Hornets.com’s 1-on-1: Minnesota’s Randy Foye, Steve Aschburner
February 2, 2007
Hornets.com’s Cris Quintana and Jim Eichenhofer interviewed Minnesota guard Randy Foye and Minneapolis Star Tribune beat writer Steve Aschburner, respectively, during the Timberwolves’ visit to the Ford Center on Friday.
Foye has emerged as one of the NBA’s top first-year pros and was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month in January. The Villanova product was the seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft.
Aschburner is one of the league’s most well-known writers, covering the NBA and the Timberwolves for the Star Tribune and AOL Sports.
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Minnesota guard Randy Foye
Q: What are your thoughts on tonight’s game, the Hornets and their point guard, Chris Paul?
A: They played us tough, we battled back and forth the whole game. Tyson Chandler played really well. Chris Paul is a floor general out there, and set his guys up for open shots all night. He’s a great player.
Q: How much more comfortable do you feel on the court compared to early in the season when your minutes were fewer?
A: 100 percent (more comfortable). It took me some time, but I feel that I’m coming into my own. The coaches and my teammates have confidence in me and keep putting me in situations where I know that I can excel and contribute.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges that you’ve had to overcome in your first year out of college?
A: The speed of the game and knowing that you have to give it your all, because you’re going up against talented players every night.
Q: Tell me a little bit about draft night, early on in the day, leading up to the draft? When you heard your name called, what were some thoughts going through your mind?
A: I was nervous, not knowing what team I was going to be picked by, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. I was just happy to be selected. It was a dream come true.
Q: What would you say are some of your strengths on the court?
A: My ability to drive to the basket and create. I play hard every time out there on the court and just try to be the best player I can be.
Q: Growing up, what players did you look up to and why?
A: Michael Jordan was a great player, arguably the greatest of all time. The impact that he had on his team and on this league is pretty remarkable. Anfernee Hardaway was also a player that I looked up to because of his versatility.
Aschburner
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Q: There was a great deal of criticism around the league of the decision to fire Timberwolves head coach Dwane Casey and replace him with Randy Wittman. What do you think were the main reasons behind why the move was made?
A: I think the overriding reason was that the owner, Glen Taylor, and the VP of basketball operations, Kevin McHale, seem to believe that this team should be significantly better than a .500 team.
Most of the people around the league who were critical of the move thought that the team was pretty much playing the way they expected it to. They were on track for the eighth playoff spot and .500 at 20-20 (when Casey was fired). If you look at the roster as a whole, it’s guard-heavy. If you look at the players they have and how they were performing, I tend to agree with (the opinion) that they were playing at the level you would expect.
It was expectations from management, which thought that (Casey) should have been getting more out of this team, and I also think they came to a conclusion about Casey’s coaching style, that it didn’t suit them. He was fairly-low key, not a disciplinarian or authoritarian. I think they wanted someone with a little more obvious fire on the sidelines.
Q: Did you think it was fair for Casey to be fired with the Wolves at 20-20?
A: When a coach gets fired, more often than not, the coach isn’t the only reason (why a team made the decision). Now, he might be PART of the problem. Casey probably could have done his job better, including last season, which was a learning year for him (as a first-year head coach).
But there were other problems (besides Casey), problems with the roster and the way the team was built. When you fire a coach, it seems so isolated, that you’re saying, ‘He’s to blame, and everyone else can go on their merry way.’ A lot of people in Minnesota who have seen Kevin McHale work for the last 12 years feel that the (Timberwolves’) coach has always gotten a lot more scrutiny in his job than McHale has gotten.
Q: The Wolves are in ninth place in the West right now, one game behind the Nuggets and Clippers. How do you assess the Wolves’ chances of overtaking one of those teams and getting in the playoffs?
A: On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say their chances are a 3. I think they can play better than they have, but the West is pretty deep. They’re competing with at least two or three clubs for that last playoff spot. I think it’s going to be hard. Other teams (in the race) have more upside, and the Wolves are really going to have to maximize what they have if they’re going to get in.
I think they are fairly desperate to get in, though, so whatever it is going to require to try to make the playoffs – possibly a deal at the trade deadline? – I think they’re going to do everything they can.
Q: What is your assessment of the progress of No. 7 overall draft pick Randy Foye? I think people were generally surprised at his lack of playing time early in the season, but he’s been getting more minutes recently.
A: He’s a very confident and resilient kid. He’ll make mistakes, but he doesn’t get rattled and it doesn’t seem to affect his confidence. He’s got some ‘big-moment potential’ in him. He wants the ball in clutch situations, which is a skill unto itself. A lot of guys don’t have that.
Based on how Casey used (2005 first-round pick) Rashad McCants last season – he was slow to bring him along – it wasn’t as surprising (that Foye’s minutes were reduced early). I think management wanted Casey to use Foye more. But they also have a crowded backcourt situation too, with Mike James signing last summer. You’re also paying Marko Jaric and Troy Hudson a lot of money for a long period of time. You’ve got some expensive bench guys.
Q: Even thought they are several games back in the playoff race, how much should the Hornets concern the other teams in the West playoff race now that they have a completely healthy team, other than Peja Stojakovic?
A: They got hit really hard with injuries. But I’ve always liked David West – he makes a big difference. I’ve seen him play (evenly) with Kevin Garnett. That’s going to help them a lot. And Chris Paul, what’s not to like about him when he’s healthy? He’s an old-school point guard. A lot of teams would love to have him.
