McHale and Jefferson Press Conference

"I dedicate myself to the team, because I want to do whatever I have to do to get this team on the right track. Just to know that they want me to do that means a lot to me too. It's a wonderful feeling to be somewhere that you're wanted.
- Wolves forward Al Jefferson

Timberwolves VP of basketball operations Kevin McHale and Jefferson spoke at a press conference regarding Jefferson signing a multi-year contract extension with the team late Wednesday night. Here's the transcription:

Timberwolves VP of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale:
Opening Statement: As you know, we signed Al Jefferson to a five-year extension last night, so that means Al will be here for the next six years and hopefully a lot longer after that. We're really excited about it. I've said this before, but right through the Kevin Garnett trade we looked at a lot of players that were around, watched a lot of film of Al, and I knew he was good. Al is better than I thought he was. When you're around him every day and you see his character, you see his personality, you see his work ethic and his ability as really a package that is very, very impressive. We couldn't be happier going forward here with this contract with Al. I'm just excited to have him here, and at 22, he's just a young pup. He hasn't even come into his prime yet, and he's still a very effective player.

The question has been asked of me many times to compare him to Kevin Garnett. They are just completely different players. As unique as Kevin was being a perimeter four, three, whatever, Al is unique in the fact that he's a throwback, low-post guy. There aren't a lot of those guys around. That was really big in our thinking, the fact that Al is truly a throwback low-post, offensive-rebound, punch-you-in-the-mouth and score-in-the-paint type guy. That's what we were looking for, and we're really excited.

Timberwolves Forward Al Jefferson:
I'm just happy to have it done, and am really looking forward to being here and getting the season started. It means a lot to me. When they made the trade, I thought that was the first step (in the organization) showing that they wanted (me and the other former Celtics) to come here. That let me know they had a lot of confidence in me right there. Then to get the deal done thirty minutes before the deadline just put it over the top. I'm really looking forward to it.

Q&A with the Media

Q: On identifying with Jefferson's game:
McHale: Everybody is different. Al is unique to Al. I may identify with one style of play, but I can appreciate them all. I like the way Al plays and what he does, and like I said, that was a big, big factor in the trade with looking at all those different scenarios and all the teams. I just kept going back to watching Al play, and you don't see that (style) very often.

Q: On if Jefferson had to know the team was going in the right direction before signing the extension:
Jefferson: Yes, of course I saw that. This is a young team, but we have a lot of experience. I'm really looking forward to it, because a lot of people are already counting us out. To me that's a good thing, because we can surprise a lot of people. I really believe that if we stick together as one, play hard and just do what coach asks us to do, the sky is the limit for us.

Q: On if signing Jefferson to a good financial deal for the Wolves gives Minnesota more flexibility in the future to bring in free agents and make deals:
McHale: Yes, that's our goal, to put together a team. We felt that, in the marketplace and everything like that, if we got Al at this number it would give us a lot of flexibility. But again, it was a good, fair deal. I'm glad that Al felt very good about it, and I know we feel good about it. That's usually the best deal, (as opposed to) when one party feels like they have been stampeded. Both parties feel really good about it.

Q: On never having to worry about finances again:
Jefferson: Especially coming from Mississippi, I've been dreaming about this day for a long time. I kind of had it in my mind that we were going to get it done next year, (but) I got the call that it could go down before midnight and I was really excited. Knowing I'm going to be here for six years guaranteed is a really great feeling for me.

Q: On if Jefferson though the deal was going to get done:
Jefferson: No. I got a call around 7:00 and my agent said it was dead, we'd do it next year. So I put it in my head that, OK, just go out and do what I do and things will work out for me. But then I got another call saying it was still on the table and could work out, and everything worked out for me.

Q: On the best thing about being here:
Jefferson: Just being welcomed, (knowing) that people want me. That's the number one thing that I told Kevin last night. I dedicate myself to the team, because I want to do whatever I have to do to get this team on the right track. Just to know that they want me to do that means a lot to me too. It's a wonderful feeling to be somewhere that you're wanted.

Q: On if Jefferson is ready to shoulder the load for the Timberwolves:
Jefferson: Oh yeah, now the easy part is for me to go out there and just do what I love to do. I know there are going to be some rough times, but like I said earlier, just sticking together and being together is a team. No one-man show, just playing hard with energy.

(Just be ready to play tomorrow big fella!)
- Wolves head coach Randy Wittman pokes his head in the room...

Q: On gaining flexibility for the future:
McHale: I've been trying to add the right players and gain some flexibility. You go from trying to add to a veteran team with a piece here, a piece there, to starting over, and flexibility has to be part of that. Flexibility comes when you have the right young pieces, and one part of that last night is (Al's) agent is telling him not to sign the deal. But Al kind of overrode everything and said he was coming in to do it. I thought that was refreshing. His agent (thought) he was better off waiting until next summer, but I was really, really happy, because Al is his own man. He may be 22, but he has an older spirit about him, and it's refreshing because a lot of these guys wouldn't have done that.

Q: On Jefferson's motivation for signing:
Jefferson: I wanted to get it in my head and my heart that I was going to be here. They traded one of the best players in the NBA for me and some other guys, and I feel like this is where I need to be. This is where I want to be. I also (thought) we reached an agreement that was good for me. The number we reached, I said if we got to I wouldn't turn it down. I think it was a good decision for me and my family. It's a great number. I really couldn't see myself turning it down. My agent supported my decision, but at the same time, he knew we left a lot of money on the table if we waited until next year, but you never know what the future might bring. I just wanted to get it in and start worrying about getting this team to the playoffs.

Q: On if he will be any more comfortable:
Jefferson: I never looked at it like I was playing for a contract. If we didn't get the deal done last night, I was still going to go out and play the way I know how to play. I feel like if you take care of your game, your game is going to take care of you.

McHale: From our side too, I said that whether we do the deal or not, Al is not going to change the way he plays. We didn't feel like if we didn't do this deal, that Al wouldn't have a good year. That was never, ever a thought of mine. I could just tell by talking to him that it was not going to be an issue. There is a comfort level that comes with a contract like this, but that won't affect his game on the floor. I just felt that if Al has the type of year that he can and is going to have, next summer we'd be backed up against the wall. We wouldn't have too much farther to go. Everyone knows what the maximum is, because for Al's age limit it's 25 percent of the cap. You can figure out what that is. With the type of year I think he's going to have, we'd be fighting up to that number. But there is a comfort level now, and it was a good give-and-take ... It was nice working with (Al's agent) and I was glad to have (Wolves general manager) Jim Stack in the office last night. We literally had that thing in the fax about two minutes before the deadline. I was hoping that fax machine wasn't on the fritz.

Q: On if getting guys signed early is a philosophy of McHale's:
McHale: Some guys get less expensive. I didn’t think that that would be an issue with Al. I like Al a lot and I really think he’s a unique kid in a lot of different ways. I didn’t think that whatever we were talking about would have any affect on Al. He was going to go out and play ball. I just felt that he was getting ready to have a break-out year. Al’s better than he was last August. Al’s better than he was three weeks ago. He’s on that curve where he’s just going to keep improving. Much more improvement and I’m not sure what he’s going to ask for.

Q: On if was McHale's idea to sign Jefferson to an extension immediately after the trade:
McHale: No. I told his agent there was no way. His agent asked me about it and I told him absolutely not. I wanted to see Al. Now I can say more glowing terms about him because we’re not negotiating ... He’s better than I thought he was, he really is. He’s unique. Al’s got great instincts. Now the next progression for Al is taking a strategic approach. You can’t teach instincts; that’s the one thing you can’t teach. Now you’re teaching the strategic approach and what they’re trying to do and all of that ... That comes with experience. But Al’s got the one thing you can’t teach. Al throws the ball in the hole. He’s got the jump hook going, he’s got some stuff. You see that great instinctive stuff, now it’s the experience and the strategy that comes into what are they doing and all that. But that comes with age and experience. I told Al it’s going to be unique for him this year because he’s going to have guys double-team him. He’s going to have a lot of different people guarding him. In a course of a game, a coach is going to throw three or four different guys on him. Al’s kind of an unknown commodity — how are teams going to guard him and what’s going to happen? I can guarantee you guys if you come to all the games, you’ll see Al throw the ball into the third row a few times being double-teamed. That stuff happens, but that’s the learning experience. Third row and the coach yelling at you and you start not doing it as much. But it’s all a learning experience. I’m looking forward to it.

Q: On if it been refreshing for McHale to deal with a new group of players?
McHale: Very much so. And not only a young group of players, but a group of guys that support each other and really have a nice chemistry and a nice camaraderie amongst them. Many people have stated it before: Adversity doesn’t create character, it reveals it. We’ll find out what type of character these guys have when we have some adversity. Every team has adversity. I’ve been in this league for 27 years. Every team goes through some adversity at some point in the season. Do you fall apart and start bickering amongst each other? Or do you stick together and say, "What can we do to get better?" This team has all the tendencies and all the personality that I think will stick together and say, "C’mon we got to fight together and not pull apart." When you pull apart you are done in our league. When you fight together... That’s what the better teams do. I’m just going by being around them. The adversity will happen, but I will be shocked with this group of guys if it ended up being a bickering fest and second-guessing everything. Some days you just have to go out there and do what you do better. There’s no second-guessing. You just have to do what you do better. And every single person has got to say, "I have to cut down one turnover, I have to get one extra" ... All that little stuff. When teams have that approach, things work out well.

Q: On taking less money than there may have been down the road:
Jefferson: I knew there was a possibility that if I tried to go for the max, I could possibly hurt my teammates down the road, but I didn’t think I was worth the max this year anyway. I would have been foolish to ask for the max without having really proved myself yet. So the number that I got was what was my goal from Day 1.

Q: On how refreshing it is to hear that from a young guy like Al?
McHale: Again, Al’s a unique guy. You guys in the Twin Cities are lucky to be exposed to Al and to get a chance to see Al over the few years. He’s really a good young man. I can tell you around the league, 85 percent of the players think they’re worth the max. Al’s in the minority at 15 percent who doesn’t believe he deserves the max. He’s a good kid and we’re really excited to have him as one of our linchpins going forward. I said when we did the trade that not every person is going to pan out, but you have to get two, three, four guys who are your linchpins guys and add some different stuff. We’re glad to have Al as one of our linchpins. I felt that way and Jim Stack felt that way. We really felt positive about it.