Q: What is the state of the team at this early stage?
Nate McMillan: I have to be patient with this young club because they are playing a different role this season than they have ever had to play. I have to allow them to further develop into these new roles because expectations are going to be different than they have been in the past for all of the players. This is an exciting time, but it is also a time that I, as a coach, have to let things develop at the pace that is right for these guys and their roles.
Q: Who is going to complement Gary Payton as a major force on offense?
NM: That is going to be a process of being patient as well. I don’t know which one of these guys will fill the “go-to” guy role. I know Desmond has been working extremely hard to improve his overall game. But I don’t know which one or ones will step up and become that “next guy.” Will it be Mason, Lewis, Radmanovic, James or Barry? For so long, they have played in the shadows of Gary and another All-Star player. So what we have is almost like a “wait and see” approach to this group, for the fans and for myself.
Q: What do you think of the three free agents-Miles Simon, Kei Madison and Reggie Evans-who are vying for a spot on the roster?
NM: I like all three of them. I wish we could keep all of those guys. They all bring something to the floor that we need. They are all young and different and possess different attributes. Miles is a student of the game and understands the game so well. He makes people on the floor better because he does a good job of getting shooters the ball where they can be effective. He thinks like a coach out on the floor, so he knows what plays to run and when to run them. In effect, he is an extension of a coach. Kei is a very athletic, high-flying, above-the-rim player. He has unbelievable athleticism. Reggie is a guy who puts on a hard hat and challenges you to out-work him. They all bring something different, and they are all young and talented. It’s going to be a very difficult to make that final decision.
Q: Do you approach the last few preseason games differently with playing time and conditioning?
NM: We definitely will. It started when we tightened the rotation by cutting the five players last Wednesday so that we could give these young guys more opportunities to play together. They need that time. After evaluating everybody from the first two games, it is evident they need more time to learn to play well together. We need to give some of these players more time on the floor because their conditioning needs to improve as well as their timing and offensive reads. The only way to do that is to make sure they are spending more time on the floor together during practice and in games.
Q: How do you prepare your reserves and younger players in the event of a significant injury?
NM: Basically I tell them that you always have to be ready. We prepare everybody to be ready to play at any time. Your name could be called at any given moment. If you’re wondering if you’re going to play and assuming that you’re not and your name is called, that’s a setback for the club. Last season, when players were called, they were ready to play.
Q: How do you compare this year’s roster with last season’s playoff team?
NM: We pretty much have the same roster, but we’re missing an important piece and that’s the power forward. Our post-up game was our strength last year because it provided perimeter shooting, which we were very good at. Now we’ve lost some of the post-up game, so we will have to develop post-play from someone other than Gary to play towards our strength which is shooting. Yes, we are a different club, but we’ll be mixing our inside-outside game as opposed to being just a perimeter-oriented team.
Q: How do you see this team stacking up in the highly talented Western Conference?
NM: It is going to be tough. It will be even more difficult than last year. We knew pretty much who we were last season. This year we don’t know our roles. Everybody is assuming that guys are going to step in and produce All-Star-caliber play during the season, but we don’t know that. I can’t put more pressure on these young players. The only player I know what to expect from is Gary. I have a feel for what he will give me, but due to changing roles with the rest of the team I’ll have to wait and see and allow them to make mistakes because they are in a position they haven't been in.
Q: As the regular season approaches, what do you expect from your starters?
NM: I just want our team to work together and trust each other. In order for us to have a chance to win, we have to compete each and every night as one unit as opposed to depending solely on an individual. Everybody has to carry his own weight for us to have the best opportunity to win.
