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ShareTwo-Time All-Star Glenn Robinson And Marc Jackson Acquired in a Four-Team Deal - Billy King and Randy Ayers Quotes
On Wednesday night, July 23, 2003 the Sixers acquired forward Glenn Robinson and forward/center Marc Jackson in a four-team deal. Following the announcement Sixers President and General Manager Billy King and Head Coach Randy Ayers spoke about the deal.
When we talked at the end of the season, we wanted to try get bigger and get a scorer that we felt is a consistent scorer. You heard Allen (Iverson) say that he wanted someone that was a proven scorer, and Glenn (Robinson) does that for you. Marc Jackson is a player that right after we lost in the Playoffs, Tony DiLeo and I made an offer for him right away. We’ve been trying to do that and sticking to it.
I am glad that this deal is done. This deal is one that took all day. Most of yesterday it was bigger, it became smaller and it became big again. Now we’re happy with these pieces. We have two players that will help us go in the direction that we want to go.
I think Keith (Van Horn) is a better player than he played last year, even though he did have a good year for us. Randy (Ayers) and I talked about him, along with Tony, that we thought he’d have a better year for us. When you have a chance to get a big player, as we were lacking size and a consistent scorer to replace Keith, it was a deal that we couldn’t pass up.
On Glenn Robinson
I think that we have to get some things worked out obviously. Billy pointed out that Allen wanted someone that could score points and you have that in Glenn Robinson. It’s our jobs as coaches to try to work this out and try to get them the touches that they need. We were trying to figure out his (Robinson’s) attempts and it was about 17 a game over the course of his career. We have to try to find a way to keep him involved. The thing that I love about Glenn, and I coached against him when he was at Purdue, is that he is a tough match-up because he can post out on the floor a little bit, a lot like (Jamal) Mashburn, and is a very consistent scorer. I am sure that Allen is going to enjoy playing with him because he is very consistent at the offensive end of the floor.
I love him as a person and as a player. I wish him all the best. In Glenn Robinson, you get a guy whose career stats are 21 (ppg) and 6 (rpg). With the defensive rules now, you can support. That is what we have to do. To me, defense is a team responsibility, and we have to support our guys at that end of the floor. We can’t allow our guys to get isolated one-on-one at the defensive end of the floor. We will be a more supportive defense as the year goes on and they start to understand our defensive concepts.
It was back and forth. We were on the one call and had to get off. We continued talking, then thought it was dead. Some people said it was dead. I wasn’t going to let it die. We kept working, and we were able to revive it and get it accomplished.
I think the key is that I am familiar with our guards. Allen, Eric and Aaron. Those are the guys that have to get the (other) guys in the right spots. To me it is going to be a new situation for a lot of people involved. It doesn’t really concern me that we have some new people coming on board. The guards have been with me for six years and understand the way that I like to play.
His rookie year he played a lot and had a contract debate (with the Warriors). From what I understand he did not want to return, but they matched the offer. So, he went there and didn’t play. They eventually traded him to Minnesota, where he played pretty well in the Playoffs. I think he even guarded Shaq. I think he will be a guy that needs minutes to play and be successful. I think any guy to be successful has to be on the court.
On if the Sixers are done making moves
You never know.
On why Robinson will succeed if others before him have been dealt away
I don’t have a crystal ball to say why it will or why it wouldn’t. First, I think a lot of those guys were under a different coaching staff and different regime. This is going to be Randy Ayers’ regime, so it would be unfair to characterize the two different regimes and different players.
I think you have some guys with some versatility. DC can play inside and out. Kenny Thomas can play inside and out. He can go out to about 16-17 feet and put the ball on the floor. You can move Glenn around. Glenn can be a guy that can feed the post and space the defense, or he can be a guy that can post up himself. I think that he is a very tough match up because of his length inside. We just have to work it out. That is going to be Eric, Allen and Aaron’s responsibility to do that and some people may have to make sacrifices. That is part of my job as the head coach that they understand what they have to do.
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President and General Manager Billy King
On the trade When we talked at the end of the season, we wanted to try get bigger and get a scorer that we felt is a consistent scorer. You heard Allen (Iverson) say that he wanted someone that was a proven scorer, and Glenn (Robinson) does that for you. Marc Jackson is a player that right after we lost in the Playoffs, Tony DiLeo and I made an offer for him right away. We’ve been trying to do that and sticking to it.
I am glad that this deal is done. This deal is one that took all day. Most of yesterday it was bigger, it became smaller and it became big again. Now we’re happy with these pieces. We have two players that will help us go in the direction that we want to go.
I think Keith (Van Horn) is a better player than he played last year, even though he did have a good year for us. Randy (Ayers) and I talked about him, along with Tony, that we thought he’d have a better year for us. When you have a chance to get a big player, as we were lacking size and a consistent scorer to replace Keith, it was a deal that we couldn’t pass up.
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I think that we have to get some things worked out obviously. Billy pointed out that Allen wanted someone that could score points and you have that in Glenn Robinson. It’s our jobs as coaches to try to work this out and try to get them the touches that they need. We were trying to figure out his (Robinson’s) attempts and it was about 17 a game over the course of his career. We have to try to find a way to keep him involved. The thing that I love about Glenn, and I coached against him when he was at Purdue, is that he is a tough match-up because he can post out on the floor a little bit, a lot like (Jamal) Mashburn, and is a very consistent scorer. I am sure that Allen is going to enjoy playing with him because he is very consistent at the offensive end of the floor.
I love him as a person and as a player. I wish him all the best. In Glenn Robinson, you get a guy whose career stats are 21 (ppg) and 6 (rpg). With the defensive rules now, you can support. That is what we have to do. To me, defense is a team responsibility, and we have to support our guys at that end of the floor. We can’t allow our guys to get isolated one-on-one at the defensive end of the floor. We will be a more supportive defense as the year goes on and they start to understand our defensive concepts.
Billy King
On the events leading up to the trade It was back and forth. We were on the one call and had to get off. We continued talking, then thought it was dead. Some people said it was dead. I wasn’t going to let it die. We kept working, and we were able to revive it and get it accomplished.
Randy Ayers
On so many new players in his first year as coach I think the key is that I am familiar with our guards. Allen, Eric and Aaron. Those are the guys that have to get the (other) guys in the right spots. To me it is going to be a new situation for a lot of people involved. It doesn’t really concern me that we have some new people coming on board. The guards have been with me for six years and understand the way that I like to play.
Billy King
On Marc Jackson His rookie year he played a lot and had a contract debate (with the Warriors). From what I understand he did not want to return, but they matched the offer. So, he went there and didn’t play. They eventually traded him to Minnesota, where he played pretty well in the Playoffs. I think he even guarded Shaq. I think he will be a guy that needs minutes to play and be successful. I think any guy to be successful has to be on the court.
On if the Sixers are done making moves
You never know.
On why Robinson will succeed if others before him have been dealt away
I don’t have a crystal ball to say why it will or why it wouldn’t. First, I think a lot of those guys were under a different coaching staff and different regime. This is going to be Randy Ayers’ regime, so it would be unfair to characterize the two different regimes and different players.
Randy Ayers
On the Sixers potential line upI think you have some guys with some versatility. DC can play inside and out. Kenny Thomas can play inside and out. He can go out to about 16-17 feet and put the ball on the floor. You can move Glenn around. Glenn can be a guy that can feed the post and space the defense, or he can be a guy that can post up himself. I think that he is a very tough match up because of his length inside. We just have to work it out. That is going to be Eric, Allen and Aaron’s responsibility to do that and some people may have to make sacrifices. That is part of my job as the head coach that they understand what they have to do.
