 Scott |
Q: Can you talk about the benefits of playing in the East under the NBA's current climate and how it's maybe easier to get to the big stage because of it?
Scott: Obviously, the West is a stronger conference. I think everybody respects that and knows that. We think that we've upgraded our team. We think we can challenge the best teams over there in the West. On paper, we think we look pretty good with some of the moves we made this offseason. We're a better defensive team, we think we're deeper and we have more experience, but that's no guarantee that we're going to get out of the East. We have to come out and play hard every single night, and that's the challenge for our team -- to compete every single night and see if we can get back on the big stage.
Q: Is the big difference the talented big men out West?
Riley: I think with Shaq and Tim Duncan, the West has two of the best big men in the game today. Shaq is probably the only true center over there, besides Vlade Divac. We have Dikembe, who's probably the only true center in the East, so a lot of it has to do with Shaq's ability to dominate games and it doesn't hurt when you have a guy like Kobe Bryant on your team also.
Q: Having been in the position of defending a conference championship as a player, what should your team expect this year?
Scott: This is a position I was in many times as a player. I relished that position with the Lakers, relish it as a coach. I think the thing we understand is that every night, somebody in the East is going to come after us. We can't sneak up on every one like we did last year. We're not going to be a surprise like we were last year at the beginning. When the ball is thrown in the air on October 30, everyone expects us to be the team to beat in the East, everybody's going to be gunning for us, so our main focus is really to stay focused and compete every single game so we can get back to the same stage and play for a championship.
Q: Is it true that you guys want Dikembe to handle the ball a lot this year?
Scott: It's a little overrated, but he'll probably be handling the ball more than he's normally accustomed to the past few years. The center is very important in our scheme of things. He will get more touches with us this year than he's had in recent years and he's getting used to the idea and enjoying the different role with our team. He's learning, he's learning a whole new offense and it's going to take some time, but right now he's doing a heck of a job at grasping what we've thrown at him thus far. Hopefully, it continues.
Q: How closely will you watch Mutombo's minutes?
Scott: The good thing about our team, as I mentioned earlier, is our depth. We have two guys very capable of backing up Dikembe and that's Aaron Williams and Jason Collins, both who played extremely well last season. Dikembe won't average 36 minutes per game this season. I think it's very important at the start of the playoffs to be fresh, as it is for the rest of our team. The toughest part of my job is going to be dividing up minutes. He can be very effective in less minutes and still probably average a double-double like he did last season.
Q: Will he play more minutes in the playoffs?
Scott: That will depend on how the playoffs are going. Last year, we played 10 people and last year in the playoffs I didn't deviate from that, and I won't deviate from it this year. I'll play guys accordingly. When guys are going good I'll leave them out there a little longer. When things need a little bit of a change, I'll make some substitutions.
Q: Are you concerned with how your team will score points or will the focus be getting points from your defense?
Scott: No, I'm not, but that's definitely one of our goals, to get some points out of our defense. Offensively, I think we're going to be just as good as we were last year. Rodney Rogers has proven, over our first two preseason games, that he can come off the bench or start, wherever I have him, he can score from the outside and inside. He has been very valuable. I think the offense is going to click pretty good.
For us, it all starts on the defensive end and rebounding. If we can do those things extremely well, then we're going to have the opportunity to run up and down the floor more so than we did last year. With the lineup that we're putting on the floor at the start of the game, with Kerry Kittles and Kenyon Martin, you're talking about guys that can really get up and down the floor, so it gives Jason Kidd more opportunities and more targets to hit on the fast break. Hopefully, our defense can get us into the open floor.
Q: How is Richard Jefferson progressing?
Scott: He's improved extremely well offensively, especially shooting the ball. He has a lot more confidence. He's pretty aware of where he's getting shots in the offense. The first two games in the preseason, I think he's played extremely well. I think he's getting comfortable in his position. I like the starting team I'm putting out there on the floor. I'm going to experiment a little over these last five preseason games with some different lineups, but right now I'm enjoying Richard's development.
Q: Do you think that the elite players have a tendency to fight harder through injury?
Scott: I think some of those guys are quick healers and also are extremely competitive. They know that the team needs them and they'll do whatever they can to be out there. Allen Iverson is one of the guys you look at, with such a frail body but has the heart of a warrior. Nothing seems to be able to slow him down. We have a similar guy here in Jason Kidd. Your elite players, guys that really want it, are going to make sure they can play, no matter what doctors say, no matter what the situation might be.
