D-Fenders assistant coach Chucky Brown speaks with Wendell White during a D-Fenders practice. Juan Ocampo/NBAE/Getty Images

The D-Fenders finished the regular season with the second best record in the NBA D-League with a 32-18 mark and made it to the semifinals of the 2008 NBA D-League Playoffs. Looking back, how do you feel the season went this year?

I thought it was a good year for the players. I thought they had fun and it was really upsetting to lose that last game the way we did. I didn’t like how we lost, but due to the circumstances, we went down. Everyone played hard and they wanted to win and they were visibly upset about us losing; that felt good that they cared. This team really cared about winning and that was really important.

Sean Banks suffered a shoulder injury in the first round playoff win over the Colorado 14ers and wasn’t available to play in the loss to the Idaho Stampede in the playoffs; how did not having Sean (4th leading scorer in the NBA D-League at 21.7 ppg) affect the team and outcome of the game?

I think it was critical (not having Sean Banks), but I think what helped us was having Coby Karl. He was able to pick up some of the slack (scoring), but one thing that Sean did was, he got to the basket really well and got a lot of calls. We didn’t shoot enough free throws (against Idaho). With Sean, we would have shot more free throws in the game and I think the officiating and free throws would have evened up a little bit more. I think Coby helped pick up the slack, but we had nobody, other than Errick Craven, that really could get to the basket like Sean; I think that hurt us right there.

Other than that, I thought everyone stepped up and played. I thought Jelani (McCoy) had a big game; Cecil Brown played well; I know Errick struggled a little bit (offensively), but defensively he was there. Overall, we picked up the slack, but we just didn’t get to the free throw line and that’s what hurt us. Not having Sean Banks, we missed someone who was getting to the basket, getting to the free throw line.

The D-Fenders experienced the franchise’s first two NBA Gatorade Call-Ups this season when Jelani McCoy signed with the Denver Nuggets on November 28, 2007 and Stephane Lasme joined the Miami Heat on March 21, 2008. What are your thoughts on their (and other D-Fenders) ability for getting in and stay in the NBA?

I think Stephane will stick a while. Jelani can play some more, depending on who gives him an opportunity. Cecil Brown has a shot; not right now, this minute, but eventually I think he can be an NBA player. I think Sean Banks is an NBA player, I think teams are just probably questioning things that have happened in the past. Those are the main guys, right there, that are the closest to being NBA ready. It’s all about getting the opportunity and taking advantage of the opportunity. You can’t really say that somebody “can’t do it” unless you put them in that situation and they fail. Then you can say “I knew they couldn’t do it”, but you never know. It’s all about opportunity. I think everyone on our team has the potential to get there, but I think that Stephane is the best of all of them and could have a long career (in the NBA).

The D-Fenders also experienced the other aspect of the NBA and NBA D-League’s relationship with the assignments of Coby Karl from the Lakers. What are your thoughts on his time with the D-Fenders and the transitions he faced with going back and forth between the two leagues (not to mention when he played in both a D-Fenders and Lakers game on February 19th).

Yeah, I think coming to the D-Fenders helped him. I don’t think it was really a big transition for him at all, being that we were right there. He didn’t have to switch cities. He didn’t have to go, if we played in another city like Oakland, he didn’t have to drive up to Oakland or fly to Oakland and bring his stuff and switch cities. He was able to stay in the same city (unlike other NBA assigned players switching cities to play for their D-League affiliate).

He saw us, pretty much, everyday; they (Lakers) practiced before us or after us. He would see us around and he would come to our games. I don’t think it was that bad of a transition for him. The (D-Fenders) players welcomed him because they were trying to learn the triangle offense and the Lakers, when they send a player to us, he is more advanced at running the triangle than the players we have. I think our players welcomed him to learn more about the triangle. So, I really don’t think it was that bad or tough of a transition for him at all. He came in and got to play and I think he liked playing with us. I think he enjoyed playing with us much more than sitting on the bench (with the Lakers).

When the D-Fenders traveled to Boise, Idaho for the 2007 NBA D-League Showcase presented by adidas, D-Fenders head coach Dan Panaggio was ill and unable to attend the first game against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. You stepped in as Head Coach and led the D-Fenders to a 4th quarter comeback 110-97 victory; how was your first head coaching experience?

The showcase game was exciting for me; I was a little nervous but I was ready because I had prepared myself. Every game I go in as if I was going to be the head coach. When it happened, that coach Panaggio wasn’t going to be there, I was ready. You just have to let the guys play and just run the system; as long as they run the system I didn’t have to say much at all.

If you watch (Lakers head coach) Phil (Jackson), Phil doesn’t really get up and say anything unless the Lakers aren’t running the system. It was just my job to make sure that they ran the system and get guys in when I thought the time was right. (D-Fenders assistant coach) Rasheed (Hazzard) helped me out a lot with that, so I didn’t get caught up in the game. He helped me out a lot with the substituting and other stuff like that. Things just went real easy, but it was fun. I enjoyed being a head coach for a day, it was fun. I was kind of hoping to do it again the next day (against the Austin Toros in the 2007 NBA D-League Showcase finale) but he came back, but that was cool. I enjoyed my one day of fame and that we won; that made it even better.

The NBA D-League recognized the D-Fenders coaching staff for the hard work and success of the team by selecting you to coach the Blue Team (which had Sean Banks and Jelani McCoy) in the 2008 NBA D-League All-Star Game presented by Spalding. How was the experience of coaching (and going) in New Orleans for NBA All-Star Weekend?

The All-Star Game was really cool for me to go back and see guys that I played with and played against. You see coaches that I played for, like our Honorary Coach was Lenny Wilkins, and I just started laughing. Because I played for Lenny for three years out of my 13, so I knew him. It was just really funny and really it was exciting too.

To be there and see Coach Wilkins and get his input and just to see him talk to the younger players. I remember some of the same stuff he was telling them, he was telling me when I was a younger player. It was great to see that.

The Blue Team, led by the D-Fenders Coaches (head coach Dan Panaggio, assistant coach Chucky Brown and assistant coach Rasheed Hazzard) dominated the Red Team en route to a 117-99 victory. Banks finished with 14 points and 2 assists, while McCoy controlled the paint with 6 points, 9 boards and 2 blocks.

What are your plans for the offseason?

This offseason I am going to be around here (North Carolina), just hanging out with my family. I will probably play in a little summer league ball myself, go to N.C. State and work some guys out; hopefully I will have an opportunity to work with the Lakers in the summer. I plan to keep myself busy around basketball, pretty much.

You have had several offseasons as both a player in the NBA for 13 seasons and recently as a coach, what advice did you give the team at season’s end and do you stay in touch with any of the players. If so, what advice do you give them going into their offseason (as many of the D-Fenders were rookies and this will be there first offseason)?

Yeah, I still talk to all of the guys. I just recently spoke with Stephane Lasme (who is in South Florida working out with the Miami Heat) and just gave him some advice: let them see you around their facility everyday and you let them see you work.

My advice to all of the guys was to work hard and get better at the areas that you were weak at, get better and come back. When you come back next year, you have to show improvement. If you come back the same guy, you are going to be on the chopping block.

In your offseason you have to show improvement, you have to improve in your weak areas; everybody knows what you can’t do, so you have to improve your weak areas. Your strong areas, you have to stay strong in those.

Have you heard anything from the guys about possibilities with NBA teams during summer leagues and training camps?

I haven’t heard anything. It might be a little early for that right now. Some guys get set up before the NBA Draft, but most is done after. After the draft, it is going to move pretty quickly.