Collins Eager to Get Back On the Court
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First-year Wolves player Jason Collins sat down with us to discuss his feelings on the off season trade his hopes for a quick return to the court after an off season elbow injury...
TW.COM: First off, welcome to the Minnesota Timberwolves Mr. Collins
Collins: Thank you, it's great to be here.
TW.COM: What were your first thoughts when you received the news that you were going to be headed here?
Collins: Haha. Oddly enough, I was already here. My fiancée was born and raised here in Minnesota and we were here for one of her cousin's weddings. When I got the news I was like, well that's funny because I'm already here. All kidding aside, it's a great opportunity to come to a new team that has a couple of players that I'm very familiar with in Mike Miller and Brian Cardinal from Memphis. I'm looking forward to having a good year this year.
TW.COM: How about Mark Madsen? How could you not mention the Dog?
Collins: Yeah, former teammate of mine at Stanford Mark Madsen. Dog is a great guy and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. He's a funny guy and great to have in the locker room.
TW.COM: What do you hope to show this team in the first couple of months once you get healthy and back on the court?
Collins: As soon as I get back on the court, even before that, I hope to provide a lot of experience. If I see something on the court I'll talk to my teammates about maybe being in a better position or something like that. Also, my job is to pay attention, keep my ears open and learn the system here.
TW.COM: Much as been made about you being a great locker room guy. During your rehab and time away from the court, how do you continue to influence the young guys and keep establishing your locker room presence?
Collins: By always being vocal. If you see something, point it out to everyone. This is going to be my eighth year and I've been to the playoffs including two finals appearances. I've played with Jason Kidd, a future Hall of Famer. I've learned a lot during my time in the league and it's now my job to teach the young guys what I've learned and share my experiences with them.
TW.COM: What was your impression of your former coach in New Jersey, Lawrence Frank, and his passion for the game and what you took from playing for him…
Collins: I was just about to say that word, passionate. Lawrence is a very hard worker. He loves the sport of basketball. I remember one playoff series versus Indiana where he broke out game tape from when he was playing in Elementary School. Of course he's not the tallest person in the world, and you can only imagine how little he was back then. His love for the game is contagious. He is very prepared. If a team is calling out a play, he knows what they want to do with that play. He works hard in his preparation and is a great coach.
TW.COM: Back to the Wolves, you're going to be looked at as an elder statesman. What have you seen from the guys so fat that has impressed you?
Collins: We have great camaraderie between us all. It's early, but so far we have a lot of great guys and it's always good to have that camaraderie.
TW.COM: Get back from the injury soon and good luck.
Collins: Thank you very much.
TW.COM: First off, welcome to the Minnesota Timberwolves Mr. Collins
Collins: Thank you, it's great to be here.
TW.COM: What were your first thoughts when you received the news that you were going to be headed here?
Collins: Haha. Oddly enough, I was already here. My fiancée was born and raised here in Minnesota and we were here for one of her cousin's weddings. When I got the news I was like, well that's funny because I'm already here. All kidding aside, it's a great opportunity to come to a new team that has a couple of players that I'm very familiar with in Mike Miller and Brian Cardinal from Memphis. I'm looking forward to having a good year this year.
TW.COM: How about Mark Madsen? How could you not mention the Dog?
Collins: Yeah, former teammate of mine at Stanford Mark Madsen. Dog is a great guy and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. He's a funny guy and great to have in the locker room.
TW.COM: What do you hope to show this team in the first couple of months once you get healthy and back on the court?
Collins: As soon as I get back on the court, even before that, I hope to provide a lot of experience. If I see something on the court I'll talk to my teammates about maybe being in a better position or something like that. Also, my job is to pay attention, keep my ears open and learn the system here.
TW.COM: Much as been made about you being a great locker room guy. During your rehab and time away from the court, how do you continue to influence the young guys and keep establishing your locker room presence?
Collins: By always being vocal. If you see something, point it out to everyone. This is going to be my eighth year and I've been to the playoffs including two finals appearances. I've played with Jason Kidd, a future Hall of Famer. I've learned a lot during my time in the league and it's now my job to teach the young guys what I've learned and share my experiences with them.
TW.COM: What was your impression of your former coach in New Jersey, Lawrence Frank, and his passion for the game and what you took from playing for him…
Collins: I was just about to say that word, passionate. Lawrence is a very hard worker. He loves the sport of basketball. I remember one playoff series versus Indiana where he broke out game tape from when he was playing in Elementary School. Of course he's not the tallest person in the world, and you can only imagine how little he was back then. His love for the game is contagious. He is very prepared. If a team is calling out a play, he knows what they want to do with that play. He works hard in his preparation and is a great coach.
TW.COM: Back to the Wolves, you're going to be looked at as an elder statesman. What have you seen from the guys so fat that has impressed you?
Collins: We have great camaraderie between us all. It's early, but so far we have a lot of great guys and it's always good to have that camaraderie.
TW.COM: Get back from the injury soon and good luck.
Collins: Thank you very much.
