Rookie Tales

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Veteran Point Guard Reflects on His Early Days in the Twin Cities

by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
12/9/21 | Cavs.com

There weren’t many international players who came into the Association with the fanfare that surrounded Ricky Rubio. He had the name.  He had the look. He had the international highlight reel.

NBA fans knew the name “Ricky Rubio” long before he ever hit the Stateside hardwood.

Officially drafted by Minnesota with the 5th overall pick in 2009, Rubio – who was a household hoops name in Europe by the time he was a teenager – played internationally for the Regal FC Barcelona over the next two seasons before entering the Association in 2011-12.

By then, the point guard Minnesota selected one pick before Rubio in 2009 – Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn – had moved on and the Spanish superstar would now come into the league the same season as the player the T-Wolves nabbed No. 2 overall, Derrick Williams from Arizona.

Both Flynn and (one-time Cavalier) Williams are long departed from the league, while Rubio is having one the best seasons of his career, flourishing off the bench next to the player who was already putting up huge numbers when he arrived in Minnesota – Kevin Love.

For the Cavaliers this season, the 11th year man is scoring at a career-best clip (13.2ppg) despite starting just five games. Currently, he’s the only player in the NBA averaging at least 11.0ppg, 6.0apg and 4.0rpg off the bench this season.

And he’s had some big nights as a Cavalier, none bigger than a November 7 win over the Knicks in New York – exploding for a career-best 37 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including a jaw-dropping 8-of-9 from long-distance to go with 10 assists, becoming the first player in league history to post those numbers in a reserve role.

As importantly, Rubio is one of the biggest reasons the young Cavaliers are one of the NBA’s genuine surprises this season – filling a veteran leadership void in the backcourt via an offseason deal and leading Cleveland to a 14-12 mark heading into the weekend.

The Wine &amp; Gold wanted ‘Spanish national team’ Ricky – and that’s exactly what they’ve gotten.

As the Cavs travel to the Twin Cities, where Rubio spent the first six seasons of his career, we sat down with the crafty point man to talk about his freshman campaign running with the Wolves in today’s installment of Rookie Tales …

Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love spent three seasons together with the Timberwolves.
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

After playing at such a high level at young age in Spain, did you come into the league more mature than most rookies?

Ricky Rubio: Yeah, I think so. Especially because I got drafted and still played two more years professionally over there. That really helped me grow in this role, but it’s still totally different. It’s like when you play Under-14, Under-16 – then you go pro.

There was a lot going on, but it really helped me know what I could expect.

Aside from the language barrier, what’s the biggest challenge for an international rookie in the NBA?

Rubio: Culture-wise, it’s a little different at first. But mostly, it’s distance from family and friends.

As a rookie, if (American players) need the support of friends and family – it’s a two-hour flight or a couple hour drive or whatever it is. You have family or friends that come over. But it’s harder.

And in Europe, especially in Spain, we have such a culture of having the family around. And it’s like, when things are going well – Ok, you can get past that. But when you have a couple bad games, who can you lean on?

You feel a little bit all by yourself over here, and that was one of the challenges I faced.

After being drafted in 2009, you stayed and won two championships in Europe. Now you’re in the States, in a cold-weather two with a team that’s lost a lot of games. What was that adjustment like?

Rubio: My expectations were high – and actually before me and K. Love went down, we were in the Playoff picture after two years of 15 or 16 wins. Our record was something like 21-20 before I got hurt.

We were going up against the Lakers and it felt like a Playoff atmosphere. Our arena was packed, everybody was excited. They even had t-shirts on the seats. It was special.

So, I remember my rookie season really well – not as a losing season, but more like really exciting times where everyone was engaged.

"At the end of the day, I’ve had a lot of pressure since I was young – and it’s something that I manage well. And it’s something that I honestly don’t pay much attention to."

Your rookie season was also the NBA Lockout season – 66 games, with some back-to-back-to-backs. What was that like, physically?

I remember playing in Milwaukee, then going back home, then going back to Chicago to play on the third night. And I was talking to my friend and I said: ‘I don’t feel my legs!’ I love the NBA, but I don’t know if I can do this.

It was challenging physically, of course. There were a lot of games, and, at the end of the day, I tore my ACL. Who knows what would have happened, but of course that was one of the big problems of playing so many games.

The year you actually joined the T-Wolves, their top pick (No. 2 overall) was Derrick Williams. Did you two coming into the league together take some pressure off you?

Rubio: Yeah, but actually I was always playing with pressure back home in Spain. I was a young kid, getting drafted, stayed two more years. I won two championships. I played with the Spanish national team. When Jose Calderon was hurt, I was 17 years old and was playing as a starter in the finals against the U.S. team.

So, at the end of the day, I’ve had a lot of pressure since I was young – and it’s something that I manage well. And it’s something that I honestly don’t pay much attention to.

What was your relationship like with Kevin Love when you joined Minnesota as a rookie?

Rubio: He was great. But at that time we were both a little immature. And now we’re more – I mean, he’s still joking around all the time, being K. Love, but in a different way.

When you’re young and you have early success in this league, it’s tough to keep your feet on the ground. But he was really good with me. He helped me through my rookie season, of course.

On the court it was tough because he was coming from two or three years of losing a lot of games and it was frustrating. But like I said, we were having a really good season, but injuries happened and that was that.

Were there any veterans on the team that took you under their wing? Any vets especially tough on you?

Rubio: There were no veterans that were tough on me.

There was Luke Ridenour, who was a really good example, a really hard worker. Brad Miller was great his last year. So, it wasn’t just, like, one veteran. It was everybody, and the coaching staff was always there for me too. It was a really good experience.

Rookie initiation seems like a thing of the past. Was there anything silly that the vets put you through as a rook?

Rubio: Well, I had to carry a Justin Bieber backpack. But that’s about it.

rookie-tales-with-ricky-rubio

Rookie Tales ... with Ricky Rubio

Cavs Veteran Looks Back on Early Days with the Raptors

by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
11/5/21 | Cavs.com

As most fans know, the Cavaliers are one of the youngest teams in the NBA – sixth-youngest, in fact, tied with the Rockets with a group that averages just 25.0 years of age.

And while that youthful exuberance is part of the reason the Wine &amp; Gold are one of the surprising teams of the early part of the season, there’s also a handful of seasoned veterans keeping them on course. Which brings us to big man, Ed Davis.

Davis – now in his 12th season out of North Carolina – was signed near the end of Training Camp to provide both insurance for the frontline, but also a savvy veteran voice for a squad that’s still figuring it out. He is the definition of a “pro’s pro.”

The D.C. native, who spent last year with Minnesota, has now been with eight teams over the course of his career – playing in 691 regular season and 33 postseason contests – averaging 6.2 points and 6.6 boards over that stretch. Aside from his current stint with Cleveland, the 32-year-old has played for Memphis, L.A. Lakers, Portland, Brooklyn, Utah, Minnesota, and the team that drafted him with the 13th overall pick in 2010 – the Cavs’ Friday night opponent, the Toronto Raptors.

Of the 12 players drafted before Davis that year, only five – John Wall, Derrick Favors, Al-Farouq Aminu, Paul George and Gordon Hayward – are still active in the NBA (and DeMarcus Cousins remains an unsigned free agent).

Cavs.com sat down with the Wine &amp; Gold’s world-wise big man before they got back on the road as he looked back on that freshman campaign in Canada over a decade ago in today’s installment of Rookie Tales …

Including his current run with the Wine &amp; Gold, Ed Davis has played with eight NBA squads over the course of his career.
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

The Raptors were a struggling squad when they drafted you in 2010. Is it better for a rookie to be selected by a good team or a bad one?

Because as a rookie, if you’re not a top five pick, you sort of want to go to a team that’s not already set, because then you’ll get the opportunity. If you’re on a bad team and you’re a first round pick, you’re going to get that opportunity to establish yourself.

But if you’re rookie and you go to a Playoff team, there’s a good chance their roster is already locked, and there’s a chance that the guy who plays your position is one of the highest paid players on the team or an All-Star. You can get lost in the sauce, and you look up and you’ve gone your first three years without playing.

So, if I’m an agent and I have a player who’s drafted in the middle of the first round, I’d want him to go to a team where he’ll have an opportunity, maybe more so than a team that’s trying to win right now.

In that respect, did being selected by Toronto at No. 13 work out perfectly?

Davis: Well, for one, it gave me games under my belt. It gave me experience. I got to start. I got to come off the bench. I got to finish games. I was able to establish an identity in the league by just playing. I got the opportunity to play, and I was playing the best ball of my career in my third year before I got traded.

But going back to my rookie year, I got hurt right before Training Camp. But I wound up playing like 67 games that year.

It was a blessing I got drafted where I did.

What’s the toughest thing to get used to for rookies?

Davis: The toughest thing that everything is new. You have so much free time.

In college, you might be living with three or four people. You have guys saying, ‘OK let’s go to practice’ or whatever. In the NBA, once practice is over, everybody goes their own way.

So, you have to grow up fast. There’s not a lot of babying involved. If you’re not mature, the league will get you out of here quickly. It’s a tough business.

Is being a rookie in Canada that much tougher?

Davis: The struggle for me was, back in 2010, not everybody in my family back home had passports. Hell, I didn’t have a passport when I got drafted!

And when you’re in Canada – even though it’s North America – you feel that you’re in another country after a week goes by. So, you get a little homesickness.

And then there’s the fact if anyone has any flags on their record, you’re going to have a hard time crossing that border. My mom got into a jam because she had, like, an unpaid ticket or something. And it happened right when I was recovering from surgery, so it was really bad timing.

How do you look back on your 2010 Draft class?

Davis: It was a solid draft class. We had some All-Stars. John Wall, Gordon Hayward, DeMarcus Cousins. I’m real close with Evan Turner and Al-Farouq Aminu.

"I’m literally trying to help everyone. Because I can pretty much relate to damn near everything a guy’s been through. Like, I’ve never been an All-Star or been the focal point of the team, but anything else in-between, I’ve either seen it or been through it."

For me, I don’t take any of this for granted. There’s only, like, six of us left. And for me, that’s like a huge accomplishment. I think out of my class, I’m in the top 3 in games played.

Looking back on it, now that I’m towards the end of my career, it’s truly a blessing. This is the best job that you can possibly have.

I didn’t join Cleveland until the final week of Training Camp. I was at home. And the last 11 years, I was at Training Camp and part of a team. I just know that when I’m done, I’m gonna miss the NBA and the game – a LOT.

I’m a humble guy, and I’m always realistic. So, it feels good that I’m one of the last ones standing. Especially how the game changed on me and my skillset. I mean, I haven’t made a three-point shot in my career. And that’s in a time when shooting is at a premium, spacing is a premium and there’s so much analytics on shooting. I’m proud of myself honestly.

Was there a veteran who took you under his win that first year in Toronto?

At the time, he was tough on me – on the court, off the court. And his message, and how he presented it, wasn’t the best way. But looking back on it, he had my best interests in mind. But he didn’t present it very well, and I was young and we butted heads a little bit.

But I really appreciate the advice he gave me. And he was another guy who wasn’t skilled at all, but he had like a 13- or 14-year career – just by being tough and working hard.

Is there a youngster on the Cavaliers you’ve worked with?

Davis: For this team, there’s not, like, one guy that I’m trying to help. I’m literally trying to help everyone. Because I can pretty much relate to damn near everything a guy’s been through. Like, I’ve never been an All-Star or been the focal point of the team, but anything else in-between, I’ve either seen it or been through it.

So, I try to give people advice that people didn’t give me.

You see a guy who, maybe has been dropped out of the rotation. And he comes to the gym, and you can see it on his face. So, It might be just a little thing, telling that person: ‘Hey, these coaches don’t care about your feelings, man. This is a job, bro. You have to come here and put your work in and be ready.’ Little things like that.

I’m just trying to help guys just be as professional as possible. Because any coach or any player I’ve played with, they’ll say that when it comes to being a pro, I rank near the top. And that’s what I pride myself on.

I want all these guys here to make as much money as they can and have the longest career that they can possibly have. I care about these guys getting paid and enjoying doing this. But getting paid comes with winning. So, explaining little things like that.

And one thing I know is, if you win and you’re on that floor, you get taken care of at the end of the year.

Agents and family and friends, they’re not always going to give it to guys straight like that.

How has the NBA world changed since you came into the league as a rookie?

Davis: The science behind things. And the analytics.

I feel like early in my career they were trying to introduce those things. And coaches were fighting it. They were fighting ‘load management’ and all that. But the coaches that fought it, they’re now on the outside looking in. And the guys that bought into it are being successful and they’re prolonging their career.

So, I think the biggest change is obviously the three-point shot.

But also there’s the science behind things. Like wearing these monitors in practice. We didn’t do that stuff in my rookie year! If you told Byron Scott that we were tracking his practice, he’d have gone crazy. ‘What?! I gotta keep guys under a certain workload?!’

How was your relationship with (former Cavs coach) Byron Scott?

Davis: That’s one of my favorite coaches, man!

One thing about B. Scott: he was a straight shooter. ‘If you have something to say, come step to me and it is what it is. If we have a problem, we can handle this like professionals, or we can go outside.’

Did you have to do any kind of rookie hazing or initiation? And do vets still put the rookies through that today?

Davis: Me, I have a laid-back personality, so I’m not really a guy where vets will be like: ‘Hey, you gotta carry this pink bookbag.’ Because it’s kind of against what I stand for.

So I don’t ask rookies to get me anything or do this, do that. I’m all about respect.

For me, I try to help guys and teach guys and give guys as much knowledge as I can. I’m not with all that goofy stuff. I’m not about putting anybody down. My dad raised me all about respect. And that teeters the line of disrespect, and I can’t get with that.

rooke-tales-with-ed-davis

Rooke Tales ... with Ed Davis

Cavs Forward Recalls His Rookie Days After Arriving from Overseas

by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
4/5/20 | Cavs.com

It’s somehow not surprising that Cedi Osman’s rookie year wasn’t the brutal slog it can be for some first-year players, especially ones from overseas.

That’s because Cedi is intrinsically likeable, both on and off the court.

On the floor, the third-year forward from Macedonia plays hard and unselfishly in both games and practice. He’s durable, coachable and never complains. He’s generous and courteous with media and has adoring fans in three continents. He’s even got a Head and Shoulders commercial.

From the start, Cedi and local fans struck up an immediate friendship. In Cavalier Country, he’s on a first-name basis.

After starring overseas, the now-25-year-old was drafted with the 31st overall pick of the 2015 Draft by the Timberwolves, but his rights (along with Rakeem Christmas) were sent to Cleveland in exchange for guard Tyus Jones. Two years later, after wrapping up his deal with the Euroleague’s Anadolu Efes in 2017, Osman made his Cavaliers debut later that fall during garbage time in Milwaukee.

Before the league’s mandatory hiatus, Osman was having a solid third season, although slightly down across the board from his sophomore campaign. But he was actually on the upswing before play stopped – netting double-figures in four of his previous five outings, averaging 16.5ppg over that stretch.

Osman’s rookie season was spent backing up a guy named LeBron James on a squad littered with big names like Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Dwyane Wade, Isaiah Thomas, J.R. Smith and Derrick Rose.

Cedi didn’t see much action that first year – averaging just 11.0mpg on a veteran-heavy squad that was in the midst of its fourth straight run to the NBA Finals. But he did grow up as a man and a ballplayer that season.

So while we’re all social distancing and trying to stay safe during this difficult time, here’s a Cavalier fan favorite recalling his rookie campaign with the Wine &amp; Gold …

Cedi Osman was having a solid run before the NBA hiatus, averaging 16.5ppg over a four-game span.
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Was it a good thing or a bad thing to come into the league on a team so loaded with veterans?

Cedi Osman: I think it was a good thing, because my first year we had a relly great team. I think they'd played in three straight NBA Finals. So I was really excited, you know? A chance to win an NBA Championship in my first year!

But at one point, I realized that for me to play, I had to really earn my spot because we already had a lot of a lot of great players, a lot of star players.

So I think that year really helped me a lot. It helped my game, but I also developed some really great friendships here, too.

For some overseas guys coming over, the language barrier is the biggest hurdle. What were some of the big adjustments you had to make?

Cedi: The language was not a big problem because my English was getting better every year. So, I really felt comfortable and I had trust in myself, you know, talking to people. Even though I know I was making mistakes, I still kept talking.

But I think the biggest adjustment for me was the food, because it's a different type of food here.

But thanks to my teammates, the coaches and really the entire organization, they really helped me adjust quickly. So, I really didn't have a lot of problems with adjustments.

Cedi: Kind of more fried stuff. That's the one thing I had to adjust to.

It's not like it's gross or anything. I like fried stuff, too. Just not every day.

Because you’d been playing professionally so young, did you feel ready for the league when you made the jump?

Cedi: Yeah, I was ready for the NBA. Because I went through a lot of things back overseas.

And you know, playing professionally from a young age and then playing against the older guys – guys over 30; older, talented guys – was really tough, but it also helped my game grow and just get me ready for the NBA.

That first year, before you even started practicing, is it correct that you had some uniform number issues with Dwyane Wade?

Cedi: Well, my number was always 6, actually. And obviously, I couldn't take 6. So I chose 9. I preferred taking 9 because of the 6 – just upside down.

"No matter what, if I got in for one minute or five minutes – especially that first year, minutes were really crucial for me – I played hard. And I think they just took me under their wing because I was really playing hard and I really showed them that I want to be a part of the team."

Cedi Osman, on getting the veterans to accept him as a rookie

So, it started with Cobra (Cavs Director of Team Operations, Mark Cashman) telling me that D-Wade, he wants number 9 and he's gonna talk to you. And then the second thing was I saw on Twitter somebody tweeted, like, you know: 'Wade is going to take No. 9 from Osman. He'll have to pick another number.' Stuff like that.

But I was totally cool with it and he (Wade) was totally cool with it. It wasn't that big of issue. So, I was like: No problem, buddy. We swapped jerseys and that was it.

So he took 9 and I picked 16 – just because has a '6' in it.

It seemed like the veterans embraced you right away as an incoming rookie.

Cedi: They did. I think it's just because I worked really hard and I was playing hard all the time.

No matter what, if I got in for one minute or five minutes – especially that first year, minutes were really crucial for me – I played hard. And I think they just took me under their wing because I was really playing hard and I really showed them that I want to be a part of the team and help the team.

All the veterans we had my first year were great character guys, great people. Whenever I asked about something, they were always ready to help me. They never told me: 'Go away, I don't want to talk right now.'

They were always trying to explain things and teach me. So that's why I really feel lucky for that first season.

I just thing was because my energy was matching with everybody. And that's why I felt like we had like a small brother-big brother relationship.

I heard so much negative about the rookie year, but it really wasn't like that for me.

Looking back, that could have been a different story. What do you remember about that fateful first practice against LeBron?

Cedi: Yeah, I'll probably always remember that scene. (Laughs)

It wasn't my first practice. Actually, it was my second. We practiced in the morning and the second one that night was a scrimmage.

So we're just playing, and LeBron comes from the other end – I was guarding someone else – and he came running at full-sprint.

And I saw him and I tried to, you know, move away. But it just happened so quick, he stepped on my foot and twisted his ankle.

And that's really when I started being panicked, asking if he's good and everything. He went right from the court to the cold tub. And then we kept playing, obviously, but my mind was not there. My mind was on LeBron: If he's good, if he's gonna be able to play, if anything bad happened.

We had games coming up right away, so I was very nervous.

So as soon as I got subbed out, I went right to the to the trainer's room and he was in the cold tub. And I went there, asked him if he's good, you know, that I'm sorry. I said I tried to move, but he's just so fast.

He was like: ‘Don't worry about it. Keep playing hard. I like how you're playing, keep doing it.’

How much did having a friendship with him help with your confidence?

Cedi: For me, it was really special – being able to talk to him, practice with him and then play in games with him.

And then just outside of the court, being able to sit at lunch and talk about stuff was really was really a big thing for me. So I'm really thankful.

I really wasn't expecting something like that. But I'm glad that it happened.

Did you hit the ‘rookie wall’ at any point during that season?

Cedi: No, I really didn't. And that's also because of my teammates.

I mean, it's a long season. It's not easy. But I really didn’t hit it, and that's thanks to them.

When I would have a bad game, especially Bron, would always be like: 'Keep your head up. You played hard and that's the most important thing. Doesn't matter if you miss or make shots. You played hard.'

You really did have a charmed rookie season.

Did you at least have some kind of rookie initiation or anything?

Cedi: I mean, donuts on a game day. That's kind of routine. I think Channing, one time he asked me to buy him an iPhone charger.

Besides that, really nothing serious and nothing too tough. You know, just like: 'Buy me a toothbrush' or whatever. Simple things, it really wasn't hard for me.

But you see me on the court, passing? I really like to share with my teammates! So, getting stuff for them was no big deal. It was good for me!

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Rookie Tales ... with Cedi Osman

clenadams

Cavs Reserve Guard Recalls His Early Days in Detroit

by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
1/15/20 | Cavs.com

To start the 2011-12 season, the league had to wait until Christmas to show off its brand new toys – with that summer’s Draft class sitting patiently through the NBA Lockout before finally making their debut.

That year, the Cavaliers were waiting on a pair of high picks – Kyrie Irving, the first overall selection, and Tristan Thompson, who went three spots later. Two other point guards went in the top 10 after Irving: Kemba Walker went ninth overall to the Hornets, one spot after, the Pistons tabbed Brandon Knight out of Kentucky.

The Pistons were on the other side of their glory days from the previous decade and were beginning to re-tool for the future. And Knight, coming off a prolific freshman season with John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats, was the perfect point man to build around.

He became the first Pistons rookie since Grant Hill to be named to the All-Rookie First Team and his 12.8ppg average was the highest average for a Pistons freshman since 1980-81.

As the Wine &amp; Gold’s roadie rolls on, Knight recalled his unique initial campaign in today’s installment of Rookie Tales …

Brandon Knight was one of three point guards taken in the top eight picks back in 2011
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

What was it like, coming in as a rookie in late-December after the NBA Lockout?

I didn't really get to have a Summer League and things like that my first year. So, I was really thrown right into the fire in December.

Before that, you try to train, but it's tough to train with a purpose when you don't know when you're going to start. And that Lockout was one where you didn't really know if the season was going to start.

And the Lockout ended kind of abruptly. We had heard a rumor that things might resume, and then ... it kind of just happened. It was kind of difficult because we got right into it.

So, in my first taste of the NBA, we were playing back-to-back-to-backs! There were multiple times where we would play a triple, then have maybe a couple days off and play another triple. It was nuts.

So, yeah, it was definitely a different experience.

Cavs fans remember some of the battles you and Kyrie Irving used to have that year. Did you go after guards that were drafted around you?

Knight: No, I wouldn't say it was that. I mean, I tried to go at any guard that I was playing. It wasn't just those guys.

I grew up playing against those guys. I played against Kemba twice in college, I played against Kyrie multiple times in different camps. So, it wasn't something where it was new for me. I was very familiar with those guys -- especially those two guys.

So, it wasn't anything like: ‘We're all in the same Draft class, so I'm going to go after these guys.’ At the end of the day, we all made it. I'm trying to go at guys that have been here for years.

Rookie year, I'm not going to get up for killing another rookie. It's competition for whoever I'm on the floor with.

The Pistons changed ownership right before your rookie season. Did that affect you in any way?

Knight: I wouldn't say it did. I would say on the business side, it definitely had an effect, which in turn affected me in the long run in Detroit.

But my rookie year, I was so focused on just basketball. Those details, I wasn't even aware of them in my rookie year.

"Rookie year, I'm not going to get up for killing another rookie. It's competition for whoever I'm on the floor with."

Brandon Knight, on going up against other point guards in his Draft class

Considering that difficult 66-game schedule in 2011-12, did you hit the Rookie Wall?

I mean, I remember being juiced up for every game. It was my first year, I'm coming off a Lockout. I was just excited to play.

So I felt like I had energy all throughout the year.

How was having Lawrence Frank as your first NBA head coach?

Knight: He was tough on us. He expected a lot.

You know, having coached some great players in D.C. and having had a good run with a Jason Kidd in New Jersey, he knew his stuff and he expected a lot, even from the younger guys.

That was a veteran-heavy Pistons team. Did any of the vets take you under their wing?

Knight: I had a lot of vets on that team. Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, Tayshaun Prince, Greg Monroe.

So, out of those guys, somebody that took me under his wing -- actually, I wouldn't say ‘under his wing’, but the guy who taught me a lot and showed me a lot and taught me what it was like to work hard, I'd say was definitely Ben Wallace.

Even being in the second-to-last year of his career, he was getting more work in than most of the players on our team. I was able to see that and recognize that -- and I follow that to this day.

Knight: No, not really. Everybody was tough in their own way.

Rookie Tales

Rookie Tales ... with Ricky Rubio

Rooke Tales ... with Ed Davis

Rookie Tales ... with Cedi Osman

Rookie Tales ... with Brandon Knight

Rookie Tales ... with John Henson

Rookie Tales ... with Larry Nance Jr.

Rookie Tales ... with Kyle Korver

The Tale of Korver's Draft Night