Tommy John
10-07-2004, 05:18 PM
Pistons Head Coach Larry Brown
On difference from training camp this season from last season:
“Last year was kind of hard. I would imagine particularly hard on them (the players), losing Rick (Carlisle) and having Jon (Barry), Cliff (Robinson) and Michael Curry not being there. Those were experienced guys who contributed a lot. Joe brought in Elden and Bobby (Sura). Bobby was out and we brought Lindsey back. With the young kids we had, Darko was the draft pick at 18 (year old) and the other free agents were much more inexperienced than these kids. There are a lot of factors. I was on eggshells because you want to recognize what they accomplished, but I couldn’t coach like Rick. I’m not the same in terms of the style of the play, not that I don’t respect what he did. Joe wanted me to play Memo and Tayshaun and either one of those guys played at all. (Zeljko) Rebraca was hurt, so it was a much different thing. And I remember Chucky (Atkins) was hurt. We were fighting a lot of different obstacles. We did not start so smoothly and I wasn’t surprised. Joe told me he didn’t know if he was going to make a judgment on Memo or Tayshaun till after 50 games or so. It was much different.'
“Now I look out here, even though we loss guys like Corliss and Chucky and Rebraca and Mike James, guys that really helped us win, the core guys are back. They’re still young and the guys we brought in, I think are a lot further along so it’s a much different atmosphere. I don’t have to teach drills or talk about a style of play. I think they are all comfortable with that.”
On how he implemented his game-plan into training camp last year:
“I tried to do both and respect what he (Rick Carlisle) did. We had to work with the players to have a comfort zone because they shared a lot of things with me. We really played like Rick when Corliss played. At the time, we didn’t have a player like Cliff Robinson. I didn’t let Memo stand outside and we didn’t have the same mindset. I was trying to change and for Rip and Chauncey, I thought it was really hard. They were pretty successful doing what they did in Rick’s system. I was asking them to really make some changes. Throughout the year, we did a lot of the same things that Rick did. I think things changed a lot once Rasheed got here. We could be a little different there.”
On the training cam invitees Nigel Dixon, Smush Parker and Terrence Shannon:
“You never know what happens. I think all three of them have a chance. Terrence is a live body. They’re all so coachable. I don’t think that would be fair. Obviously they know what the contract situation is, but I told them from day one, ‘Try to make our team. If you prove you can make our team, Joe (Dumars) will probably figure out a way.’
“Nigel (Dixon), I don’t know when, but some day he’s going to figure it out because he is so strong and such a great kid and such a fast learner. And the other two guys, the Developmental league helped Terrence (Shannon) and Smush (Parker) should be in our league, there’s no doubt. Smush is a point guard. I wouldn’t be afraid to play him off the ball because he’s got good size and he’s athletic, but he’s a point guard.”
On running the ball or calling set plays:
“My whole life I’ve wanted to run, but there are times you have to call a play. Sometimes you do get helter-skelter, but I think Chauncey understands what I want. I think they all do. I don’t have any doubt. My goal is to not to worry about calling plays, provided we get good shots and defend and rebound. With Chauncey, I’ve given point guards a lot of responsibility since I’ve been a coach. If you’ve been around each other enough and there’s trust, they’ll understand what you are trying to accomplish. Chauncey’s proven that with the way he’s come so far.”
On giving the players Friday night’s practice session off:
“They grabbed me in the back. (laughter) But I think that’s good. I’ve tried to be sensitive to some of the big guys and I don’t want to short-change the young kids because I want them to get something out of it (practice) and when we do play early, that they are prepared and in good shape. I liked the fact that they felt comfortable enough to ask me and I think they deserved it.”
On implementing new things into practice:
“We’ve put in some new stuff, but I don’t know if I want to change. (Laughter) We did pretty good with the things that we tried to do. It’s all going to come down to defending, rebounding and sharing the ball, but our execution is a lot better now than in was last year at this time and we have a lot more in than we had last time. A lot of the young kids we had, I spent a lot of time correcting them. Now these young kids, their learning curve is much further along.”
Pistons Center Rasheed Wallace
On how training camp has been so far:
“It’s been rough but it’s something I need, myself, and the team needs after a couple months of layoff. After enjoying the fruits of our labor we just have to come back and burn it all off.”
On how the team has been coming together:
“So far so good. (Derrick Coleman) DC is fitting in well, (Antonio McDyess) Dyess is fitting in well and the guys who are also trying out for the team are. Everyone is gelling; it’s a close-knit squad.”
On how everything is going so well in training camp:
“Knock on wood about that. So far so good; we can’t complain about that. (Larry Brown) LB has pushed us but he hasn’t pushed us to where we’re all out there dying but guys are working hard and that’s the main thing.”
Pistons Guard Chauncey Billups
On if winning an NBA Championship and being named MVP of the finals changed him as a player:
“Not at all, I’m coming into the games the same way I did the entire season last year. It was unbelievable, of course, to accomplish a feat like that but it doesn’t really change me. I still have to do the things that I’ve done; I still have to validate what I did.”
On if winning has given him more confidence:
“Yeah it does, but I never lacked that anyway. My confidence is still the same. I felt that I could do that before I even did it and I finally did that but it doesn’t change how I feel.”
On his relationship with Coach Brown:
“Our relationship is great. We’re always on the same page. This year I don’t have to go through that learning curve of knowing what he expects and what he wants; I know now. He knows what I do well, I know what he does well and what he likes so that’s going to save us four months.”
On how well training camp has been going so far:
“It is; it really is. You have a bunch of guys who experienced something unbelievable last year and we know what it takes. Because of that, people came in focused, ready and in shape. We know how he (Coach Brown) likes to play. Now when we cross those lines we already know what we have to do now. He doesn’t have to go through that period last year of teaching us new plays. We’re going to try to pick up right where we left off.”
On if he thinks Coach Brown is more comfortable with the team now than he was with them at this time last year:
“No question; it’s like night and day and it should be. He came in under a lot of pressure last year replacing Rick (Carlisle), already having a good team and us not knowing what he likes to do. We’ve been through a whole season and finished the way we did so he has all the reasons to be comfortable with us.”
On if he thought the team could win the championship in five games:
“None of us really expected that; to win in five (games). We expected to win but we didn’t expect to win it in five.”
Pistons Guard Smush Parker
On what he hopes to get out of training camp:
“First, it’s a great opportunity that Joe Dumars, Larry Brown and the Detroit Pistons organization has given me a chance to come in and have a chance to make the team. I’m just coming in and trying to make this team better. Of course they won a championship last year, a lot of the guys are back and I’m just here to add to their roster; just to help the team.”
On how much his year with the Cleveland Cavaliers has helped him in this camp:
“I finished a whole season with Cleveland. I got one year of experience, I know how the game is played and it was definitely a learning experience for me. It has definitely given me, I guess, an edge over some other guys who haven’t experienced the NBA game. I have one year experience and it’s helping me a lot.”
On what has to happen for him to remain in the NBA:
“I just have to mature as a player and as a man; a man first and then as a player. No one has doubted my physical capabilities it’s just my mental capabilities at this point that everybody is worried about.”
On if he’s a point or shooting guard:
“I’m a combo. I could play the one or the two; whatever the coach needs or whatever the team needs.”
On if he has any backup plans:
“There is no backup plan. This is my only option”
On if he’s heard how tough coach Larry Brown is on point guards:
“I haven’t heard necessarily on point guards just as a coach in general. He’s a very strict and tough coach and very hard-nosed. I discussed that with my agent and that’s probably what I need at this point. Being a young guy, I need someone to keep me on the straight and narrow.”
Pistons Forward Darko Milicic
On not being able to play in the summer:
“I was trying to get ready for the Olympics because if I had gotten some playing time in the summer it would’ve been better for me right now but I couldn’t because I broke my hand.”
On what he had to do to get minutes this season:
“Just try to play hard in practice and show coach how much I want to play and see if I can get some minutes this year.”
On if having a year’s experience helps:
“It’s up to me. I have to work hard. All my teammates are trying to help me. All those big guys have experience in the NBA and they’re trying to help me play better. I’m going to try to do my best.”
On difference from training camp this season from last season:
“Last year was kind of hard. I would imagine particularly hard on them (the players), losing Rick (Carlisle) and having Jon (Barry), Cliff (Robinson) and Michael Curry not being there. Those were experienced guys who contributed a lot. Joe brought in Elden and Bobby (Sura). Bobby was out and we brought Lindsey back. With the young kids we had, Darko was the draft pick at 18 (year old) and the other free agents were much more inexperienced than these kids. There are a lot of factors. I was on eggshells because you want to recognize what they accomplished, but I couldn’t coach like Rick. I’m not the same in terms of the style of the play, not that I don’t respect what he did. Joe wanted me to play Memo and Tayshaun and either one of those guys played at all. (Zeljko) Rebraca was hurt, so it was a much different thing. And I remember Chucky (Atkins) was hurt. We were fighting a lot of different obstacles. We did not start so smoothly and I wasn’t surprised. Joe told me he didn’t know if he was going to make a judgment on Memo or Tayshaun till after 50 games or so. It was much different.'
“Now I look out here, even though we loss guys like Corliss and Chucky and Rebraca and Mike James, guys that really helped us win, the core guys are back. They’re still young and the guys we brought in, I think are a lot further along so it’s a much different atmosphere. I don’t have to teach drills or talk about a style of play. I think they are all comfortable with that.”
On how he implemented his game-plan into training camp last year:
“I tried to do both and respect what he (Rick Carlisle) did. We had to work with the players to have a comfort zone because they shared a lot of things with me. We really played like Rick when Corliss played. At the time, we didn’t have a player like Cliff Robinson. I didn’t let Memo stand outside and we didn’t have the same mindset. I was trying to change and for Rip and Chauncey, I thought it was really hard. They were pretty successful doing what they did in Rick’s system. I was asking them to really make some changes. Throughout the year, we did a lot of the same things that Rick did. I think things changed a lot once Rasheed got here. We could be a little different there.”
On the training cam invitees Nigel Dixon, Smush Parker and Terrence Shannon:
“You never know what happens. I think all three of them have a chance. Terrence is a live body. They’re all so coachable. I don’t think that would be fair. Obviously they know what the contract situation is, but I told them from day one, ‘Try to make our team. If you prove you can make our team, Joe (Dumars) will probably figure out a way.’
“Nigel (Dixon), I don’t know when, but some day he’s going to figure it out because he is so strong and such a great kid and such a fast learner. And the other two guys, the Developmental league helped Terrence (Shannon) and Smush (Parker) should be in our league, there’s no doubt. Smush is a point guard. I wouldn’t be afraid to play him off the ball because he’s got good size and he’s athletic, but he’s a point guard.”
On running the ball or calling set plays:
“My whole life I’ve wanted to run, but there are times you have to call a play. Sometimes you do get helter-skelter, but I think Chauncey understands what I want. I think they all do. I don’t have any doubt. My goal is to not to worry about calling plays, provided we get good shots and defend and rebound. With Chauncey, I’ve given point guards a lot of responsibility since I’ve been a coach. If you’ve been around each other enough and there’s trust, they’ll understand what you are trying to accomplish. Chauncey’s proven that with the way he’s come so far.”
On giving the players Friday night’s practice session off:
“They grabbed me in the back. (laughter) But I think that’s good. I’ve tried to be sensitive to some of the big guys and I don’t want to short-change the young kids because I want them to get something out of it (practice) and when we do play early, that they are prepared and in good shape. I liked the fact that they felt comfortable enough to ask me and I think they deserved it.”
On implementing new things into practice:
“We’ve put in some new stuff, but I don’t know if I want to change. (Laughter) We did pretty good with the things that we tried to do. It’s all going to come down to defending, rebounding and sharing the ball, but our execution is a lot better now than in was last year at this time and we have a lot more in than we had last time. A lot of the young kids we had, I spent a lot of time correcting them. Now these young kids, their learning curve is much further along.”
Pistons Center Rasheed Wallace
On how training camp has been so far:
“It’s been rough but it’s something I need, myself, and the team needs after a couple months of layoff. After enjoying the fruits of our labor we just have to come back and burn it all off.”
On how the team has been coming together:
“So far so good. (Derrick Coleman) DC is fitting in well, (Antonio McDyess) Dyess is fitting in well and the guys who are also trying out for the team are. Everyone is gelling; it’s a close-knit squad.”
On how everything is going so well in training camp:
“Knock on wood about that. So far so good; we can’t complain about that. (Larry Brown) LB has pushed us but he hasn’t pushed us to where we’re all out there dying but guys are working hard and that’s the main thing.”
Pistons Guard Chauncey Billups
On if winning an NBA Championship and being named MVP of the finals changed him as a player:
“Not at all, I’m coming into the games the same way I did the entire season last year. It was unbelievable, of course, to accomplish a feat like that but it doesn’t really change me. I still have to do the things that I’ve done; I still have to validate what I did.”
On if winning has given him more confidence:
“Yeah it does, but I never lacked that anyway. My confidence is still the same. I felt that I could do that before I even did it and I finally did that but it doesn’t change how I feel.”
On his relationship with Coach Brown:
“Our relationship is great. We’re always on the same page. This year I don’t have to go through that learning curve of knowing what he expects and what he wants; I know now. He knows what I do well, I know what he does well and what he likes so that’s going to save us four months.”
On how well training camp has been going so far:
“It is; it really is. You have a bunch of guys who experienced something unbelievable last year and we know what it takes. Because of that, people came in focused, ready and in shape. We know how he (Coach Brown) likes to play. Now when we cross those lines we already know what we have to do now. He doesn’t have to go through that period last year of teaching us new plays. We’re going to try to pick up right where we left off.”
On if he thinks Coach Brown is more comfortable with the team now than he was with them at this time last year:
“No question; it’s like night and day and it should be. He came in under a lot of pressure last year replacing Rick (Carlisle), already having a good team and us not knowing what he likes to do. We’ve been through a whole season and finished the way we did so he has all the reasons to be comfortable with us.”
On if he thought the team could win the championship in five games:
“None of us really expected that; to win in five (games). We expected to win but we didn’t expect to win it in five.”
Pistons Guard Smush Parker
On what he hopes to get out of training camp:
“First, it’s a great opportunity that Joe Dumars, Larry Brown and the Detroit Pistons organization has given me a chance to come in and have a chance to make the team. I’m just coming in and trying to make this team better. Of course they won a championship last year, a lot of the guys are back and I’m just here to add to their roster; just to help the team.”
On how much his year with the Cleveland Cavaliers has helped him in this camp:
“I finished a whole season with Cleveland. I got one year of experience, I know how the game is played and it was definitely a learning experience for me. It has definitely given me, I guess, an edge over some other guys who haven’t experienced the NBA game. I have one year experience and it’s helping me a lot.”
On what has to happen for him to remain in the NBA:
“I just have to mature as a player and as a man; a man first and then as a player. No one has doubted my physical capabilities it’s just my mental capabilities at this point that everybody is worried about.”
On if he’s a point or shooting guard:
“I’m a combo. I could play the one or the two; whatever the coach needs or whatever the team needs.”
On if he has any backup plans:
“There is no backup plan. This is my only option”
On if he’s heard how tough coach Larry Brown is on point guards:
“I haven’t heard necessarily on point guards just as a coach in general. He’s a very strict and tough coach and very hard-nosed. I discussed that with my agent and that’s probably what I need at this point. Being a young guy, I need someone to keep me on the straight and narrow.”
Pistons Forward Darko Milicic
On not being able to play in the summer:
“I was trying to get ready for the Olympics because if I had gotten some playing time in the summer it would’ve been better for me right now but I couldn’t because I broke my hand.”
On what he had to do to get minutes this season:
“Just try to play hard in practice and show coach how much I want to play and see if I can get some minutes this year.”
On if having a year’s experience helps:
“It’s up to me. I have to work hard. All my teammates are trying to help me. All those big guys have experience in the NBA and they’re trying to help me play better. I’m going to try to do my best.”