never looked back and hopefully we’re in the same boat.
| What is your assessment of Andrew Bogut this past year? Do you have a problem with where he plays? |
I don’t think Andrew cares where he plays. I think he just want to win. I think he got better as the year went on. There were kind of some ups and downs and I know a lot of people were harsh on him early and took it game-by-game. But he showed gradual process throughout the year. I think it was unfortunate that he got hurt when he did because I think he was really excited about the coaching change. We were about ready to start doing some more with an inside-outside game and I think Andrew had taken it upon himself. He’s going back to Australia and he knows he needs to get stronger. He is going to add some weight. But it’s going to be more muscle than it is just coming back more big and heavy. He knows he needs to be a better runner. We are encouraging him to shoot that fifteen footer now so they don’t back off of him and really just diversify his game to where he can do a lot more stuff offensively and doesn’t have to worry that we don’t want him to shoot this or shoot that. I think he is just more comfortable with where he is at, and with Larry (K) as the coach, I think he is going to be fine.
| You don’t have a problem with where he plays (Bogut)? |
No. It doesn’t matter to me and (Andrew) doesn’t (care) either. If the draft works out and he’s the power forward or if it works out and he’s the center, we’re going to be better off at whichever position he is at. It really doesn’t matter to him I can tell you that. Because there are enough ways to get him the ball whether it’s in the low post or whether it’s at the high post at a 4 or a 5. That will be a good problem to have, trust me.
