June 27, 2003

After putting the finishing touches on his first draft as the Bulls EVP-Basketball Operations, John Paxson met the media at the Berto Center to discuss his selections.

“I’m really pleased that we were in a position to get a guy like Kirk Hinrich. I look at it this way: I was looking for a basketball player for our team. In talking to our coaching staff, there are two priorities for us next year: to push the ball more, which Kirk can do as he played in a very up-tempo system at Kansas. As a system player, in terms of our triangle offense, he’ll be a very good fit. I was looking for a guy that can play this game. Obviously, a week ago that decision would have been a little bit different. I had a couple guys on the board, one was gone, and I was happy with either one. I had a feeling that either one would be there for us. I think it’s a great addition for our team; Kirk is a class individual who will bring some effort and toughness to our team. I think he’s an underrated athlete. And like I said before, he played in an up-tempo system at Kansas so he can push the ball and play within the system that we want. A lot of people didn’t know which direction we would go, but I feel we went in the right direction for the future of our franchise.”

Was Dwyane Wade the other guy on the Bulls’ board?

“That would be a pretty good guess.”

Did you take Hinrich because he reminds you of yourself?

“No, that’s not why. He’s a much better basketball player than I was overall. He can attack the basket and do a lot of things that people may not give him credit for. The one thing that I really like about him is that he’s a winner. He’s won at every level, he’s a coach’s son, and he can play the game. That’s what he loves to do. I think he’s good for our basketball team. The other thing you can say about Kirk is that he will fit very well with our two big young guys. He will be able to feed the post as he’s a very good post passer. He’ll be able to hit open jump shots. He’ll be good in the open floor in terms of our two big kids running the floor. I think those are very valuable assets in terms of the direction that we want to go. I think it’s a real positive.”

On Hinrich as a defender:

“He’s a good defender and he’s a guy that’s not afraid. Sometimes you look at players like that and you may worry about them in terms of speed and quickness. But he tested very with us athletically when he was here and he’ll stick his nose in there. That’s what I like about him; he’s not going to back down from any challenge.”

On trade talks throughout the evening:

“[The phone] did not ring as much as you might think. With the events of last week, we really didn’t have the leverage in terms of that guard play. I kind of looked at it this way: when we were finally making the decision, with Jay’s injury we were kind of put back a year in terms of that position. We have Jamal Crawford, and he’s come into his own as a player. He’s the veteran now. We also have Roger Mason, who can play both spots. I didn’t feel uncomfortable taking a guard. Our need was probably a small forward type, but I didn’t want to overlook a good basketball player. When we look back, Kirk is going to be in this league for a long time and he’s going to be as solid as they come. The biggest thing for me is that he’ll be able to play in our system and he’ll be able to play with the two young kids. That, to me, is a priority, because those guys aren’t going anywhere.”

"[Hinrich] can play the up-tempo game and he can push the basketball and I know that is something Bill [Cartwright] wants to do this year," Paxson stated after the draft.

Will you try to get a small forward through free agency?

“We are certainly going to try. That’s a high priority.”

On scouting Hinrich:

“I obviously didn’t have the chance to scout most of these guys in person this year. His workout was impressive, but just watching tape of him, the kid’s a winner. He can play the up-tempo game and he can push the basketball and I know that is something Bill [Cartwright] wants to do this year. He wants to run more and I think he can fit that role. He’ll play well out of the triangle because he can make open shots. He’s been coached very well by Roy Williams at Kansas and I think that’s an important thing. He’s going to be a solid player and I thought it was necessary for us to get a solid player.”

Did you envision drafting him when he was in for his workout?

“Not at that time, no. But we also had T.J. Ford in here, too, and he’s a terrific player. Kirk’s size is a little bit better in that regard. But in reality, they are both terrific and you can’t go wrong with either one.”

How much will Hinrich play this season?

“You’ll have to ask Bill that question. But I think he’ll find the minutes. I don’t see him backing down from playing. Let’s face it, last year we started Jay Williams at point guard. I know that any young kid that comes into the league is going to have their ups and downs and struggles. But we aren’t going to put any kind of pressure on Kirk to be any kind of player other than who he is. I just think that good, solid basketball players find their way on the floor. You’re talking about in the game kind of situations where decisions have to be made; this kid will make good decisions. From my seat right know, I think he’ll find a way to get into the rotation.”

Did the fact that you didn’t see Mickael Pietrus in person weigh in on your decision?

“It did. The fact that I couldn’t be totally confident in myself—and I respect every opinion I got and there were tremendous things said about him—but for me, personally, even if I had gone over there for a couple days, it would have been a tough thing for me to do. He was there, too, and it was a last hour kind of thing where I made up my mind that he would be tougher to take. You just can’t worry about what you may be passing on. I really do believe we got a solid, solid player in Kirk Hinrich. That’s really one of the things I was looking for.”

On the Bulls second round picks:

“Mario Austin is a 6-9 power forward who our scouts really liked in terms of his toughness and his work ethic. He played in the SEC which is a terrific conference and we’re going to see how he matches up. It’s always good to have competition at those spots and, as you know, we have Lonny [Baxter], who we really like, and Marcus [Fizer], who is coming off a knee injury, so that position is one we wanted to look at if Mario was there along with some other players. Tommy Smith is a wing-running three/four that has great athletic tools so we want to take a good look at him as well.”

On his first draft as a general manager:

“Today I knew that a decision had to be made and I thought we did a real good job of laying out every possible scenario that could happen in front of us. In doing that, it was a real comfortable decision. It wasn’t like I was going in just hoping one guy would be there and if that didn’t happen, everything would fall apart. I had my mind set on two primarily and one of the two was there so it was an easy decision to make.”

On a free agency plan:

“We have to address a couple of needs for us in free agency. A wing player is a priority so we’ll direct all our efforts to that, starting right now, really.”

Does having two guards in Hinrich and Crawford give you back the flexibility to entertain trades again?

“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m happy in the player that we have in Kirk Hinrich. Like I said before, he’s a good fit for us. So that is too far to go right now.”