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Opening Statement:
COACH JORDAN: Good afternoon. We are very excited about the opportunity to play the New Orleans Hornets in the preseason, and in the 2008-2009 season. We think it's going to be a great experience for our team and our franchise on the floor, as well as off the floor. We're really looking forward to bringing really exciting basketball to the preseason to Berlin and to Barcelona. So on that note, I would like to hand it over to Gilbert.
GILBERT ARENAS: I think it's going to be a great opportunity, you know, for two young upcoming teams in the NBA to go out of the country to Berlin and Barcelona to show off their skills and their talent. When you're growing up, you never think you'll experience something like this, playing out of the country on an NBA team, and I think it's going to be great for both teams and both franchises.
Q. Will you have any opportunity to travel around during your trip; is there anything you're looking forward to?
GILBERT ARENAS: I'm just exploring. I know it's business, but it also is a chance for me to view other parts of the world. So I'm going to take some time out to explore both cities.
Q. There's been a lot of talk about international and European expansion. Given the cultural and travel problems that would involve, what would a player's take on that prospect be?
COACH JORDAN: You know, that's actually the only problem that the players are concerned with, traveling. We hate traveling from East to West, and that's six or seven hours. So we can't imagine flying ten, 12, or 13 hours to go play a basketball game. That's something they are going to have to show to us that, hey, the first time that actually happens, we'll see what happens. But until then, that's our biggest concern.
Q. Hypothetically, in a couple of years time, if you were traded to a team in London or Berlin or coming out of college, if you were drafted to a team in Rome or Madrid, what would your response be to living over in Europe?
GILBERT ARENAS: You know, it depends what kind of hindsight you have. You have to have hindsight, where you're going to a city where they are going to have a new team where you become a mega-superstar over there. I look at it like soccer, those are the countries with the biggest fans. So you have to go over there and embrace the life and embrace the team you're playing for.
Q. Are you surprised with the number of international players that are making an impact? When the trend first started, were you skeptical? Did you ever doubt they would have an impact?
COACH JORDAN: No, we never ever doubted that. We have seen the growth of young European players and international players, and we saw the development of especially big, big players because they were skilled and guard skilled. They could pass, shoot perimeter shots, 3 pointers, but certainly they were great passers. They could dribble and to bring that sort of extra dimension on the floor, with big people, changed our game in the NBA and you see more of that. You see players 6'8, 6'9 or taller having skills as guards, and that's why the NBA has gone to a more skilled, finesse game as opposed to a physical, athletic game that we saw in the early 80s, and mid 90s. So it's been good for the league. We are aware that it's a global game, and we don't look at it as international players, as opposed to American players. We look at it as world players that are very good basketball players in the NBA.