February 25, 2008

Hornets.com caught up with Houston forward Shane Battier after the Rockets-Hornets game last week in the New Orleans Arena:

Hornets.com: I know you have been following your alma mater Duke this season. What are your thoughts and what do you think their chances are come tournament time?
Battier: They’ve had a great year, minus this past week [Duke suffered back-to-back losses to ACC opponents Wake Forest and Miami]. They are still a very young team, but they’ve made the alumni really proud of their effort. They’ll bounce back and be there come tournament time. I think they have as good a shot as anybody. I think it is pretty wide open and anything can happen in the tournament. You’ve just got to play good defense and have good guard play.

Hornets.com: What are your thoughts on the recent trade between the Hornets and Rockets and how do you feel about a guy like Bobby Jackson joining your team?
Battier: Well I played with Bobby in Memphis. I know he’s a great teammate, a great guy. He plays hard and he plays the right way. He plays with a great energy, and I think that is what our team needs in the backcourt coming off the bench. We used to call him “Bobby Buckets” in Memphis because he can fill it up in a hurry, so we are excited. We are sad about losing Bonzi and Mike, those are two good teammates, they really helped us up to this point in this season and we wish them well, except against the Rockets. [laughs].

Hornets.com: How will this trade affect the Hornets, and where do you see them going the rest of the season?
Battier: I think both of them (Wells and James) will provide experience in the backcourt. I think Bonzi is a really tough offensive rebounder and creates a lot of mismatch problems down low. And Mike can come off the bench and fill it up.

Hornets.com: Did you get some rest or do anything exciting over All-Star break?
Battier: I went to the Bahamas this All-Star break with about 20 other NBA guys. There were a bunch of guys there, I saw Tyson (Chandler) and Bobby Jackson down there, and it was fun. It was fun to go down there and reconnect with the wife and soak up some rays.

Hornets.com: What has contributed to the Rockets winning 11 games in a row and 15 out of your last 16 contests?
Battier: We had a lot of turnover coming into this year. A new coaching staff, a new philosophy, new guys in the rotation, and it takes time to get all those things acclimated and get everyone on the same page. It took us a while to figure it out, but we’ve finally hit a stride where we know how to be the most successful we can be.

Hornets.com: Do you feel you guys can carry this momentum with you the rest of the year and make some noise come playoff time?
Battier: That’s the hope! [laughs] The West is so tough. I think it is going to come down to whoever is playing the best during the homestretch. That’s the team that is going to bring it home, so the good thing for our team is we are continuing to improve and finding out about ourselves.