Before I got traded here, I was down. I just wasn't playing well. I was healthy, wasn't injured or anything like that. I just wasn't playing the way I wanted to. I also wasn't going about it the right way.
When I got here? I said, 'You know what, I'm going to start over, and see where it goes.'
Well here we are.
This summer, I had to put my business hat on. I heard from different teams, talked to my agent. But I wanted to be back here, on and off the court. I wanted to be around the city, the people, the organization, our fans. It was definitely priority No. 1.
I only played here three months, but I just wanted to be better than what I was in LA. I felt like it would be a new sheet, a new slate. I could start over.
I feel like being here put a jolt back into my career, kind of put fire back into it. It was the fans and the team. I embraced the city, the city embraced me. I'm always myself. I don't try to be anyone else - just stay even-keeled, genuine, humble, and grateful.
But I'm also not satisfied with the results. The city seemed to really embrace that attitude, they liked that.
I've watched a lot of film this offseason. I've probably seen the shot about 50 times. I don't need to tell you which one.
What have I been looking for?
Seeing what I could have done differently. I don't feel like I impacted the game as much as I could have. My work ethic I feel has always been good, so I'm just using that experience as motivation. Next time, what are you going to do different?
I've talked about it a lot with my friends. I feel like we were Toronto's best matchup. Golden State got hit with the injury bug. I just felt like we were right there. If we were going to lose to anybody, it was going to be the champs. And to lose like that, Game 7 on a shot like that, you have to live with it.
Other than watching film, I've been working out, twice or three times a day. For the most part, I'm working on my versatility, working on putting the ball on the ground, not trying to do too much, and adding more to my game. I want to be more than a pick-and-pop shooter.
I'm very excited right now.
I'm excited to see how Al and Joel gel. I feel Joel can learn a lot from Al.
I'm excited to see how Josh fits in. I feel like he's going to be great for us.
Then there's Kyle, Trey Burke, Neto, my boy James. I want to see how the young fellas are doing working on their games.
I just feel really excited. It's probably one of the first times I've felt excited to go to training camp, and see how it's going to work out.
This season, I'm just going to stay myself. The energy and passion that I bring, that will never change. You can never work out or do anything for that. That's just heart, and I'm always going to have that. The fans know I will.
And shoot, I have no choice now. I can't take a step back, so I won't.