September 4th, 2009

Pickup Games & Cursing the Cats (CDR)

Wassup Nets fam? It’s your boy Chris Douglas-Roberts. We’ve just been coming in and playing pickup, getting acclimated. Everybody’s trying to learn each other’s game and it’s really been good. What I’ve got from it, now that we’re at the end of the week, is we’re really athletic, we’re really running and we’re going to be a different-looking team. I see us as a guard-oriented team with a really good big, like Golden State – the running Golden State. But we’re going to try and put defense in that, too.

When we shoot at night, I like to come in by myself. And T-Will comes in by himself too. I’m really happy that he’s working out. I think that rubbed off on him a little bit.

Early on, Terrence was fresh off the Louisville system and not the NBA system, and it’s different. I been trying to school him with the pick-and-rolls because he’s a really big point guard. That’s how I see him. I see his future position as point guard, and being a whiz on the pick-and-rolls will really increase your value and that’s all I’ve really been trying to tell him. That and to shoot the jumper -- if it’s a pocket jumper, shoot it. Don’t be overly passive. That’s what he is right now, but once he figures out how to pick his spots – when to pass, when to shoot – he’s going to be real good.

I didn’t think I’d be teaching pick-and-rolls as a point at this time last year, but I’m just trying to pass it down to increase the value of our team. Vince did it with me and Keyon did it with me, so I’m just trying to pass the knowledge down.

As for the other new guys, I’ve only played with Skiptwice, but he’s just a lovable guy. You’ve got to love Skip. But on the basketball court, he’s very vocal and he really knows how to play. He can really pass, that’s what I really like about him – he pushes the ball and he loves to pass. C-Lee is athletic. What I really see is his midrange game; he stops and pops. But he’s really unselfish too. I like those guys.

It’s crazy watching Skip. When we’re playing in this NBA system, that’s what he’s in, an NBA system. There’s no streetball, because he knows that streetball won’t work here. But what does carry over from streetball is his ballhandling. He can really handle the ball. And I can’t reiterate it enough – he really knows how to play. He knows when to skip passes, when to shoot it. He’s a real floor general.

This year I’m going to be much more vocal. I’m in my second year, but Coach Frank says, ‘Just because you’re in your second year doesn’t mean you can’t be one of the leaders on this team.’ So I’m going to be much more vocal and I’ve started that while we’ve been playing. And I’m really gonna emphasize defense this year because a lot of games last year we lost were because of little defensive mistakes, especially late in the year when we were pushing for the playoffs. I’m definitely going to be on that, and I’m happy I can step in and be more vocal this year.

We’ve got a lot of 2’s and 3’s competing for minutes, but I’m just going to do me at the end of the day. I know the work I’ve put in over the summer, and you could ask anybody on the team about me and they can see what I put out on the court. The minutes aren’t going to be up to me. But what is up to me is the work I put in. My whole approach for the game is totally different from last year to this year. I’ve been in here crazy, like I promised. That’s the only thing I’m worried about. With everything else, I know wassup.

Tweeting About the Twins
I think Twitter’s a great thing for the fans. It’s really a way for them to interact with you; it just lets them know what you’re doing. Social media is really a good tool for all of us NBA players, because fans really want a little of the inside on what we’re doing anyway, so that’s the best way to give it to ’em.

I just got two Bengal cats. Two little tigers, Kieko and Kiana, two girls. They’re really expensive cats; they’re a rare breed. Currently, they’re tearing up my house, but I love ‘em, man. I’m still trying to train ’em and work everything out, but I do.

Growing up, I had a dog and we always had cats. They’re real independent, so I don’t always have to be around. But I’m a pet person. It’s just a must that I have to have pets at my house, so I decided on these two.

The hardest day was the second day because I got them these leopard beds, and they just used the bathroom in ’em! I was very mad, and I think they picked that up. I was cursing ’em out like “Don’t …”  You know. Then they picked that up and started going in the litter and we’ve been good after that. When push comes to shove, I just have to curse them out. Obviously, that works for them, but that second day was rough.

Making My Money Grow
With this economy, I’ve really been looking into the real estate business. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, this is the worst time to get into real estate,’ but I’m not thinking that way. I’m thinking down the road – it’ll take patience – this could really be big for me. I have an active mind, and I think of a lot of different stuff to increase my wealth, because basketball has given me an opportunity to increase my wealth in other ways.

I’ve been talking to Keyon, and he said, ‘Remember that you’re in charge of everything.’ I always knew that, but a lot of guys get mixed up and don’t remember that the agents work for them and the financial people work for us at the end of the day, so we move when we want to move. So if they have advice, just be open and communicate and be vocal. Keyon told me, ‘You stay on top of your stuff and don’t be scared to communicate and reach out and expand.’

My Favorite Martin
I know it's old, but Martin is hilarious. You could still put Martin in today, even though you’ve seen it a million times, and it’s still new. It’s so fresh. Martin was ahead of his time. It was ’93, ’94, but he was so far ahead of his time that the stuff is still funny.

My brother used to watch it, my mother used to watch it. I was younger, but it was funny then. Now I can really appreciate the humor and I can really appreciate what he was bringing. Man, talking about it is gonna make me go watch it. I actually have it in my car. When I’m driving, at a red light I can catch a little bit, and I can hear it in between. It’s a great show and he’s brilliant to have made so many seasons of that and it’s still funny.

Picking my personal favorite episode is tough … there’s so many! But it’s gotta be when he gets the ticket and he’s in the courtroom representing hisself. He was his own lawyer and he was acting foolish in the courtroom and it was hilarious to me. I could pick so many, but that’s the one that pops in my head first.

Labor day Layoff
I’m going back to Detroit this weekend, throwing a party for Labor Day on Sunday. It should be a good time. I had a party in June that was a big hit. I’m barely in Detroit, so when I’m back it’s all love. Detroit has really embraced me. I carry them on my shoulders. Like shoulder pads.

I’m coming right back though, no rest for too long. I’m going to eat good and enjoy myself, but then it’s back to business.