Jackson, Butler, Bower Chat with N.O. Media
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Bobby Jackson (second from left) hands a pen to Rasual Butler to allow Butler to officially sign his new contract with the Hornets on Wednesday. As he passed the pen to Butler, Jackson joked: “I don’t like to pass a lot, but here you go.”
Layne Murdoch/Getty Images/NBAE
July 27, 2006
The Hornets held a joint press conference in Oklahoma City on Wednesday afternoon to announce the official signings of guard Bobby Jackson and swingman Rasual Butler. After meeting with the Oklahoma City media, Jackson and Butler joined Hornets general manager Jeff Bower in a teleconference call with New Orleans media members.
Here are the highlights from the 10-minute session:
Question: Bobby, as a veteran combo guard like yourself, I’m sure a lot of teams were interested in your services. What was the deciding factor in you signing with the Hornets?
Jackson: There were a lot of factors. The fans, coming back and playing with Peja… also looking at the nucleus of this team. I think they made a great run (at making the playoffs) last season. That was the No. 1 factor, being on a playoff-contending team, along with all of the pieces they added. There were so many reasons why I decided to come here. I’m happy to be here and get the season started.
Question: Rasual, with all of the moves this team has made in the offseason, do you like where this team is going and was that a big reason why you decided to come back?
Butler: Absolutely. I get a chance to play with one of my favorite players in Bobby Jackson, and learn a lot from him and Stojakovic. I get to play with a great point guard in Chris Paul. We also have three or four shot-blockers on this team now, young, athletic guys. On paper we are definitely a playoff-contending team. This organization has given me my greatest opportunity to play and have a home. So I’m definitely excited about the moves they made and the excitement that they continue to create in this organization.
Question: Rasual, the Hornets had obviously been very busy in free agency with some other moves and kind of took a little while to get around to you. Did you get a little bit antsy when they were making these other moves and didn’t make an offer to you right off the bat?
Butler: I was definitely a little antsy when I saw Stojakovic get $50 million – I didn’t think there would be enough (money left) for me to come back [grins]. Then Bobby Jackson had to come in and take the rest of that [pauses and grins at Jackson]. But it worked out for me. I definitely wanted to come back (because) I felt like I was beginning to have a home somewhere. This is an organization that totally kept their word with me from day one. I was a little antsy, because I wanted to be back with some genuine people. And that’s hard to find in this league.
Question: Rasual, how do you feel about your role? I think they’re projecting you to play more at the shooting guard than at small forward. What are your thoughts about that, as well as your opinion about all the changes on the roster. There are a lot of guys you played with last season who are no longer there.
Butler: (Previous Hornets players departing) is unfortunate, but this is a business. This organization made the moves that they needed to in order for us to improve and become a better team. I’ll miss those guys, but this is a business and that’s part of it. As far as me playing the two-guard spot, I have Bobby Jackson here – I can pick his brains on playing that spot. And someone like (former Miami Heat teammate) Eddie Jones who I can call. I think I’m more of a natural two-guard anyway. I need to get a little stronger and get my feet a little quicker so I can stay in front of (opposing offensive players). But I think my length will help me on the defensive side of the floor. On offense, it’s a disadvantage for other teams because I can shoot over the top of (shorter players).
Question: Jeff, obviously most of the attention is going to go to Peja and Tyson Chandler because of all the money involved (in their contracts), but can you talk about how important Jackson and Butler are, even though it might be easy for outsiders to overlook.
Bower: That’s a great question and a great point. Because once we get past the summertime, all of the talk about contracts and dollars ends. The only focus at that point is about roles and fitting in and buying into a vision and a goal and being a part of something bigger than any one person can be by themselves.
These two guys we targeted as priorities for us. Looking at Bobby, his ability to play the 1 or the 2 (is beneficial). Rasual has the ability to play either the 2 or the 3. Our roster is constructed with that flexibility in mind. We didn’t want it to be too crowded or to have congestion. We would like it for guys to have clearly-defined roles, with high levels of expected production.
There is nothing more important than players who want to be here and want to play with their teammates. As well as players who share a similar idea of what the game’s all about. When we get past this period where the interest is about contracts, we’re probably not going to address them again. What we are going to address is sharing the ball, playing unselfishly and playing defense, rebounding and shot-blocking, doing something good for your teammates.
Question: Bobby, what are your thoughts on sometimes being paired with Chris Paul in the backcourt?
Jackson: I’m looking forward to it and excited. I’m looking forward to taking whatever role they give me. I think that’s one of my greatest assets, that I know my role as a player. A lot of people don’t know their role. Everybody can’t be the main guy. Everybody can’t shoot all the time. Everybody can’t play 40 minutes a game.
Question: Bobby, how do you feel about the commitment the Hornets have made to improvement in the offseason?
Jackson: It’s a great honor to be a part of this organization and this team. It’s willing to put a winning team on the court. In the past season they almost made the playoffs, and that was a big key for me coming. I didn’t want to go to a team that wasn’t going to make the playoffs or wasn’t trying to make moves to do that.
Question: Jeff, have you completed your acquisitions for this offseason? Can you give us an update on where you are as far as bringing in a third point guard?
Bower: Well, we think we’ve added some length and athleticism in Tyson Chandler. We think we’ve added some shooting ability in Bobby and Peja, as well as in re-signing Rasual, as far as our ability to stretch the floor and open up the court a little bit more.
We know we’ve added the professionalism and mentality we felt we needed to improve. We think we’ve brought together a group of players that all fit together. There is not one guy we brought in who we’re going to ask to change their game. All we want them to do is play the way they’ve played in their past experiences, and continue to improve. We’re going to be really happy with that. We think we put together a solid group of players.
To be quite honest, the excitement of the draft has taken a backseat the last few weeks, (but) we’ve added two very good young big men to the mix. We think we’ve got young players, we’ve got hungry players and enough of a veteran presence and an experienced group of guys that we’re able to have high levels of expectations.
We’re still working to add a third point guard, to give us that insurance and a little more flexibility. To be honest, there is no timeline on that. It could happen very quickly, or it could go into August. I don’t really have a clear-cut answer for you.
The Hornets held a joint press conference in Oklahoma City on Wednesday afternoon to announce the official signings of guard Bobby Jackson and swingman Rasual Butler. After meeting with the Oklahoma City media, Jackson and Butler joined Hornets general manager Jeff Bower in a teleconference call with New Orleans media members.
Here are the highlights from the 10-minute session:
Question: Bobby, as a veteran combo guard like yourself, I’m sure a lot of teams were interested in your services. What was the deciding factor in you signing with the Hornets?
Jackson: There were a lot of factors. The fans, coming back and playing with Peja… also looking at the nucleus of this team. I think they made a great run (at making the playoffs) last season. That was the No. 1 factor, being on a playoff-contending team, along with all of the pieces they added. There were so many reasons why I decided to come here. I’m happy to be here and get the season started.
Question: Rasual, with all of the moves this team has made in the offseason, do you like where this team is going and was that a big reason why you decided to come back?
Butler: Absolutely. I get a chance to play with one of my favorite players in Bobby Jackson, and learn a lot from him and Stojakovic. I get to play with a great point guard in Chris Paul. We also have three or four shot-blockers on this team now, young, athletic guys. On paper we are definitely a playoff-contending team. This organization has given me my greatest opportunity to play and have a home. So I’m definitely excited about the moves they made and the excitement that they continue to create in this organization.
Question: Rasual, the Hornets had obviously been very busy in free agency with some other moves and kind of took a little while to get around to you. Did you get a little bit antsy when they were making these other moves and didn’t make an offer to you right off the bat?
Butler: I was definitely a little antsy when I saw Stojakovic get $50 million – I didn’t think there would be enough (money left) for me to come back [grins]. Then Bobby Jackson had to come in and take the rest of that [pauses and grins at Jackson]. But it worked out for me. I definitely wanted to come back (because) I felt like I was beginning to have a home somewhere. This is an organization that totally kept their word with me from day one. I was a little antsy, because I wanted to be back with some genuine people. And that’s hard to find in this league.
Question: Rasual, how do you feel about your role? I think they’re projecting you to play more at the shooting guard than at small forward. What are your thoughts about that, as well as your opinion about all the changes on the roster. There are a lot of guys you played with last season who are no longer there.
Butler: (Previous Hornets players departing) is unfortunate, but this is a business. This organization made the moves that they needed to in order for us to improve and become a better team. I’ll miss those guys, but this is a business and that’s part of it. As far as me playing the two-guard spot, I have Bobby Jackson here – I can pick his brains on playing that spot. And someone like (former Miami Heat teammate) Eddie Jones who I can call. I think I’m more of a natural two-guard anyway. I need to get a little stronger and get my feet a little quicker so I can stay in front of (opposing offensive players). But I think my length will help me on the defensive side of the floor. On offense, it’s a disadvantage for other teams because I can shoot over the top of (shorter players).
Question: Jeff, obviously most of the attention is going to go to Peja and Tyson Chandler because of all the money involved (in their contracts), but can you talk about how important Jackson and Butler are, even though it might be easy for outsiders to overlook.
Bower: That’s a great question and a great point. Because once we get past the summertime, all of the talk about contracts and dollars ends. The only focus at that point is about roles and fitting in and buying into a vision and a goal and being a part of something bigger than any one person can be by themselves.
These two guys we targeted as priorities for us. Looking at Bobby, his ability to play the 1 or the 2 (is beneficial). Rasual has the ability to play either the 2 or the 3. Our roster is constructed with that flexibility in mind. We didn’t want it to be too crowded or to have congestion. We would like it for guys to have clearly-defined roles, with high levels of expected production.
There is nothing more important than players who want to be here and want to play with their teammates. As well as players who share a similar idea of what the game’s all about. When we get past this period where the interest is about contracts, we’re probably not going to address them again. What we are going to address is sharing the ball, playing unselfishly and playing defense, rebounding and shot-blocking, doing something good for your teammates.
Question: Bobby, what are your thoughts on sometimes being paired with Chris Paul in the backcourt?
Jackson: I’m looking forward to it and excited. I’m looking forward to taking whatever role they give me. I think that’s one of my greatest assets, that I know my role as a player. A lot of people don’t know their role. Everybody can’t be the main guy. Everybody can’t shoot all the time. Everybody can’t play 40 minutes a game.
Question: Bobby, how do you feel about the commitment the Hornets have made to improvement in the offseason?
Jackson: It’s a great honor to be a part of this organization and this team. It’s willing to put a winning team on the court. In the past season they almost made the playoffs, and that was a big key for me coming. I didn’t want to go to a team that wasn’t going to make the playoffs or wasn’t trying to make moves to do that.
Question: Jeff, have you completed your acquisitions for this offseason? Can you give us an update on where you are as far as bringing in a third point guard?
Bower: Well, we think we’ve added some length and athleticism in Tyson Chandler. We think we’ve added some shooting ability in Bobby and Peja, as well as in re-signing Rasual, as far as our ability to stretch the floor and open up the court a little bit more.
We know we’ve added the professionalism and mentality we felt we needed to improve. We think we’ve brought together a group of players that all fit together. There is not one guy we brought in who we’re going to ask to change their game. All we want them to do is play the way they’ve played in their past experiences, and continue to improve. We’re going to be really happy with that. We think we put together a solid group of players.
To be quite honest, the excitement of the draft has taken a backseat the last few weeks, (but) we’ve added two very good young big men to the mix. We think we’ve got young players, we’ve got hungry players and enough of a veteran presence and an experienced group of guys that we’re able to have high levels of expectations.
We’re still working to add a third point guard, to give us that insurance and a little more flexibility. To be honest, there is no timeline on that. It could happen very quickly, or it could go into August. I don’t really have a clear-cut answer for you.
