Elton Brand and Thaddeus Young 9/28/2009 press conference transcript - 9/28/2009

Elton Brand and Thaddeus Young 9/28/2009 press conference transcript

Elton Brand
Being out last year due to injury, how is that going to affect you this season?
We always try to take the negative and make it a positive. Watching Thaddeus Young get better as a player and watching the guys who had an opportunity to play really played well. To see my team and what they can do really helped a lot.

At what point did you feel like you were at 100% recovery?
I have played a lot of pick up games. I have been doing that for around 2 months and after about 3 weeks in and just getting back into the game and getting fouled and getting shots without pain and limitations.

With all the injuries last year, how excited are we to get this started?
It was very disappointing, especially the playoffs, that was hard. Watching the guys compete. So I am revved up, ready to go and add my piece to what we know the guys can do. I’m just excited because I know what we can do as a team. This year, we are under the radar, which is fine with me. We won’t be under the radar for long.

Since you were off the court last year, what are you doing to get the chemistry back?
I think what we have been doing the last few weeks as unit and team. 90% of the guys have been in the gym working together playing against each other and learning Coach Jordan’s system, which didn’t happen last year. I think that’s the key where we started having some cohesion out there as teammates.

How much pressure do you feel personally on you?
No pun intended, but there is a lot of pressure on my shoulders. I know what I was brought in here to do and I’m looking forward to that challenge.

Thaddeus Young
How is the offense different compared to last year?
I think it’s very different. The past years we have been going out there and playing through one person. This year, we are not playing through one person, the balls being moved around through everyone. Everyone is doing a lot if passing and cutting, working out the elbows and wings. Everyone’s just playing with each other, its going to be a lot of team work.

Elton Brand
How is the offense different compared to last year?
Thad and I have been working together a lot on the court the past few weeks, trying to get the offense. You can’t stop option A, B, C. when you have something to go to the next, when you stop one play, the other options going to be open. We have the players that can really see that offense.

What’s your expectations of how long it will take you guys to start running the offense?
I’m not sure; it’s going to take time. I know we can put the basics in, but even with the basics there’s still more plays and layers we can have.

Thaddeus Young
What’s your expectations of how long it will take you guys to start running the offense?
I asked Coach Jordan two weeks ago, “How long did it take other guys to learn the system?” and he said by the end of preseason so I’m pretty much trying to push for the end of preseason so we can have everything fully intact and all the guys are exceeding in with the system.

How do you think you have grown from last season to this season?
I think I’ve grown a lot going with each season. Going into this season, I’ve been working on a lot of different things. I have been trying to get better at ball handling and shoot the ball a little more. Right now it’s not really about me it’s about this team and we are going to go out there and continue to work hard and try to defend, that’s the most important part. You guys have seen us in transition, we are going to go out there and do the thing we know how to do. I don’t think anyone’s going to be prepared for what’s going to happen because they are not use to the Sixers being the team that’s going to do a lot of passing and cutting.

Elton Brand
How long until you will be where you want to be?
I think its going to come pretty soon. Like I said, the pick-up games really helped. There is a lot of competition. All the guys are back and playing against my teammates even will help really get the game legs back. It’s not going to be too long, I feel it’s there.

Typically, for someone who has had 10 years in the league, the preseason games are more of a cameo thing, is there typically more to that, for you?
Absolutely, we play some of the teams early this season; I might not show them everything, but I’m taking it seriously like it’s a ball game because I need those repetitions.

What have you lost if anything the past two years? What’s it like to sit out and watch?
I think the biggest thing to us is that physicality. You lose that will to just play and hit people and get hit. When you’re injured you think I don’t want my shoulder to get hit or can I jump off of this leg to get that foul. Once you start getting it back, the physical grind of the game, you start to appreciate it again and add it back to your game.

When you came back after your shoulder, you could see the hesitancy in your game. Do you look at yourself play and wonder who that was on the court? Yes, you second guess yourself. You don’t know where to drive or shoot. You have guys playing very well, but basketball is getting busy you have to go, especially if you want to be a good player. You can’t be thinking about it you just move.