lurker23
12-04-2009, 04:46 PM
Five questions with Spurs swingman Richard Jefferson:
Q: How discouraged were you by the slow start and the early injuries after all the hoopla about this team in the offseason?
A: Discouraged? Most of us have been in this league way too long to get discouraged this early in the season. That would just be foolish on our part. We understand that [injuries are] a part of it. The teams that can get some wins when guys aren't 100 percent healthy and then get healthy by the end of the season are the teams that typically have success.
Q: Has adjusting to this team come slower than you thought?
A: You understand that there's a learning curve. And the learning curve gets increased a little bit when guys like Tim [Duncan], Manu [Ginobili] and Tony [Parker] are out. But we're a pretty confident group of guys here. We understand that it's a process, that it's not going to be easy, but we're all very positive right now.
Q: The Spurs have often been slow starters. Was it unrealistic to expect anything else with so many new guys?
A: In order for you to become the team that you want to be -- the team that's ready for the playoffs -- it's going to take a while. It's going to take 60 games, 70 games, for you to really become that group of guys where you have the trust and confidence that you really need to make a deep playoff run.
Q: How much pressure was there coming into the season, knowing that so many people said your arrival was the key to the Spurs getting back into the West's elite?
A: I believe that I'm a part of a group of guys who came here to do that, with Dice [Antonio McDyess] and [DeJuan] Blair and [Keith] Bogans. I feel like I'm a part of that equation, hopefully a big part of it, but I think that's why they brought in so many people … so these [main] guys can get some rest and not feel pressure when they're injured to get back on the court just to get some wins.
Q: Do you think this team still has championship potential if you can keep your main guys healthy?
A: I hope so. But I hope for healthiness for everyone. For Kevin Garnett. For Andrew Bynum. For all the guys that dealt with injuries the last few years. I think it'd be great to have a bunch of healthy teams at the end. Everyone was excited about the NBA coming into the season. It'd be a lot of fun to see at the end of the season who's the last man standing if everyone's healthy.
http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-091105-06/weekend-dime-scouts-say
Q: How discouraged were you by the slow start and the early injuries after all the hoopla about this team in the offseason?
A: Discouraged? Most of us have been in this league way too long to get discouraged this early in the season. That would just be foolish on our part. We understand that [injuries are] a part of it. The teams that can get some wins when guys aren't 100 percent healthy and then get healthy by the end of the season are the teams that typically have success.
Q: Has adjusting to this team come slower than you thought?
A: You understand that there's a learning curve. And the learning curve gets increased a little bit when guys like Tim [Duncan], Manu [Ginobili] and Tony [Parker] are out. But we're a pretty confident group of guys here. We understand that it's a process, that it's not going to be easy, but we're all very positive right now.
Q: The Spurs have often been slow starters. Was it unrealistic to expect anything else with so many new guys?
A: In order for you to become the team that you want to be -- the team that's ready for the playoffs -- it's going to take a while. It's going to take 60 games, 70 games, for you to really become that group of guys where you have the trust and confidence that you really need to make a deep playoff run.
Q: How much pressure was there coming into the season, knowing that so many people said your arrival was the key to the Spurs getting back into the West's elite?
A: I believe that I'm a part of a group of guys who came here to do that, with Dice [Antonio McDyess] and [DeJuan] Blair and [Keith] Bogans. I feel like I'm a part of that equation, hopefully a big part of it, but I think that's why they brought in so many people … so these [main] guys can get some rest and not feel pressure when they're injured to get back on the court just to get some wins.
Q: Do you think this team still has championship potential if you can keep your main guys healthy?
A: I hope so. But I hope for healthiness for everyone. For Kevin Garnett. For Andrew Bynum. For all the guys that dealt with injuries the last few years. I think it'd be great to have a bunch of healthy teams at the end. Everyone was excited about the NBA coming into the season. It'd be a lot of fun to see at the end of the season who's the last man standing if everyone's healthy.
http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-091105-06/weekend-dime-scouts-say