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Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

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  • #1

    Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

    It's great to me, after reading this article, to see that both guys seemed to genuinely want to be here.

    http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/willi...te_060629.html

    Williams, White Both Hoped To Join Pacers
    "This Is The Perfect Fit"


    First-round pick Shawne Williams, a 6-9 forward from Memphis, and James White, a 6-7 guard from Cincinnati acquired in a trade of second-round picks, were introduced to the Indianapolis media Friday evening at Conseco Fieldhouse. Team President Larry Bird and Coach Rick Carlisle shared the podium with the Pacers' two newest players.

         Larry Bird: (Opening statement) I can honestly say I'm very pleased and have a good feeling today. These two young men are hard-workers. They're the type of guys we've been looking for. They're going to be a great asset to our franchise. They're something we've been looking for for a long time here: they're long and athletic and they love to play the game. And they've already talked about getting in here and going to work. They're the type of players we like to have. I'm very proud of both of them. They're fine young men. I think our fans are going to be excited about them because they'll be out in our community doing the things that's necessary to help. This is a big day for them and it's a big day for our franchise.

    Rick Carlisle: (Opening statement) I would like to echo that and say our scouting people did a great job not only of finding these guys, and Larry of coordinating the draft so we'd have a chance to get both of them. These were the number one and two guys on our board and we somehow were able to get both of them within 31 picks, so that was great. I'd also like to recognize James' dad, James White III. This is James White IV and I understand there's a James White V, as well. The reason Shawne wasn't at the draft last night was his grandfather had surgery, I believe, and was not feeling well. Needless to say he felt a lot better after last night so we're all happy to hear that.

    Q. Shawne, watching the draft from your grandfather's house, did you hear the commentary and what was your reaction?

    Shawne Williams: That's commentators. That's what they do. I feel like Larry came in and backed me up a lot. For a commentator to say I'm not a winner, it shows he don't know a lot about me. I feel like my history speaks for itself.

    Q. What do you expect from yourself as a rookie? Do you see yourself as able to step in and made contributions immediately on a team with some veteran players at your position or do you expect it'll take some time?

    Williams: It's all on me, how hard I come in and work and play in trying to get NBA-ready. I feel like that will have a lot to do with it.

    Q. I think the feeling was if you had stayed (at Memphis) another year you might've been a lottery pick next year. How close were you to staying for your sophomore season? Talk about your decision to come out.

    Williams: It was very close after we lost against UCLA. But as time changed, I had to weigh my options. I had a lot of meetings with coach (John Calipari) and my parents and the decision was to come out.

    Q. James, Larry said last night he liked you at 17. Had you heard a lot of talk about being a first-round pick?

    James White: Definitely. Talking to my agent, the plan all along was I was going to be a first-round pick. A couple of teams that talked about picking me didn't think I would go past 26 to the Lakers, but things fell where they did and I'm just happy to be a Pacer because that's where I wanted to go the whole time. I'm just happy to be here.

    Q. Where do you play best? Are you a shooting guard, point guard or small forward?

    White: The thing about me is I'm versatile so I can do a lot of different things. I think I'll be able to help at the one, two and three. It's going to be fun to see, to come in and work hard and try to do all the different things I can do.

    Q. Shawne, I was going to ask you the same thing. What do you see as your best position?

    Williams: My best position is going to be whatever the coach tells me is the best position. I can play a lot of positions but whatever the coach says do, that's what I'm going to have to do.

    Q. Shawne and James, has it helped seeing how Danny Granger acclimated himself last year to this franchise and really had a pretty productive rookie year? How do both of you see fitting in next year?

    Williams: I feel like we fit right in, you know? I'm familiar with James, he's familiar with me and I feel like probably Granger and the other rookies are familiar with us. He came in and impacted the team well and we're going to come in and try to do the same thing.

    White: I think he made such an impact because he's a versatile player. He played the four, he played the three, he does a lot of different things. Both of us have the same skills. We play different positions and guard different people. That's how I think we're going to help the team.

    Q. James, it was obviously a crazy night for you, getting drafted and then traded. Can you talk about the emotions of that? And what does it mean this organization obviously wanted you, considering what they gave up to get you.

    White: It was very emotional the whole night. After I got past 17, that was emotional, then getting past 26 was emotional. It wasn't a big surprised because my agent told me I was going to the Pacers the whole time. Just to see the things they gave up and that they want me here is a great feeling. When I came here and took my visit here, the organization and the staff is a class-A program and they really care about their players. There's no better place to be.

    Q. Where did you watch the draft last night?

    White: At my house in Washington, D.C.

    Q. Shawne, what were your expectations last night when the draft started? Where were you expecting to go?

    Williams: I knew I could go anywhere from probably six to 25 but this was the home I wanted to come (to). Me and James have got the same agent. I let my agent know before this process even started. It was like, 'Where do you want to go?' I was like, 'Indiana.' And he was like, 'Why?' I just feel like it was the perfect fit. I get a gut feeling about certain places and certain things and I feel like this is the perfect fit for me.

    Q. Are you pretty familiar with the makeup of the team?

    Williams: Right. I feel like I fit the talent. They're trying to change the way they play and I feel like I'm going to help them do that.

    Q. Shawne, describe your game, what you're going to bring here and what you think you need to work on to play at this level consistently.

    Williams: I feel like my whole game's a weakness. I feel like I've got to get better at every aspect of the game to be NBA-ready, to be effective. I feel like I'll probably come in and play three-four. I'm going to play hard. I'm a hard-nosed player. I feel like I can go get a rebound, I'll dive on the floor for a ball. That's the most important thing in my game, playing hard.

    Q. Shawne, what made you feel that you were ready to take this step?

    Williams: I feel like I wanted to take that step because I wanted to develop more. In college, I can get away with a lot of things but at this level right here you can't get away with nothing. Everything has to come through you or through another person.

    Q. James, how much pride do you take in shutting down the opponents' best perimeter player?

    White: I take a lot of pride in it. Playing for coach (Bob) Huggins, if you don't play defense you're not going to play. Being out there and having other players commend you on your defense, the opposition telling you you're a good defender, you should take a lot of pride in that. It's something I try to work hard on.

    Q. How much harder do you feel you have to work, being a second-round pick, knowing your contract's not guaranteed?

    White: I've definitely got to work harder. I was going to work hard either way. Whatever it takes to help the team and stay in this league as long as possible, I'm going to do.

    Q. Larry, you obviously were on these guys early. When was it that you got excited about them?

    Bird: I've seen Shawne play because I like the way Calipari coaches. I like his style and I've known John for a long time and I heard about him coming out of high school, read a lot about him and followed him throughout the year. And I love Bob Huggins. When this young man came here to work out, he told me he loved Bob Huggins and that was enough for me. I know how he coaches and his aggressive style. He likes guys that play defense, so whatever Rick throws at him, it isn't going to bother him, I can guarantee you that. We had these guys pinpointed early and we followed them throughout the year. We thought maybe we could get one of them and it turned out we were able to get both of them and I couldn't be happier.

    These young men are going to come in here and challenge people for spots. Now, it's going to take time, just like last year I told you about Danny Granger, if we can see a nice improvement by the All-Star break we'd be very happy. If these kids continue to work hard and do the things necessary, I feel the same for them. I don't want to throw 'em out there to the wolves and say they're going to be tearing up the league right away because it don't happen. Very few guys come into this league and make a difference right away. But over time, these are the type of players we want. Our fans are going to get excited about them after they watch 'em play and improve because they're going to be hard-workers and they're going to play the game the way it's supposed to be played.

    Q. Larry, how big a priority was it with the loss of Artest last year to get an on-the-ball defender who can lock someone down at the two and three positions?

    Bird: I love defenders. I learned a lot about the game because I was never a defender myself, so when I watch other people do it I know it's a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication. You've got to be able to score the ball, too. We're at a stage right now where we feel if we get these types of players in here, we can run a little bit more, we can shut people down, we'll be able to move the ball, we've got guys that can hit outside shots, we can open up the defense and let Jermaine and Granger and Peja and everybody hit shots and open up the middle for 'em to get easy baskets. On turnovers we can run and try to get easier baskets. That's the kind of team I think our fans want to see and that's the way we want to play.

    Q. For both of you guys, you're coming into a situation where there are multiple players ahead of you on the depth chart, at least on paper. What do you each believe you're going to have to do to get into playing time right away?

    Williams: My first role is to be a good teammate, not to have no attitude, just come in and listen to all the veterans. I feel like if I do that, everything should fall in place.

    White: I look at it just like I came into college, basically. When you first come in, you've got a lot of hype, you've got a lot of people telling you things, but at the end of the day you've got to work hard and prove yourself on the court – everybody. You've got to come out, work as hard as you can and prove yourself every day, work hard every day and the chips are going to fall where they may.

    Q. You talked about having the same agent. Is this kind of a dream situation, you two guys sitting up there together?

    White: It's real crazy. We worked out together, we've got the same agent, we worked out here together, we both wanted to come here and we talked about it. It's real crazy that we're both here and it's a dream come true. Hopefully we can make the most of it.

    Q. James, you started your career at Florida. What caused you to transfer after your freshman year?

    White: A lot of different things. Basically, I just didn't see myself advancing in my career to get to this point where I am today. At the end of the day everything worked out for the best and I've accomplished one of my dreams. I've still got some more to go, so it worked out.

    Q. What was it like playing for coach Huggins?

    White: Man, it was hard at first, getting adjusted to him yelling at you, screaming at you, but coach Huggins is a guy who loves you. If you do what he tells you to do he's always going to love you, always going to be there for you. It's easy once you do what you're supposed to do, basically.

    Q. Did you guys know each other before this whole process began?

    White: We played against each other. When you go around and play against other good players, you respect them and you pretty much know when you play against a guy and you talk to him after the game, you both went at it hard. That's probably the extent we knew each other. We weren't best friends or anything like that but we knew each other that way.

    Q. Rick, with these types of players, is it more a statement that you want to necessarily change the way this team plays or is it more a matter of being able to deal with other teams that have certain traits as the league is evolving?

    Carlisle: It's both, really. The first and foremost thing is these guys are very competitive kids. They're good friends but they were in the same workout here and they were knocking each other's heads off, really. The thing that impressed me right away was this kind of competitiveness is really what we need in our situation, to push our guys that are veteran players. These guys are going to make a difference. They're going to make guys ahead of them work and if the guys ahead of them aren't getting it done these guys are good enough to get minutes. That's a great situation.

    I would love for us to be able to get out and be more of a transition team and be able to not only stop people but be able to generate turnovers. When you have players with length, athleticism and tenacity you've got a great chance to do that. I've always been a proponent of running if the opportunities are there but if you have a certain kind of athleticism on your team it really translates well. The league is going in that direction. You've got to be able to do it and you've also got to be able to match up with it, and these guys do that. Everybody's asking, 'What position is this guy?' I once heard somebody describe Andrei Kirilenko as, 'His position is on the floor. He's a basketball player.' That's what these guys are. That's why we like them.

    Q. Shawne, you're playing in Rodney (Carney's) hometown. Have you spoken to him?

    Williams: I haven't spoken to him since last night, but he's taught me a lot over the process of playing a whole year with him, and I've taught him a lot. He taught me to be humble and just play ball. I taught him to keep his head up when his shot's not falling, keep his head up and keep moving.

    Q. It seems like no one can speak a sentence about both of you guys without using the word potential, in terms of everything you read in scouting reports and pre-draft analysis. Is it a challenge of something that you have yet to fulfill or is it a burden?

    White: I think a lot of times when you deal with guys that are athletes, or you've got young kids, you're going to see that word a lot. But if you look at it, everybody that just got drafted yesterday is dealing with potential. Nobody's done anything yet. The key is coming in and being ready to work. If you don't have the work ethic you're not going to be able to fulfill the potential. Everybody that got drafted has the potential to do things. It's just about how hard you work. I think we both understand that and we're both ready to do that.

    Williams: Same answer.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

    Q. For both of you guys, you're coming into a situation where there are multiple players ahead of you on the depth chart, at least on paper. What do you each believe you're going to have to do to get into playing time right away?

    Williams: My first role is to be a good teammate, not to have no attitude, just come in and listen to all the veterans. I feel like if I do that, everything should fall in place.

    White: I look at it just like I came into college, basically. When you first come in, you've got a lot of hype, you've got a lot of people telling you things, but at the end of the day you've got to work hard and prove yourself on the court – everybody. You've got to come out, work as hard as you can and prove yourself every day, work hard every day and the chips are going to fall where they may.
    Whatever their skill level, I do like their attitudes.
    Don't ask Marvin Harrison what he did during the bye week. "Batman never told where the Bat Cave is," he explained.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

      They seem nice and quite honest.

      I just finished watching the video, I liked Shawne's at the end while holding the jersey.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

        Great, great interviews. Now let's make room in the rotation for both of them.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

          I have such a good feeling about last nights draft!

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

            Originally posted by Williams
            They're trying to change the way they play and I feel like I'm going to help them do that.
            Just thought that needed repeating...
            You're caught up in the Internet / you think it's such a great asset / but you're wrong, wrong, wrong
            All that fiber optic gear / still cannot take away the fear / like an island song

            - Jimmy Buffett

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

              They talk a good talk and they both have obvious talent. This draft may turn out to be just what this old stodgy team needed.


              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

                Originally posted by Doug
                Just thought that needed repeating...
                Good eye. This looks another allusion to the "up tempo, small ball" offense Carlisle mentioned yesterday.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

                  Originally posted by Rick Carlisle
                  I would love for us to be able to get out and be more of a transition team
                  Who are you and what have you done with Rick????
                  You're caught up in the Internet / you think it's such a great asset / but you're wrong, wrong, wrong
                  All that fiber optic gear / still cannot take away the fear / like an island song

                  - Jimmy Buffett

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

                    great interviews. Both kids sound like they genuinely are excited about being Pacers and will do everything necessary to help this team. That is enough for my full support. I am happy about this draft.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

                      You can watch this press conference at WTHR's site.

                      Maybe it's just me, and I know this is probably overly optimistic, but while watching this I was reminded of the arrival of Antonio Davis and Dale Davis. I know AD and DD didn't come in the same year, and they were big guys while these dudes are swingmen, but there was a jolt, a change in team identity when AD and DD became part of the rotation. There was a toughness they brought that the team hadn't had. I feel like the same thing may be coming from these guys (particularly from Flight), though it's not quite toughness so much as the athleticism (and yes, "competitiveness", as LB was going on about). There's an energy and a positivity about them, and maybe there's something to the idea that the two of them together are more than the sum of them as individuals as far as changing the locker room goes. Flight already looks like Shawne's mentor.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)







                        "Just look at the flowers ........ BANG" - Carol "The Walking Dead"

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                        • #13
                          Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

                          Dear God, Flight even kinda looks and sounds like Artest...only without the .

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                          • #14
                            Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

                            [Waits for Jay to come along and rain on the parade.]

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                            • #15
                              Re: Larry and Rick introduce the newest Pacers (Q&A Transcript)

                              A couple of points came to mind as I was reading this.

                              Rick is going to be the coach next season and I think he'll probably get a 1 or maybe 2 year extension this summer. But I'm 100% convinced Rick will be the Pacers coach next season.

                              Pacers will have a new starting point guard and a new starting shooting guard on opening night and not because of injuries. Granger might be the shooting guard.

                              Pacers will play a faster tempo, but I caution you once again, don't expect anything resembling the Suns. As I posted last night I would expect a team that plays more like the Mavs.

                              One thing to keep in mind, you don't play a faster tempo by accident, or because the coach one day tells the team to play faster. You have to start the first minute of training camp and practice and play that way all the time. And the past two years, Artest was heavily considered in the offensive plan and he is better in the halfcourt game.

                              Plus I think Bird and Rick saw what I have seen. Although strangly there are some PD posters who seemingly don't see it, but the league has changed (not changing, but changed), the refs call things differently, the players are quicker, and Rick and Larry see that.

                              Most of all my evaluation of Bird as the GM or whatever his title is has changed drastically because of this draft. Instead of being lukewarm about him, I believe in his vision of what the team should be. If he makes two or three trades that are necessary, I'll be 100% behind Larry.

                              Disclaimer: I don't have the slightest idea if neither, both or one of these two draft choices will amount to anything, but I like the reason why Bird choose these two guys and I agree with what Bird is trying to do

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