Roy, Aldridge, and Oden may ink the sneaker deals and attend the photo shoots, but there’s always more to a team than its marquee names. Often times, the most integral of pieces are hidden deep within the core of the squad, much like the creamy white filling buried beneath the fluffy yellow exterior of a basketball Twinkie. Or something. Point is, we talked to more players.
Przybilla: The Face of Fear
Joel Przybilla:
- On signing Juwan Howard and Andre Miller (click here for audio): it’s a blessing for both himself and the younger guys on the team. When young players have a problem, sometimes they prefer to talk to a teammate rather than a coach. It’s nice to have more veteran voices in the locker room to “put guys in their place.”
- The realistic goal is to win the division outright. “We may only win 50 games this year, but it may be a better year than last year because the West is getting so tough.”
- On Game 1 against Houston: “They hit us in our mouth, and we didn’t know what to expect. So we’ll be ready this year. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
- Joel said that it’s going to be a competition for every spot, and although Greg wants to start at center, Joel also wants that privilege. However, he also said he doesn’t mind coming off the bench, and that it’s a long season.
- In one of the more genuine and heartfelt responses of either Media Day, Joel explained that it’s good to have Coach Luke back (click here for audio).
Nicolas Batum:
- The language barrier still makes it a bit difficult to understand the understated Frenchman at times, but certain things need no translation. It’s clear Batum desperately wants to be the starter again this year.
- Batum said he is a bit tired from the Eurobasket competition. He hasn’t had much time off this summer.
- However, Batum claimed he was one the best, if not the best, scorers in every game he played. He feels confident in his offensive game going into his sophomore season.
- One point of possible concern for Blazer fans is Batum’s shoulder. He said it wasn’t 100 percent, that it was just “okay.” Batum hasn’t had much time to recuperate and doesn’t appear to be getting a break any time soon.
Martell Webster Is Ready To Go
Martell Webster:
- Martell said his foot is 100 percent. He said missing last year was very difficult mentally, and staying away from the practice court was even tougher (click here for audio).
- Talking about Batum wanting the starting position: “that’s great motivation for him. For me that’s just not where my mind is this year and for this team.”
- Webster said he’ll obediently follow Coach McMillan’s instructions, and if he doesn’t start he can live with that. Webster said he’s more focused on “being on the court when the buzzer rings.”
- Webster said he couldn’t keep away from the basketball court. He says applying pressure helped the blood circulate and heal faster.
- On signing Andre Miller: Everybody is excited….”It’s just great to have a great point guard who can alleviate pressure. It opens up the court for a lot of people.”
- On playing time: “It’s always a problem; that’s inevitable.” Webster then quoted a generic motivational poster: “In order to achieve great things, you have to sacrifice. Once we understand that, you know, the sky’s the limit.”
- A TV reporter asked if there was a hungrier player on the Blazer roster. Martell provided a fantastic answer (click here for audio).
- Martell said the team has only one goal left: win a title.
- He admitted that he is more serious these days, but only to a certain extent. He promises to remain his “charismatic self” and have the whole team laughing to cut tension.
OSL's Andrew Theen Is Skeptical About Outlaw's Rebounding Improvements
Travis Outlaw:
- Outlaw is sporting a new and very different look: hair. He claimed he forgot to cut it. And that he’s “trying to look his age.”
- Travis said he is happy to be back in Portland despite the various trade rumors involving his name throughout the summer. Outlaw said he “understands it’s a business.”
- Travis said he has put in some work over the summer. This is a contract year for Outlaw, but he says his biggest focus is winning.
- Outlaw says “last year I worked hard, but I came down with a staph infection. This year I didn’t catch no staph infection.”
- Travis is trying to bring in some new skills. What are those? Typical Outlaw moves (click here for audio).
- Travis said McMillan puts him on the best offensive player a lot, and that’s a huge compliment for his defensive abilities.