Hornets 2005-06 season-ending quotes
The Hornets held their final media availability session of the 2005-06 season on Thursday. A handful of beat writers who cover the Hornets, including Hornets.com’s Jim Eichenhofer, were on hand to talk with head coach Byron Scott, general manager Jeff Bower, as well as several players. Highlights from Thursday’s chats:
Hornets head coach Byron Scott
Q: What do you see as the team’s biggest need this offseason?
A: I think we’ve got a few of them. We need to add a couple shooters and surround Chris Paul with guys who can flat-out knock down shots from the outside. And we’ve got to get one guy who is a big-time nasty-type player, a physical presence inside. We didn’t solve the problem, but we addressed the problem this season, of getting more athletic. But there aren’t many other teams who have (players who are) 6-foot-5, 6-9 and 6-11 in the starting frontcourt. So we need to get more size.
Q: Can those needs be addressed in the draft with two first-round picks?
A: They could. We’ve got options, which is a good thing. We’ve got the picks, some cap room. We’re going to take a look at everything.
Q: Do you think it’s tougher for a team to take the next step? Meaning that it’s tougher to go from 38 wins to 48 wins than it was to go from 18 to 38 like the Hornets did?
A: I agree with that. Next year, there isn’t going to be any team in the league that we can sneak up on… Right from the get-go, teams are going to know that they have to come ready to play us. So yeah, I think it will be tougher to get to the next plateau.
Q: What do you think happened to your team after the All-Star break?
A: I think some things caught up to us. Mentally and physically we got fatigued.
Q: You had so many players who played more minutes than they’d played in their careers, and not just the rookies. How much of a factor do you think that was in the second half of the season?
A: I think that had a little part to play in it. We had PJ playing too many minutes, and a guy like David West, who’d never played that many minutes. He even mentioned to me that mentally he was fatigued. And I don’t think he was the only one. I think it kind of trickled down to everybody. We had probably six or seven guys who had never played that many minutes in their career.
Hornets general manager Jeff Bower
Q: You have three players, Chris Paul, David West and Speedy Claxton, in the running for NBA postseason awards. Does that kind of take the sting out of not making the postseason?
A: You’ve got to understand that from where we started this season, we totally changed the expectation levels, to where you couldn’t even have asked that question (in October), about if missing the playoffs ‘stings.’ To me, that’s the ultimate compliment of success, where the expectations are completely changed. (Rebuilding) is a hard, hard journey that rarely gets accomplished in one year. This is all part of a process that we have to work our way through step by step. We may have skipped a step this year, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do, to get better.
Q: When you look at other GMs and how they have constructed their team, is there a certain general manager that you admire?
A: You look at the teams that are not only good, but can sustain it. I look at how different teams are built, whether it’s the NBA or NFL. (Successful teams) are smart with drafts, smart with free agents, smart with player development. The vogue answer is how the Pistons or Spurs have done it. There are aspects of each of those teams and key components that each used for that springboard to success.
Q: From the outside looking in, you’ve got a star point guard. You’ve got salary cap room and the vibe of a good season. Is this a pretty good time to be Jeff Bower?
A: I’m excited. I kind of like being him any time [laughing], because the few times I tried to be somebody else, it didn’t work out real well. But I think we have great assets to improve this team. But it all starts with the idea of what type of team we are trying to build. This season showed the mentality and energy that we have.
Q: Do you think having Chris Paul will help attract free agents?
A: I think it does. Big men are going to see that he’s a point guard who makes his big men look good. Chris gets the ball to areas where players are comfortable, and his penetration opens up the lane and creates dump-offs. His selection to play with USA Basketball is another feather in his cap, putting him on a stage to play with all of the elite players of the league. His personality of taking care of everybody else first – everyone wants to play with that kind of guy. That’s a great piece to build with.
Hornets point guard Chris Paul
Q: What do you think was your biggest performance of the season?
A: Probably playing against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, the biggest stage you can play on. For us to beat the Knicks the way we did, that’s probably a game I’ll never forget.
Q: With you and David West, the Hornets have some nice building blocks. What do see as the goal for next season?
A: Next year it’s a guarantee that we make the playoffs, if we bring everybody back and make a couple additions, with our draft picks.
Q: How driven will you be next season, to do even better than what you did your rookie year?
A: I’m going to be very driven. A lot of times, after guys have a very successful rookie season, people are waiting to see if you improve and get better. I definitely want to get better. I don’t want to be sitting at home watching the playoffs next season.
Hornets power forward David West
Q: With you, Chris Paul and other pieces, there is a solid foundation of players on this team. What are your expectations for next year?
A: Improvement. We have to improve. I like the young guys we have. As long as we get better, we’ll be a good team.
Q: Will making the playoffs be the goal?
A: I’m not really big on putting any finite thing on it like that. If we come back and improve, come to training camp in shape, ready to play, we can.
Q: Are you already excited about next season?
A: Right now I’m excited about getting some rest [laughs]. I’m antsy about getting into my offseason workout.
Hornets head coach Byron Scott
Q: What do you see as the team’s biggest need this offseason?
A: I think we’ve got a few of them. We need to add a couple shooters and surround Chris Paul with guys who can flat-out knock down shots from the outside. And we’ve got to get one guy who is a big-time nasty-type player, a physical presence inside. We didn’t solve the problem, but we addressed the problem this season, of getting more athletic. But there aren’t many other teams who have (players who are) 6-foot-5, 6-9 and 6-11 in the starting frontcourt. So we need to get more size.
Q: Can those needs be addressed in the draft with two first-round picks?
A: They could. We’ve got options, which is a good thing. We’ve got the picks, some cap room. We’re going to take a look at everything.
Q: Do you think it’s tougher for a team to take the next step? Meaning that it’s tougher to go from 38 wins to 48 wins than it was to go from 18 to 38 like the Hornets did?
A: I agree with that. Next year, there isn’t going to be any team in the league that we can sneak up on… Right from the get-go, teams are going to know that they have to come ready to play us. So yeah, I think it will be tougher to get to the next plateau.
Q: What do you think happened to your team after the All-Star break?
A: I think some things caught up to us. Mentally and physically we got fatigued.
Q: You had so many players who played more minutes than they’d played in their careers, and not just the rookies. How much of a factor do you think that was in the second half of the season?
A: I think that had a little part to play in it. We had PJ playing too many minutes, and a guy like David West, who’d never played that many minutes. He even mentioned to me that mentally he was fatigued. And I don’t think he was the only one. I think it kind of trickled down to everybody. We had probably six or seven guys who had never played that many minutes in their career.
Hornets general manager Jeff Bower
Q: You have three players, Chris Paul, David West and Speedy Claxton, in the running for NBA postseason awards. Does that kind of take the sting out of not making the postseason?
A: You’ve got to understand that from where we started this season, we totally changed the expectation levels, to where you couldn’t even have asked that question (in October), about if missing the playoffs ‘stings.’ To me, that’s the ultimate compliment of success, where the expectations are completely changed. (Rebuilding) is a hard, hard journey that rarely gets accomplished in one year. This is all part of a process that we have to work our way through step by step. We may have skipped a step this year, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do, to get better.
Q: When you look at other GMs and how they have constructed their team, is there a certain general manager that you admire?
A: You look at the teams that are not only good, but can sustain it. I look at how different teams are built, whether it’s the NBA or NFL. (Successful teams) are smart with drafts, smart with free agents, smart with player development. The vogue answer is how the Pistons or Spurs have done it. There are aspects of each of those teams and key components that each used for that springboard to success.
Q: From the outside looking in, you’ve got a star point guard. You’ve got salary cap room and the vibe of a good season. Is this a pretty good time to be Jeff Bower?
A: I’m excited. I kind of like being him any time [laughing], because the few times I tried to be somebody else, it didn’t work out real well. But I think we have great assets to improve this team. But it all starts with the idea of what type of team we are trying to build. This season showed the mentality and energy that we have.
Q: Do you think having Chris Paul will help attract free agents?
A: I think it does. Big men are going to see that he’s a point guard who makes his big men look good. Chris gets the ball to areas where players are comfortable, and his penetration opens up the lane and creates dump-offs. His selection to play with USA Basketball is another feather in his cap, putting him on a stage to play with all of the elite players of the league. His personality of taking care of everybody else first – everyone wants to play with that kind of guy. That’s a great piece to build with.
Hornets point guard Chris Paul
Q: What do you think was your biggest performance of the season?
A: Probably playing against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, the biggest stage you can play on. For us to beat the Knicks the way we did, that’s probably a game I’ll never forget.
Q: With you and David West, the Hornets have some nice building blocks. What do see as the goal for next season?
A: Next year it’s a guarantee that we make the playoffs, if we bring everybody back and make a couple additions, with our draft picks.
Q: How driven will you be next season, to do even better than what you did your rookie year?
A: I’m going to be very driven. A lot of times, after guys have a very successful rookie season, people are waiting to see if you improve and get better. I definitely want to get better. I don’t want to be sitting at home watching the playoffs next season.
Hornets power forward David West
Q: With you, Chris Paul and other pieces, there is a solid foundation of players on this team. What are your expectations for next year?
A: Improvement. We have to improve. I like the young guys we have. As long as we get better, we’ll be a good team.
Q: Will making the playoffs be the goal?
A: I’m not really big on putting any finite thing on it like that. If we come back and improve, come to training camp in shape, ready to play, we can.
Q: Are you already excited about next season?
A: Right now I’m excited about getting some rest [laughs]. I’m antsy about getting into my offseason workout.
