Thursday April 16 2009 - 1:25pm Eastern (Toronto, ON)
RE: Reflecting on the year and looking ahead
“I don’t know. My main focus was to close the season strong. Right now I’m just going to relax and enjoy the city for a few extra days and then journey home.”
RE: What he plans to do in the next few days:
“I’m going to go up to Niagara Falls - I’ve never seen that. I’ve heard Montreal is crazy too - so I’m going to go there.”
RE: If coming back to Toronto is a legit option for him:
“It’s definitely an option. I’m going to explore everything.”
RE: What factors he’ll consider this summer when deciding where to play (money, playing time, etc):
“It’s a little bit of everything. I want to win a championship. That’s my main goal.”
RE: Can this team in Toronto - right now - be good:
“I think the pieces are there. It’s just a matter of intensity … it’s the chemistry that you build to get (to the playoffs) and then who knows what happens.”
RE: If the future for this team looks good or not
“If I was here for the full season - we’d be in the playoffs right now. This year, I think they were kinda caught up in an identity situation. It took me a while to adjust to it all too (the up-tempo).”
RE: On a scale of 1 to 10 … the chances of him coming back to Toronto …
“It’s not up to me. It’s not that easy. How can I put that on a scale? I’ve gotta weigh everything.”
RE: Thoughts on Toronto overall
“The organization is great. The fans are great - and ya’ll media guys are cool too. You’re not as cute as me, but … ”
RE: Thoughts on Jay Triano
“He’s a cool guy. He’s a player’s coach. I could play for Jay again.”
“I’ve had 7 coaches. All of them are different.”
E. Smith
Click here to subscribe to Smith's blog
FYI folks … these are direct quotes. However, they’re not always “full” quotes. I can only type so fast! So don’t read into things too much if answers are short - or not as “in depth”. Chances are, the players said much more than what I’ve typed — I just couldn’t keep up. I’m not a court stenographer!
- E. Smithdoesnt sound like he’s comin back
- MTSHey Eric least you are covering it live. Raps T.V use to carry all of this stuff live. They should do that again they are RAPTORS TV after all. I remember Mike James singing I believe I can fly in one of his exit interviews. That was pure gold you just can’t buy that kind of entertainment. But to be serious it would be something that would allow fans the chance to hear what everyone is saying and judge what is said.
Great job and you do solid work and the hardcore fans are lucky to have guys like you going that extra mile.
- James BorbathDon’t forget to check out “Hoops” tonight from 7-9pm
LIVE on Raptors TV and on Fan590.com
- E. SmithWhy does Shawn Marion say that “it’s not up to him” if he returns?
Who makes that choice?
His mom?
His housekeeper?
His gardener?
I’ll tell you one thing, if the Raptors want to resign this guy (which I would NOT do if I was GM), they had better be prepared to pay more than any other team in the NBA.
I can’t think of one single reason why, given a equal offers from other teams, the guy would want to play on this team.
If I’m him, and I already have piles upon piles of cash lying in my home, I would be more than happy to take less than the Raps offer in order to have a chance to make a playoff run.
If he’s offered $6 to $10 million to play for the Raps, why not take $4-$6 million to play for a good team?
Does he really care about the difference at this stage of his career? Wouldn’t he want to be on a contender AND earn millions of dollars?
- brentoThought he’d be gone but Toronto is one of few team lefts playing his style of game that are any good. He’s back at a pay reduction for 3-4 years.
- Rob from brantfordBerto, stay away for steep cliffs and sharp objects.
- Rob from brantford