May 9, 2018
Opening Statement
"Well, I thought I'd start today off with an opening statement and then open it up for questions. To begin, first, I’m excited to be here today. I want to send out some thanks to start with. The first one, we'll start off with the fans. It was unbelievable. That playoff environment, the support around the city, you know, just walking around and going to the French quarter, going Audubon Park and seeing so many people with Pelican shirts on. It was unreal and the environment in the playoff games was unbelievable and we just definitely want to build on that and thank the fans for all their support. I want to thank my wife for all the support that she's given me this year and putting up with me. But no, she's been awesome. So I want to thank her and so, thank you. I really do want to thank her, really. I appreciate everything. and I want to thank the Bensons. When I think back on the year and all the support from them over the years and I just really wish Mr. B could have been there for game one in the playoffs versus Portland, just to see that environment. I know he's looking from above and he's got to be thrilled and he's really missed and you know, Mrs. Benson…she's been incredible. She's been an inspiration; traveling with the team and coming in not only in the good times, she comes in in the bad times and that's awesome. It’s just been fun having her around and I think the guys really enjoyed it. I know we really enjoyed it as a staff and the coaching staff. She's been awesome and we know that's going to continue and she's so passionate about the team. Then I also want to thank Mickey (Loomis) and Dennis (Lauscha) for their support over the year. They've been awesome, working with those guys and being supported and having that feeling that people believe in you and believe in the vision. Working together with them has been great. Alvin and our coaches, they were phenomenal this year. I thought that we went through so many times of adversity this year and they just kept a positive attitude and kept the guys going and kept coming up with a plan after plan and ideas and options, and I thought it was phenomenal."
"And then our medical group, I want to really make sure I send a shoutout to them because one of the most important things in this league is having health. Jrue played 81 games this year. He missed one game because of the flu…we’ve got to get a better flu shot I guess. Anthony played 75 and I think E’Twaun and Darius played all 82. Having guys healthy this year, it's been big and so I wanted to make sure I thank Misty (Suri) and his group: Jared (Lewis), Duane (Brooks), Jason (Sumerlin), Mike G (Guevara), Todd (Campbell)....all those guys did a phenomenal job – Michael Ruffin – of getting the guys ready and that was big for us this year. Next, I kind of just want to talk about the season. It really started for us around this time last year. We had a lot of meetings, a lot of planning and then you go into free agency and you acquire players and then we have a lot of meetings in July and in August and coming up with a plan. We added Chris Finch to our group, who's phenomenal. And working with him, we're going to put in some new things with having DeMarcus and Anthony and we knew the first 20 games it was going to be kind of…shortened training camp this year…the first 20 games, were going to really kind of give us an idea of where we were headed. I thought we were just finding our way, and the team started playing well right all the way up until, you know, you think about it, the DeMarcus injury. I think when the season first started and we were finding our way, we had some games I thought we could have won…some games that we lost. I think it went both ways, but, you know, I felt like we just started finding our way right around the time when DeMarcus was injured. You know, I think we had won seven of nine, something like that and the team had just hit a stride, and then the injury came. I give our coaches a lot of credit. We recognized what happened, they came up with another plan. You have to give the players a lot of credit for implementing that new plan, and we had to change the way we play. We had lost five of six and that was really the ‘Moment of Truth’ for us. I remember the game against the Nets was a really interesting game. We had just lost five of six and we had a really big lead in that game and we gave that lead away and then the game ended up going into overtime and the fight of those guys was unbelievable, just the way the guys played hard and then just the competing. That was the game when I was like, ‘Man, the way these guys really competed…’ We just really built off of that game I felt like."
"And then, you know, the rest of the way, the resilience of our group coming out playing, competing every night. It was really fun to watch. It's really fun to be a part of. And even some games that we lost, we always felt like we played the right way and we had the right spirit. And that's really a credit that has to start with our coaching staff and our players. Watching the guys battle was – especially down the stretch, so many important games just to get into the playoffs. Then when we finally did arrive in the playoffs, some of our practices and their preparation was unbelievable."
When you play a team over and over again in the playoffs, they start to pick at your weaknesses. What did you learn about your team and its weaknesses?
"Well, you know, it’s a good question. When you look at the Portland series, I thought we came in and we played really well, and then the Golden State series, I thought we had our moments and you know, our margin of error was just very small in the second series. But I feel like we're going to build on that. As we look towards the future, there's a number of things we can do. And that's the really good thing about the NBA is that, I feel like with our staff, they've proven that we can play different ways and be successful. And so what we're going to do, is we're going to sit down as a staff, figure out what's going to be the next move to add to this team, and then we want to build off this and we want to go forward. We definitely do not want to take a step back. One of the difficult parts in the NBA is, it's really difficult to acquire players. Obviously we want to bring a lot of players that we have on this team back, but we also want to add to this group. We want to go to the next step. Mickey Loomis always says, ‘You can't go down to the local hardware store and just get a six-seven point guard that can dribble, shoot, make threes and dunk on people. They're hard to find.’ But we're going to really dig into it and we're going to add to the group and we're going to try to bring guys back and we're going to make a run for it next season."
How do you balance the team chemistry in regards to keeping players around and bringing in new ones?
"Yeah you don't want to mess with the chemistry. A lot of that started with Anthony. You know, you see Anthony, he’s a really family-oriented person. You always see his parents around, his sisters around, his family around. Jrue Holiday’s the same way, Rondo’s the same way. When those guys are your leaders and they’re family-oriented and – so many team dinners we had this year and so many times guys were doing stuff together off the court, even after practice hanging out in the team lounge and in the cafeteria, it was great to see. I think it really helped us on the court this year because – especially in the times of adversity where guys knew each other – they understand how they can talk to each other and how to communicate with each other and everybody felt like it wasn't personal. It's just like, ‘We're trying to find a way to win.’"
How important was Rajon Rondo to this team and how important is it to get him back next year?
"Oh, we definitely want him back. You know, I actually talked to him last night a little bit and his leadership, you know, he's been there. I think the guys looked to him in those situations like, ‘Hey, how do we react in this type of situation?’ But then at the same time, they embrace that challenge. I think he embraced the look the guys gave him. I think he found a place where he felt his need wasn't always on the court. You know, there were some games this year where we took him out the game and the team started playing well and you know Alvin was going to put him back in and he's like, ‘No, no, no. Leave me out. The guys are doing well without me.’ And you see him on the sideline, not sitting over there pouting or feeling sorry for himself…he was over there coaching and rallying guys and talking to Ian (Clark). That was leadership for him and he was very selfless with us this year."
Did you have a vision of Nikola Mirotić meshing with the team the way he did?
"We’ve been scouting Niko for long time and you know, one of the groups I forgot to thank was our front office staff and the work that they've done. We were trying to acquire Niko for a while. And you know, the one thing about him is that he's not just a shooter; I think some people think that. He's a competitor and he plays really hard and he competes and you know, he's not afraid to get in there and mix it up, and he’s also not afraid to make the big play. And so to say that he exceeded expectations, you know, I think we had a high bar for him and I think he came in and one of the first things he did was he earned the respect of his teammates. He's one of those guys that, he's a really strong competitor but he's also a really good guy. He comes in, he has this huge smile on his face every day, and he just comes in and works. He just wants to play so well. I always talked to him about, you know, it's always great when, you know, you're making the threes and the tough shots. But some of the defensive plays he's made for us this year has really helped our team. And even in that Nets game I talked about, for some reason I think he just ended up in pick-and-rolls so many times and he was getting stop after stop after stop to help us win that game. Even in the Milwaukee game at Milwaukee, I think he got a block late in the game to help us win. Sometimes he gets these tough rebounds…He's a complete basketball player and a competitor and we're thrilled to have him."
How did you pull off the trade for Nikola Mirotić under the circumstances of losing DeMarcus Cousins and trying to compensate for that loss?
"Well, not to go too much in detail, but like before DeMarcus went down, we were in fourth place, we thought we were playing well, and we were still looking to add to this team. You know we wanted to make a run for it. We wanted to go for it and so a lot of the conversation had already started."
Do you see a situation where you have Rondo, Jrue, AD, DeMarcus, and Niko all on the court at the same time?
"That could possibly happen, I think, because of Niko’s versatility and Anthony’s versatility. But I'll leave that up to Alvin and the coaching staff. They're better at that than I am."
Last year with Jrue Holiday’s free agency, it was very clear that the team and organization wanted him back. Is that clear with DeMarcus’s free agency as well? Does his injury make you take a ‘wait-and-see’ approach?
"You know, in a perfect world we'd love to have him back. We want him back. Sometimes things happen that you can't control in free agency, In a perfect world, we’d like to have him and Rondo back. And then we also still want to add to our team. We feel like we want to build off of this season, but we want to grow. We don't want to look back, we want to keep going forward and the excitement around the city, the effort from the players and the coaches and everyone, and it just motivates you to say, ‘Hey, how high can we go?’ We’re going to maximize it. We're going to reach for it."
How close or far you are from Houston and Golden State? Do you feel you're right there or where would you say your team is?
"I think in that series, you know, we lost four to one and most people would say that, you know, that's not where we want to be. I think that those teams have done a great job and, you know, we see the bar and we want to just keep moving forward. We want to do everything we can and we’re going to do everything we can to compete with those guys. That's our goal."
Alvin said Gayle Benson will do whatever it takes to win a championship. When do you get to the process where luxury tax, all that kind of stuff starts coming out? That's a tricky situation for small market to begin with. How do you guys approach right now, is there a player you think would push you into that or is it a situation?
"I think you just answered the question like, you know, I think if there's a situation that puts us in a position to compete for championships, we're going to go for it. That’s been the mindset. We're not going to just spend foolishly either, you know, we're going to try to be efficient and we're going to try to maximize our financial situation. But if the situation presents itself, we want to go for it."
Is there a clear vision for how you want to play or what you want to do going forward, or is it predicated on DeMarcus Cousins coming back?
"That's a complex answer. I think in today's NBA, it's just so hard to get players and to get good players. A lot of times your players become your system and then the majority of your players really become your system. You see a number of teams in the NBA that when they had one lineup in they play this way, and when they have another lineup in they played this way, or you have some interchangeable pieces. I think that's what we're looking at is that I think that we can play different ways. I think we can play big, we can play small, we can play fast. We can play a number of ways to be successful. And I think the key is, you know, getting the right people in that fit your system, that fit your culture, believe in what you want to do. I think that's going to be the route for our success is getting those players in, getting those people in those positions where they can be successful."
Do you have any long term plans for a contract extension or your thoughts being here long term?
"Oh, I definitely want to be here. And you know, I want to be here for her as long as they want to have me. I want to be here forever. I've enjoyed my time here. I've enjoyed the city. I've enjoyed how the people here are so friendly here. You know, I really love New Orleans. I remember even when we’re on the road, I can't wait to get back to New Orleans and go sit in a coffee shop or go walk around Audubon Park. So, you know, I want to be here for a long time and I think those things will just take care of themselves."
Does the same go for Alvin? Are you guys working on a long-term extension?
"I think over the next coming days, weeks we'll sit down and we'll, we'll figure something out that's good for everyone."
Does the emergence of Jrue Holiday change your thinking at all anyway for the future planning of this roster?
"Well, we've always wanted Jrue here. We've always felt like he was going to be one of our core players and you know, I think the secret's out on him now. We've always felt like he's been a really good player. He's had some tough circumstances that he's gone through over the last few years. But, it's his first time going to training camp, being on the big stage and showing people. It was interesting when you listen to other players around the league talk about him, they say, ‘Hey, we already knew this. It’s just that, you know, he just had not been on that big stage yet for people to see him."
Alvin’s been here for three years and you’re going on eight now. Mrs. Benson was on the road with you all. Is it fair to say that this may be the best or most comfortable you’ve felt about everything and the guys in the locker room since you came on board? You’ve dealt with a lot of crazy scenarios since you’ve been here.
"I really feel like we started something and we want to continue it. That's the feeling. I feel like we're on our way right now and we want to just continue it. But we also know that the Western Conference is tough. I mean the whole NBA is tough, but just our division, our conference is unbelievable…the competitiveness within. We can't rest on what we did yesterday, we’ve got to get ready for tomorrow and the future. That's the way we're looking at it right now."
How important is keeping the chemistry of this roster consistent heading into next season?
"History says that continuity always helps and you know, that's our goal. We want to have a core group of guys that we can build with and grow with. Bringing those guys back and adding and growing internally, I just sitting there with some of our coaches [talking about], some of the internal growth that we can have. We have some young players like – we’re excited about Frank Jackson moving forward. I think you guys saw flashes of Cheick Diallo this year. We're hoping those guys can really be impact players for us next year because the potential is definitely there, the work ethic is there. I thought our veteran guys did a phenomenal job walking those guys through this year, especially Cheick and Frank. It was great for me like when we were playing in Game 5 in Oakland, I got to shoot around early – probably 30 minutes before – and Frank was there with Rondo. The smile on my face when I saw Frank Jackson there, that's injured, there with Rondo, it just shows his leadership and it shows Frank's eagerness. Even this summer watching Cheick working out with Anthony and DeMarcus, and they had some battles in the summertime. But then those guys…they would beat him up, knock him down, and pick him up, hug him, and then do the same thing the next day. It really helped his growth and I think that those two young guys – Summer League is going to be big for those guys. We want to try to find a way to integrate them into the future."
So is it safe to say that Frank will be back for Summer League?
"Yes, yes."
Where is DeMarcus at in his recovery?
"He’s still in the early stages. It's not a good time to give an update on his return to play right now. He's out of the cast. He's rehabbing right now in Las Vegas. The one thing I'll say is like, he's motivated. He’s one of those guys when he puts his mind to it, there's nothing that's going to stop him. And that's one of the reasons why he's one the top players in the NBA, his competitive spirit. He's going to beat this thing. He's going to fight this Achilles injury and he wants to come back and he wants to play at an All-Star level."
How difficult does his rehab and just the nature of that injury make this entire free agency process?
"The uncertainty is something that is just the elephant in the room, but, just knowing him and his competitive spirit and his work ethic…We've seen that guys have recovered from this injury. And so it, it does change things. But what I'm saying, I'm betting on DeMarcus."
As far as the culture of stability in this building. I mean you look at how long Mickey’s (Loomis) been here and how long Sean Payton’s been here, does it mean anything to you the fact that they allow management to see things through? What do you think that’s provided to your franchise?
"Oh, it's the ultimate. I’ll tell as many people that will listen, their patience, their belief…you don't find that everywhere. So many times, people want to make quick changes and and see the grass is greener. They've been phenomenal to me and my family and I feel lucky. I pinch myself that I'm here in New Orleans working with a great group of people, people that genuinely care about you. I've had a phenomenal time, especially with Mrs. B being around, just sitting and talking to her. I mean we were actually on the treadmill the other day together, which was great. And you know, talking to Dennis (Lauscha) and everybody…it’s just really good people, it's just fun working with good people."
Have you and Gayle had the conversations, not the part on the luxury tax but details, conversations with her about that yet? And does her philosophy maybe differ than that Tom’s?
"We've had conversations, but a lot of those conversations are—they’re kind of behind closed doors. And it's not like it's some big secret, but it's just talking through it and figuring out what's the best way to put a good team – a team that can compete at the highest level – together and she's all for it."
Does that differ at all from what you experienced with Tom previously?
"No, no, no, no. Mr. B, he—I still remember him walking into our practices and he would sit there and be cheering for the guys and just being really excited and she has that same passion, but she expresses it in a different way. I'm really happy with her involvement in being around. It's been really fun for me."
Can you quantify how much this playoff run helps going into free agency and attracting talent and proving to the city and the organization that you’re close?
"That's the hope. But, you'll see the results in August and July if that does happen. But, there's a lot of good teams in the NBA and there’s going to be a lot of competitors. We’ll see what happens in August and July once free agency starts, but we will be active. We're committed to building on this."
We talked about chemistry and the relationships and things like that. Does that weigh into decision making? For example, Anthony’s happiness as far as players he likes or enjoys playing with or has relationships with. Do you have to make decisions on that?
"I think all that comes in to it. You want players playing with guys that they like playing with. I've seen a lot of scenarios. You see scenarios where guys don't get along off the court but they play together really well and vice-versa. And so, I think all that is a factor and you put all that together when you're making those decisions. You’ve just got to trust your process, your decision making process of putting a team together that you feel…You want chemistry, but it's hard to scout chemistry, you know what I mean? You know, you can scout a shooter, you can scout defensive players and rebounders. But, will these two guys like each other? We feel like we found that this year. I was really excited with the way the ball moved and the way the guys played without the ball and played with the ball and shared the ball and our assist numbers. We definitely want to build on that. And I think that is attractive to potential players to come here is that, we moved the ball and you will get a chance to touch it. You will get a chance to make plays, and then that's fun for most players."
With the chemistry on this team and you talked about the guys liking each other. Is that something you anticipated coming in with the group you had or was that just puzzle pieces coming together?
"Yeah, I knew that was going to happen—no, I’m just joking. You know, you hope that happens. That's the thing. You hope that happens, but you know, we feel like we had a lot of good guys on the team and a lot of competitors and guys that wanted to win. And that was the thing I think I’ll remember the most about this team. Their competitive spirit."
Guys like Ian Clark and Darius Miller were kind of under the radar when you signed them over the summer. Did they do what you had hoped they would? How much of a priority, and how important is it to keep them?
"Yeah, those guys were big for us. I mean Ian Clark in Game 3 and, you know, how many big shots did Darius make for us this year? I still remember going over to Germany last year and watching him play and I had this vision of him doing some things that he was doing over there for us last year. Those guys were big for us and I thought that our coaching staff did a really good job of putting those guys in positions to be successful, to maximize their skills."