“We can accept our
circumstances as they are, or we can do all we can to change them and turn them
into something positive. That’s one of the things I’ve admired about our team —
they’ve accepted every challenge.”
***
“To me, we all owe it to each
other and the organization to give everything we have every single
day. Just concentrate on what’s in front of us. Practice well today, get
ready for our opponent tomorrow, concentrate on improvement, and get better.
You never know what happens.”
***
On Taj Gibson:
“You can’t say enough about
Taj. He is tough as nails. Whatever you ask him to do he does. You can start
him, bring him off the bench; he guards everybody, he rebounds, gives you great
effort, pure heart, plays for the team, plays to win, disciplined, practices
every day, practices hard. He is a great practice player. He has a great motor. When you
put him in the game, he doesn’t need 5-10 minutes to warm up. He’s ready to
go.”
***
On Marco Belinelli
“He plays for the team. The
team is first all the time with him. I was not surprised that San Antonio
picked him up because I know how much Pop values those things.”
***
“We’ve got a core of guys
that understand it (on defense) and are really good at it. Our guys put forth
the effort. That is what it is all about. As a team they are committed to that.
We know if we defend and rebound and keep our turnovers down we will be in a
position to win. Right now, when you are shorthanded, that is what you have to
do. It is also what you have to do in every game, when you are completely
healthy.”
***
“We’ve got to get the fight.
That’s the first part of it — the determination, the fight and the will.
Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We have to turn it around tomorrow. We
have to get ready to play and we have to come out with an edge.”
***
“On nights you are not
shooting well, there are many other things you can do to help yourselves win.”
***
“It’s hard to execute when
you don’t practice. We need time in the gym.”
***
‘‘We’re improving, but we
still have a long way to go. You’re trying to build concentration over a long
period of time, and you’ve got to grind. This season is about grinding and
working. You’ve got to put the work in. You can’t skip steps, you can’t take
shortcuts. You’ve got to put a lot of work into it.’’
***
‘‘I measure everything on
whether it’s being done at a championship level. Whether it’s your preparation,
how you practice, how you conduct yourself in the weight room, how you conduct
yourself in a film session, how you conduct yourself on the bus. There’s a lot
that goes into winning, so you’ve got to be willing to pay the price.’’
***
On Kyle Korver:
“Every year
he gets better and better. It’s a tribute to the way he works at it, studies,
and prepares, his offseason conditioning work he puts in. It’s incredible. It’s
not an accident what he’s doing. Everyone knows it’s coming. He knows how to
get open. He plays for a team whose shooting complements its stars. And he’s a
star in his own way. He has always embraced his role. He has always played for
the team. The numbers say that (he’s among the elite all time shooters).”
***
On Jimmy Butler:
“I get a kick in the off-season,
everyone’s had a great summer, everyone looks good, but Jimmy actually puts the
work in. He doesn’t have to say anything. You look at him and his actions tell
you what he’s doing. There are no shortcuts with him. He puts the work in and
gives you a solid day’s work. You can’t say enough about it him. He takes big
shots, plays defense, and gets to the line. He makes plays, plays unselfishly,
plays hard and doesn’t take any possessions off. My thing to him is why
put a lid on it? Where can it go? I don’t know. All I know is [his ceiling]
keeps going up. That is how I want him to approach it. He brings great
concentration and great effort every day. You bring those things and couple
that with his talent, great things are going to happen and he’s showing that.
The best leadership you can have is by doing all the right things. You can’t
put any more in than he’s putting into it now.”
***
On Mike Dunleavy
and Kirk Hinrich:
“Two great
pros. Tough minded, give you everything they have. Both of those guys are great
pros. When you have young guys like we do, that’s the best kind of leadership
you can have. They come in every day, they practice hard, they execute. Do all
the right things.”
***
On Anthony Davis From USA
Basketball:
“He was all
business. That’s what stood out the most. He’d get there early, work on his
game, practice hard, and get in the weight room. You can tell he’s hungry.”
***
“If they say we’re playing at
midnight on the roof, you should be saying let’s get the ladders.”
