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Shaquille
O'Neal: "When you are 60, hang out with 60-year-olds, not 20-year-olds.
That is all I got to say about Jerry Buss."
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HoopsHype.com Interviews Latrell
Sprewell: "I don't want to leave, but this
is still a business"
Latrell Sprewell: It's not so much what we're missing, but what we're not doing. We're not playing good defense. Is it a lack of effort or an inability to keep up with certain teams or players? LS: It's all of that. Teams have been getting open looks all the time against us. We have to take some responsibility for that. I'm not saying we need different players, but we definitely need to play differently. What's your outlook for the rest of the season? LS: We're professionals. The window is getting smaller and smaller in terms of us making the playoffs, but we still have to play just as hard. This team has been up and down. To what do you attribute the inconsistency? LS: We don't consistently execute. We may double-team on guards, but not getting back when they swing the ball. That's on defense. And on offense, Allan (Houston) has done a great job, but he's not getting help every night. We're not a dominant force on the inside, so more points have to come from the perimeter. A lot falls on Allan's and my shoulders, but we can't do it by ourselves. This is still new to me in the sense where I've never played anywhere and been the main guy. What would you expect for the future for this team? LS: It's hard to say. I think we'll be able to get some help in the free agent market and bulk up, up front. We're not a bad team by no means. We just haven't played as good as we could and when we're not the most talented of teams, it stands out more when you don't play to your level of ability. Do you think the team will look for a big man? LS: I wouldn't want to speculate. Antonio (McDyess) isn't healthy yet and when he's healthy he can really contribute. That's another thing people sometimes forget. We weren't as good as we could've been, if only because we didn't have everyone available to contribute. Two years ago, they traded Ewing, L.J. (Larry Johnson) suddenly retired and this year Antonio has been out. We haven't been as good as we could be down low. It's hard to win like that. So you still feel good about the McDyess acquisition? LS: Definitely. He's a very good player, and an inside force. He's exactly what this team missed this year. Like I was saying, we're not as good as we could have been or should have been. There are things we could have done better, but also stuff we couldn't control. What do you think would've been different specifically? LS: We would've had a presence in the middle on offense and defense. I mean, he would've won us some games. The East is all packed together. No one team dominates. With McDyess not only would we have made the playoffs, we could've done some damage. What would you expect your future with this team to be? LS: That's as much up to the organization as it is me. I don't want to leave, but this is still a business. It's a business for the team and a business for me. It's not the end of the world and I still will play basketball. Is any of that a holdover from the incident at the beginning of the season with your hand and how management decided to handle it? LS: I've sat down with management and we talked it through. I said what I had to say about everything. They did the same. We didn't agree on everything, but it was the best thing that could've happened. Morris O'Kelly is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com Tell us what you think about this interview. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
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