Stan Van Gundy: “I am pleased to announce today that we have signed Earl Barron. I think if you made a survey of NBA scouts that are out there watching all these summer leagues this summer, Earl was probably the best free agent young big man out there. He played extremely well for us in the L.A Pro Summer League, shot 65 percent from the floor and averaged 17 points a game. He had a couple of absolute monster games. I think if you go back in the history of this organization, particularly under Pat (Riley), anytime you get a chance to sign a young, talented big guy, you do it. We think we’ve got one of the best here in Earl Barron. If you look at his history, in the development league, he is a guy who will shoot a very high percentage. He is a 50 percent field goal shooter; he will be that, at least. He is going to shoot 80 percent from the free throw line. He is a very efficient, very skilled offensive player, who gives us great depth in our front line now; we are probably the biggest front line in the NBA. We look forward to having him.”

Question: Can you talk about how much you have improved since leaving Memphis and what you went through playing in Turkey and the NBDL?

Earl Barron: “I had a lot of ups and downs, but I have learned a lot from going to Turkey and the NBDL and just recently, I went to the Philippines. All of that was a growing experience for me leading me up to this day.”

Question: When did you play in the Philippines?

EB: “May and June. Before I went to Long Beach.”

Question: Was there NBA competition?

EB: “It was ok, every team had an American guy on the team, so they matched us up with the American or they matched us with their best Philippine defender. Or they double or triple teamed us.”

Question: Where do you see yourself playing with the HEAT?

EB: “I will be fitting in wherever possible. I’m going to go out and do whatever it takes. Hustle at both ends of the court and do whatever the coaches ask me to.”

Question: How much better is your game now than it was at Memphis?

EB: “It’s a lot better now. When I was at Memphis, I used to think a lot, try not to make too many mistakes. Now I just go out and play. If I make a mistake, I put it behind me and go to the other end of the court and continue to play ball.”

Question: To what do you contribute your increased productivity and success?

EB: “I have been blessed the whole road. I continue to work on my game and never give up. I have all my family and friends behind me, supporting me the whole way. I just can’t lose the attitude. I go out every day and just continue to try and reach my goal. I’m here and I’m trying to stay as long as possible.”

Question: Has there been any particular coach who has influenced you or your game?

EB: “There have been so many. Coaches overseas, you have your ups and downs with them. They try to teach you something and you try to teach them some things. In the D-League (NBA Developmental League), my coach was Ralph Lewis for the past two years. He had a lot of confidence in me. That’s the main reason why I went back to Huntsville this year. Last year, when I left Turkey, they gave me a shot as soon as I got there. He put me in the starting lineup and I played a lot of minutes. He had a lot of confidence in me. This year was the same thing. I started to build my confidence from there.”

Question: Do you know anyone well on the HEAT roster?

EB: “Not really. I met Dorell (Wright) and Udonis (Haslem) this summer. I bumped into Jason (Williams) a couple of times. He knows me, and I know him.”

Question: Has there been any weird incidents while you were playing in Turkey?

EB: “We had one incident where we had a close game, and the referee had called a foul when no one was near the player. He made two free throws with no time on the clock to give them the game. That was before I had gotten there. But the fans threw water bottles and stuff on the court. I’d seen a few fights in the stands, but nothing too extreme. I have heard a few stories, but luckily I wasn’t a part of that.”

Question: Have you ever had any doubts that you would make it to the NBA?

EB: “I try not to think negatively. I watch the game a lot and pay close attention to it. Sometimes I sit and say, ‘I can see myself out there doing what that guy’s doing. I can see myself competing or playing against this guy.’ You just have to stay confident and focus.”

Question: What part of your game do you have to focus on to compete nightly in the NBA?

EB: “I need to work on my strength and being consistent when I play. I need to try to bring the same thing night-in-and-night-out.”

Question: How excited are you about being on the same team with Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade?

EB: “I’m very excited. Being on a team with Shaq, the most dominate big man to ever play the game, is a great opportunity for me to learn as a young player, learn what it takes to get where he is right now. Dwyane Wade, we played in Conference USA together, but we didn’t have a chance to play against each other. I knew his college coach and he always spoke so well of him. To be playing along side him is a shock. We’ll just wait to see what happens when the season starts.”

Do you look at Barron as a draft pick for the next couple of years?

SVG: “Yes. For as well as he played this summer, anytime you can have the advantage of finding a good, young player, but especially a big guy with Earl’s talent, it does feel like you’ve added an extra draft pick. We’re excited to have him. I think we were unanimous through all the coaches who have worked in L.A. with our team up through the front office with Pat (Riley), Randy (Pfund) and Chet Kammerer, I think everyone was impressed with what Earl had done. He was very consistent. One thing that we really liked on top of the numbers and the talent is that our coaches thought he was very, very intelligent as far as picking stuff up very quickly. That’s something that we really look for here in our organization.”