How DeMar DeRozan got over being traded and embraced the Spurs

**JPB** · 11-01-2018

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...onio-spurs-nba

Nice story by Wright for ESPN.

""It took a while for me to get back in that happy place," DeRozan says, "where I didn't care about much in the sense of like, 'Just be happy, man. Just be yourself. Don't worry about all that other stuff.'"

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""You feel that vibe, and you look at the last championship was 2014. I was in the league for that," DeRozan says. "To be a part of something that just happened four years ago, you have that sense of feeling that this is what it's all about. Instead of talking about it, you come in here and you see it every day. You go to the arena, you see it every day, and you want to kind of have the same thing left on your legacy as part of this franchise. It kind of gives you that extra hunger and motivation when you see something like that."

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""But when I talked to [Popovich], talked to R.C., it was such a reassurance of understanding, like, 'We didn't trade you. We traded for you.' Understanding, 'We want you. We want you here. We want you to be you. Don't worry about nothing. We're going to make the transition as easy as possible.' When you hear something from Pop like that, that's all you need to hear. You don't need to hear no whole story or nothing. That's all you needed to hear."

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""The sincerity that Pop engaged with him during the time they got to spend together with USA Basketball, all of that hopefully built a trust," Buford says. "We've got a long way to go to define our relationship, and to define who the team is going to be. But I think Rudy was a big part of providing us a platform for him to get past his initial shock."

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""When you're under a great legendary coach like Pop, there's so much that can be brought out of me that I probably haven't even seen yet," DeRozan says. "That's what I'm always searching for. What's another way? What's something new that I can find in myself to bring out from my game?"