The Pacers are headed to the lottery, but nobody can accuse you of tanking it. You have had some exceptional games in recent weeks, including a 32-point performance against Denver and a 30-point outing against Phoenix.
Danny Granger: You got to finish the season out. You have to play hard until the last game. You want to finish your season strong.
What has motivated you to stay focused, especially when your team isn’t in the playoff hunt?
DG: Just the future. You always want to improve your game. Even if you’re losing and your team is out of the playoffs, you always want to improve your game and improve in different aspects as a team. That’s our main focus right now, improving on our overall team performance.
Before the season, the Pacers were considered a viable Eastern Conference playoff contender. What went wrong?
DG: We lost a few guys to injuries, and we never really developed a consistent offense. Our offense has been below par for most of the season. And our defense hasn’t been great, either. Last year, as funny as this may sound, our defense wasn’t great but our offense really kept us in a lot of games. This year we haven’t played well on offense or on defense and that’s two really bad things.
How frustrating has this season been for you?
DG: It’s been very frustrating. Extremely frustrating. Overall, we have a plan as an organization that we want to accomplish in the next two or three years. I think this year was a minor hiccup, but I think we’re looking good for the future. We got a young team. We’ll have a chance to do a lot of good things in a couple of years.
The Pacers will to have a very high pick in the NBA draft. If you were the general manager of the Pacers, who would you select?
DG: Honestly, you’d want the No. 1 pick and, if we had the No. pick, I’d take (Kentucky point guard) JohnWall. I think he’s the best player in the draft. There’s some other good players in this draft: Evan Turner (a guard from Ohio State), the big kid from Kentucky, DeMarcus Cousins … But I would still take John Wall.
Do you think there is a specific positional need for this team?
DG: We can improve in a lot of different positions. As far as the draft goes, you never look for a draft pick to come in and make an immediate impact. But with a high draft pick, I think you do. And, if you ever have the opportunity to get the No. 1 pick, you got to take the best player in the draft, regardless of his position.
Looking into your crystal ball, which teams are going to be in the Finals?
DG: I see the Lakers and Cleveland.
Any particular reason?
DG:LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. That’s my two reasons.
Who is your sleeper pick for the Finals?
DG: Denver. Across the board, they are probably one of the most talented teams. They got four guys who could be an All-Star in any given year. Whether they get it all together, I don’t know. But they’re talented.
And who would be your MVP selection?
DG: I’d have to go with LeBron. Without him, they (the Cavs) probably wouldn’t win that many games. But with him, they are pretty much unstoppable. I think he’s one of the most unstoppable forces in the NBA.
Speaking of LeBron, do you think he’ll stay in Cleveland or bolt to New York?
DG: If I was LeBron, I’d go to New York.
Why the Big Apple?
DG: New York is the media mecca as far as endorsements and being able to expand your personnel net worth. The exposure you can get there isn’t only nationally but globally. New York does all that for you.
You aren’t likely to be going anywhere soon, having signed a five-year contract extension with the Pacers in 2008. But do you plan on going back to college and finishing your degree in civil engineering?
DG: I do. I talk about going back to college every now and then. I would like to do it. I definitely want to pick it up again after I’m done playing basketball. It’s just one of those fields where, if you haven’t done it for 15 years, you probably got to go to school all over again for it.
This is your first season in the Western Conference after playing eight years in the Eastern Conference with New Jersey and Milwaukee. What have you found to be the biggest difference between the two conferences?
Richard Jefferson: The biggest difference has probably been getting used to the schedule. What I was playing for New Jersey or Milwaukee, I knew you got Philly four times, and Chicago four times and so on and that you’d play the teams out west once or twice. Now I have to get used to seeing Utah four times and Portland four times and the other Western Conference teams more often. That’s something that takes a little time to get used to.
The Western Conference has generally been considered the more talented conference for years now, although some observers contend the East is catching up. Do you agree?
RJ: Who says that the East is catching up? The Lakers won the championship last season so, if the best team is in the Western Conference, the West is still the best and the power hasn’t shifted.
Where do the Spurs fit in the big picture of teams vying for a championship?
RJ: We fit right in there. Obviously, we’re not playing as well as we would like. But look at some of the other good teams. Boston is basically trying to fit in one new player in Rasheed Wallace. Cleveland, they’ve had their hiccups, trying to get Shaq to fit in. The Lakers, they have their entire group back and they’re just trying to fit in Ron Artest. Denver has all its guys back. Other teams, like Portland, have had injuries. Orlando, they’re fitting in one new guy: Vince (Carter). With us, we have a quality team that has three new starters (Jefferson, Keith Bogans and DeJuan Blair). We are a team that’s trying to get into a rhythm with all the new guys. We’re tentative. We’re not as tenacious as we need to be on either end of the court.
When the Spurs acquired you from the Milwaukee Bucks over the summer, there were many NBA officials and observers who felt you were the missing piece for the Spurs, that you made them legitimate title timber. Has there been a lot of self-induced pressure to live up to those expectations?
RJ: No, because I stayed humble. It wasn’t like all of a sudden I was walking around with a big head. I’ve been on teams that went to the Finals and I’ve also been on teams that didn’t make the playoffs, so I know that you need a lot of things to go your way. You need to hit a couple of magical shots. You need everyone to stay healthy. You need all those things to go your way. So I never looked at it like, ‘Oh, we’re going to win a championship now’ after I came to the Spurs. I knew it was going to take a lot of work. I also know that 30 games into the season, just because we’re not playing as great as we would like, that we’re not out of the mix with 50 games to go. We’re three games out of first place (in the Southwest Division).
Are you still adjusting to your new team, or have you already found your niche?
RJ: I think everyone is trying to fit in. Like I said, this is a new team with several new key players. DaJuan, Theo (Ratliff), myself, Keith Bogans, Antonio McDyess and then you have a bunch of young guys like Roger Mason and George Hill who have been here for only a couple of seasons. It’s a new mix of guys, so it makes things a little more interesting.
RJ: Whenever you get traded, you leave a little bit of your self there. I was over in the Bucks locker room (before Saturday’s game), saying hello to all the guys. We were not happy with our performance last year and we made a promise to each other to come (to Milwaukee) and work out together once a month during the summer. I was in Milwaukee in the middle of June working out and the reason I was there was to get better. Then, a week later, I got traded. But I think it shows a lot about the Bucks players, that last June they were working out and getting together because they wanted to have a good season this season.
You are playing for one of the premier coaches in the game in Gregg Popovich and playing with perhaps the best player in the last decade in Tim Duncan. What are your thoughts on these gentlemen?
“He (Popovich) is amazing. I had him in the (2004) Olympics and one of the random things I said then was that there were a couple of coaches that I’d really like to play for, Pop being one of them. Phil Jackson and Rick Adelman were some of the others. Those were coaches I admired while growing up and playing against them. I was always interested in how they went about things. And, then to get here with the Spurs, and to understand and see how Pop works has been amazing. A lot of the reasons why I was even able to come to the Spurs was because I think he believed in me and what I could do to help them.
As for Tim, he’s amazing, too. It’s ridiculous all the things he can do. As a basketball talent and a basketball mind, he’s probably the greatest power forward to ever play the game. He likes to keep a straight face and a focused attitude, but he’s very, very passionate about the game. He really loves it.
You had a tumultuous summer, being traded and then canceling your wedding at the last-minute. The tabloids and gossip magazines obviously had a field day with your situation. How upset were you with their coverage?
RJ: The bloggers, the internet stuff … It is really, really sad. There are a lot of sad things that go into those things. There’s a difference between responsible journalism and people that are trying to get the most amount of hits on their Web site. It’s sad. There are so many people who want to tell you how to live your life, but no one can live it except for you. It’s unfortunate that our society, with all those weekly tabloid magazines like Us Weekly and all the internet sites and bloggers, has come to this. It’s unfortunate that’s the state of our society.
It’s easy to understand why Derek Lamar Fisher figuratively pinches himself sometimes and thanks his lucky stars for the position he is in today.
After all, when the veteran Los Angeles Lakers point guard entered the 1996 NBA draft, not too many people ever envisioned Fisher having such a lengthy and accomplished pro career.
Count Fisher among the skeptics.
After playing at tiny Arkansas-Little Rock, Fisher harbored reservations about whether he would even be drafted.
“Going into that draft, I wasn’t even on the draft radar with teams,’’ Fisher said. “But I worked as hard as I could during the pre-draft camps to just get on the radar.
“I went to Portsmouth, I went to Phoenix, I went to Chicago – all the pre-draft camps – to show what I could do.
“When the draft came around, I felt I would be very fortunate to possibly be drafted in the first or second round.
“I’m glad the Lakers made the call. My life and my career would have been quite different if (then Lakers GM) Jerry West and the staff had decided to go in a different direction.
“I was definitely fortunate.’’
The Lakers were equally fortunate. They drafted Fisher late in the first round, the 24th overall selection. They took him one spot after Denver chose Efthimios Rentzias of Greece and one spot before Utah chose Martin Muursepp of Estonia.
While Rentzias and Muursepp had cups of coffee in the NBA, Fisher has sipped champagne. He’s been on four NBA championship teams with the Lakers – 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2009 – during his 14-year pro career and could be on a fifth one this season.
While Fisher hasn’t come close to racking up Hall of Fame statistical type numbers like his current teammate Kobe Bryant – who, by the way, was drafted by Charlotte as the 13th overall pick in that same draft – or gained the notoriety of his teammates over the years, his colleagues fully recognize his importance.
“I think he’s sung,’’ Lakers coach Phil Jackson responded when asked if Fisher was perhaps the Lakers’ unsung hero. “I don’t think there’s anything unsung about Derek. He’s got a voice. He’s a leader of the Players Association and is definitely a leader among his peers.
“I think people overlook him at times on the floor as a basketball player, and that’s too our advantage.’’
Lakers veteran forward Lamar Odom concurs with Jackson. Odom said Fisher is held in high esteem by all the Lakers for not only his savvy, leadership skills on the court but his mature and influential presence as off it as well.
“I know that Derek is sometimes overlooked by some people, but he’s not overlooked here with this team,’’ Odom said. “We understand what he brings to our team and what he means to our team.
“He’s been on some great teams and he understands what it takes to keep a team together. Derek helps hold this locker room together.
“He’s a man of character. He’s a gentleman. He’s smart. If there’s one guy who you can learn from, it’s Derek Fisher.’’
One of the things the Lakers have learned from Fisher is his commitment to his craft. He brings a lunch-pail mentality to work every day. He’s simply a guy you can rely on – as Jackson will attest.
The 35-year-old Fisher has played in every single game the last four-plus seasons. For those counting at home, that’s 354 straight games.
“He’s a stable person and that’s indicated in how he’s managed to play in all these games,’’ Jackson said. “Some of it takes luck and the other is preparation. He’s extremely well-prepared.
“In doing so, he uses his seniority in a positive light for our younger players.’’
So, what’s the secret behind Fisher’s admirable work ethic? What motivates him to play through injuries, injuries that often would shelf so many other players?
“I think it’s my natural and pure love for basketball as well as the joy of competition,’’ Fisher said.. “I can’t see myself, at this point, not being out there with my teammates and competing and trying to help us win.
“I would truly be sad and depressed if I couldn’t lace it up and put my uniform on and go out on the floor, especially with this team because we enjoy going to work together.’’
Fisher and Co. are certainly enjoying the fruits of their labor. They have busted out of the blocks this season, looking every bit as formidable as last season’s title team.
In fact, Fisher believes the current Lakers edition may eventually be better once they fully integrate Ron Artest, whom the Lakers signed during free agency over the summer, into their system.
“I think we’re capable of being better because we have another year of experience with pretty much the same players and knowing how to play with each other and getting the best out of each other,’’ Fisher said. “We’re still learning how to bring Ron into the fold and allow him to be successful within our team concepts.
“I think he’s still searching. He wants to fit in, and we want him to fit in. So, ultimately, we can be a better team than last year and have the same end results of being a champion again.’’
Every year while her son, Derrick, was in grade school in Chicago, Brenda Rose would get a phone call from one of his teachers. It wasn’t that Derrick had any disciplinary problems. And it wasn’t because he was struggling academically.
“My teachers would almost hate me because I rarely talked or asked questions,’’ said Rose, the Chicago Bulls’ gifted young point guard. “So they would call my mother and talk to her about that.
“They never said anything about my grades; I usually got good grades. They were wondering why I stayed to myself and didn’t talk much.’’
Now, at the age of 21, Rose is pretty much the same person. He is still rather introverted and, if he had his druthers, wouldn’t spend a lot of time conversing.
Some observers have misinterpreted Rose’s aloofness as arrogance. Nothing could be further from the truth, Rose said.
“I am shy,’’ Rose said. “I always have been. I like to stick to myself. I don’t know why I’m like that, but that’s just the way I am.
“I could probably go without talking all day. I know there are guys (in the NBA) that are always talking, that are always active. I’m not like that.’’
Rose is a man of few words on the basketball court as well. Trash-talking isn’t a part of his game. He lets his game do the talking.
Last season, as a rookie, Rose’s exquisite game spoke volumes. He more lived up to the immense hype that was heaped on him after being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2008 NBA draft. Rose averaged 16.8 points and 6.3 assists en route to Rookie of the Year honors.
More importantly, Rose was highly instrumental in the Bulls advancing to the Eastern Conference playoffs where, against the Celtics in the opening round, he was simply spectacular. Rose seemingly did everything in that electrifying seven-game series, averaging 19.7 points, 6.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds.
It was the type of prime-time performance most players would talk about for the rest of the summer. Rose isn’t like most players. His Bulls were eliminated from the playoffs. Their season had, in Rose’s humble opinion, ended prematurely.
It wasn’t the way Rose was accustomed to having his basketball seasons end. After all, throughout his entire athletic career, he’s been a winner. He won championships in grade school. He won two Illinois Class AA state championships at Simeon High School. In his one season at Memphis, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA title game.
So, when the Bulls failed to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs last season, a bitter taste formed in his mouth.
“It was definitely tough, really tough,’’ Rose said. “I wasn’t used to losing; I’ve been used to being in the championship and then not to be in it was …
“But I came to realize we still need a couple of more pieces for our team to be an NBA-championship caliber team.’’
Rose isn’t about to boldly predict the current Bulls are title bound, but he firmly believes they are on the right track to becoming a title contender. Winning an NBA title, Rose said, is almost an obsession with him.
“Most definitely, I want to win an NBA championship,’’ Rose said. “People remember you first as a person, whether you were a good person.’’
“Then, as a player, people remember you for whether you won a championship. I want to be remembered as good person and someone who won an NBA championship.’’
Rose could also be remembered as one of the premier point guards Dr. Naismith’s game has ever witnessed. Lindsey Hunter, Rose’s veteran teammate, contends Rose possesses all the necessary ingredients to be a special player.
“Derrick has the potential to be ‘The Guy’ when you talk about point guards,’’ said Hunter, now in his 17th NBA season. “He has the size, he has the agility, he has the playmaking abilities.
“And he has that ‘It’ factor, just like LeBron has the ‘It’ factor.’’
Rose hasn’t exhibited “It’’ as much as he’s wanted to this season. But there’s a viable reason for that. During a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers, Rose pulled a tendon in his right ankle.
Rose conceded the injury was “very painful’’ and that’s he’s still not 100 percent healthy. Yet, in recent games, Rose is starting to flash the form he displayed in last year’s playoffs.
In six of the Bulls’ last seven games, Rose has scored at least 19 points. He totaled 28 against Denver.
Naturally, Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro is delighted Rose is almost back to being his old self.
“He’s starting to get his leg under him again,’’ Del Negro said. “That explosion is back a little bit. Those are encouraging signs.’’
Del Negro knows as well as anyone how important Rose is to the Bulls’ fortunes, although he doesn’t want to place any undue expectations on him.
“People tend to forget that Derrick’s 21 years old,’’ Del Negro said. “He’s still a very young player. People don’t tend to be patient, especially in pro sports. It takes time, especially at the point guard position.
“But Derrick is a competitor; he wants to everything right. And he wants to win.’’
You’ve had an incredible start to your NBA career and came close to recording a triple-double in your first game with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Are you amazed by how you’ve gotten out of the blocks?
Brandon Jennings: I think it’s just the time I put in. Every day I come in and work with the coaches and show up at the arena early with coach (Kelvin) Sampson and coach Griff (Adrian Griffin) and I think that’s starting to pay off.
In your third game, you went head to head with Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, arguably the best young point guard in the game, and more than held your own. How much of a confidence booster was that?
BJ: I think every night I’m going against somebody pretty good, not just Derrick Rose. I went against Rodney Stuckey (of the Pistons) and Louis Williams (of the 76ers) and they’re good point guards as well. Every night there’s going to be a challenge and you have to get up for it.
If you were a boxer, you’d probably be in the featherweight division. Being only 170 pounds, have opposing players tried to take advantage of small build?
BJ: Yeah, they have. Last night (against the Bulls), they were running a lot of pick and rolls on me. And, when I played Rodney Stuckey, who’s a big, strong point guard, he tried to take me down to the block and tried to put his body into me and tried to use his strength against me. I know there’s going to be a lot of players who are going to try and do that against me.
It’s hard to gain strength and put on weight during an NBA season, but do you intend on working on your body down the road?
BJ: I think I will in the summertime, I’m going to try and put on some weight. But right now, I like my speed. Some veterans now, like Lindsay Hunter (of the Bulls), are telling me to slow down young fella, slow down.
What’s been the biggest difference in playing in Europe last season and playing in the NBA now?
BJ: There are a lot more talented guys in the NBA; everybody is good. It’s harder to win an NBA game. You gotta to bring it for 48 minutes, and then after that game, you’re drained and tired.
You have been compared to a lot of different players, Allen Iverson, TJ Ford, Chris Paul, etc. Detroit Pistons coach John Kuester told me you remind him of Nate “Tiny’’ Archibald. Do you even know who Archibald is?
BJ: Yes, I do. I have heard of him. I just know he was a great left-handed point guard.
Who do you think your game resembles?
BJ: I really don’t try to compare myself to anybody. I’m just trying to make my name , my mark in the league. I’ll let other people do the comparisons.
Has the rookie hazing subsided yet?
BJ: No. I still got to bring in the doughnuts, I got to pass out towels, bring in the newspapers every day, carry some bags and things like that.
Is that getting old?
BJ: No, it’s not getting old. Really, it doesn’t bother me that much anymore.
In light of your impressive start, are your teammates giving you a little more respect and not just looking at you as another rookie?
BJ: I don’t know. It’s only been three games, so it’s still early in the season. I’m just working hard every day to get better.
Your head coach, Scott Skiles, was once a pretty good point guard himself. How often do you and Skiles talk about the point guard position?
BJ: Almost every day. We watch film before and after almost every practice. Sometimes, I’ll come in early to watch film on certain situations where I didn’t do good the night before.
Is there anything that Skiles has said that has really hit home with you?
BJ: Basically, he said if you aren’t playing defense, you aren’t playing at all. That’s one of the main things that I’m trying to get better at every day. I think I’m doing a better job of keeping guys in front of me.
You’ve only played a few games, but have you gotten into any trash talking situations?
BJ: I really don’t do a lot of talking when I’m out there playing. I just focus on trying to stop my opponent that night and leading my team to victory.
You have an assortment of tattoos on your body, including prominent ones on each of your arms. What do they represent?
BJ: On my right arm, it’s laugh now, cry later. It’s for all the haters who said I would never make it in life. And there’s a man holding a ball with a city behind him, which is basically me holding a basketball with my city behind me. On the left one, it’s my mom (Alice Knox) and my brother (Terrence). It shows I’m blessed.
In training camp, you said you didn’t think you’d win the Rookie of the Year award. But considering how well you’ve played, have you changed your mind?
BJ: I’m still not changing my mind. It’s only been three games. It’s too early. We still got 79 games to go. And, you know what? It’s not really one of my goals this year. One of my goals is just to get to the playoffs.
The Pacers are headed to the lottery, but nobody can accuse you of tanking it. You have had some exceptional games in recent weeks, including a 32-point performance against Denver and a 30-point outing against Phoenix.
This is your first season in the Western Conference after playing eight years in the Eastern Conference with New Jersey and Milwaukee. What have you found to be the biggest difference between the two conferences?
It’s easy to understand why Derek Lamar Fisher figuratively pinches himself sometimes and thanks his lucky stars for the position he is in today.
It seemed like clockwork.
You’ve had an incredible start to your NBA career and came close to recording a triple-double in your first game with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Are you amazed by how you’ve gotten out of the blocks?