2005 NBA Draft Lottery Conference Call

Posted: May 24th, 2005

Clippers Head Coach Mike Dunleavy and VP of Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor spoke with the media via conference call immediately following the 2005 Draft Lottery.

How do you feel about your draft position?
Elgin Baylor: “I think it’s a good draft. We like our position. What we’d like to get; we’d like to get players. We have the 12th and 32nd selections so we want guys who will blend in with our roster.”

Mike Dunleavy: “We have a lot of versatility to our roster, we have a lot of young players in place and we have a lot of cap space this summer so we are in a position to take the best player available to us at twelve.”

What’s the difference between picking 12th as opposed to picking 2nd?
Mike Dunleavy: “Well first of all there is a ten space difference, now we have to find twelve players that we like and when we get to that point we can put ourselves in a position to pick one of those guys that we like.”

Are you looking for a shooter in the draft?
Mike Dunleavy: “For our team we’d like to add shooting, we’d like to add guys who can both shoot and defend. We have a lot of ways that we can add that to our roster. We can get someone in the draft that fits that bill or we can address that through free agency. We’ve got a young team, we’ve got some guys that are cemented into some positions but other than that there is a lot of flexibility to what we can do. It’s an exciting time for us, we feel like we’re in a great position to make a run at the playoffs and we think the people we can get in this draft will help and contribute.”

How much stock do you put into the players IQ or intelligence? Or are you just looking for a great athlete?
Mike Dunleavy: “I think it’s important to have players that are smart and mentally tough. I think that when it comes down to winning those are two ingredients that can help you. In some cases guys have talent and you pick them, whether they have a high IQ for the game or not.”

How do you approach the draft differently than your first draft as GM?
Elgin Baylor: “There’s no difference. You put in the time and energy and there’s no difference. We interview the players, we bring them in and we make a decision on who we want to get.”

In preparing for this draft and for free agency do you believe you won’t be participating in the lottery next year?
Mike Dunleavy: “The reality is that we have a group of guys that we think have proven that if we can stay healthy we have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. We feel that the 12th spot and the 32nd spot are players that can contribute for us and we’re excited about it.”

Do you feel the person you pick at 32 will have a legitimate shot at making the team?
Elgin Baylor: “I think absolutely yes. I think we can get a good player with the thirty-second pick.”

Mike Dunleavy: “I think a lot of times there are a lot of players that are picked in the second round that are excellent contributors. There are a lot of players in this years playoffs that are guys that were picked in the second round.”

Do you think this is a deep draft?
Elgin Baylor: “I think it’s a good draft. You have some very good players in this draft. I think at our position we’re going to get a really good player.”