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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 Eric
Williams: "Ainge was pretty much cleaning house"
Eric Williams: It was a little strange because we were in preparation of getting ready for a game. That was the first time that had ever happened. The two times I've been traded before were in the summer. So that was the initial part of it, because we were in the midst of a five-game winning streak, and it just so happens that we finally made it back to .500, and enough to be in first place. So we were in first place with a five-game winning streak. Then this happens. So it was a tremendous blow because we started from the bottom and had gotten to the point where the guys were committed, and we finally understood what it takes and had gotten back to the Eastern Conference finals. And the same nucleus was still there, and we still continued winning and growing. And then the deal took place. It was kind of sad in a sense. I felt like I lost a lot of my brothers. But at the same time I felt there was another tremendous opportunity for myself to come into a young establishment with great young players, and hopefully I can help mold them and get us back to where we need to be. There was some talk that the Boston coaching staff had lobbied against the trade. Did you hear any of that? EW: It was just so crazy because I was probably one of the last two out of the locker room after the shootaround, and they were in a room having a meeting. And from the expressions on their faces, automatically I knew it had to be of some significance. I automatically knew it was about myself because there was a lot of talk about that earlier in the year -- me being traded to Houston. Danny Ainge was just pretty much cleaning house. Once I saw the coaches filtering out of the locker room, I knew it was me. I knew my relationships with the coaches, and that's just pretty much it. I just have to take it. I'm a pro, man. I'm a professional athlete. I can pretty much play anywhere. And I just moved on from the situation and now I'm ready to play for the Cavaliers. Did you get a chance to talk to Jim O'Brien? EW: I talked to everybody. It was sort of emotional, man. You could tell we were so bottled up with emotions because he said it's almost like he's losing a son. I kind of felt the same thing because I had a nice relationship with O'Brien. It was a situation where our guys over there at the Celtics and the coaching staff had a great relationship, and we had a special one too. How do you think the trade will work out for both teams? EW: I can't speak for the Celtics, but for this team here, it will be a different aura as far as the locker room and leadership on the court. I'm just pretty much trying to get the guys into being more vocal and a little more selfless than selfish on the defensive end. From me playing against the Cavaliers the first two times this year, I think the guys pretty much went about watching their own men as far as not letting their own men score, instead of understanding the team concept and team defense that helps you win. So I'm gonna try to come in here and officiate some of that stuff. So how do you feel about being a veteran coming to a young team like the Cavs, where now you're in a rebuilding situation and now you're the elder statesman? EW: You've got to honor a situation like that. At the same time, we have enough talent here to win, like fast. So it's one of those things where I accept the role because eventually it was going to come about. I was going to play these years and eventually new players were going to come in younger than myself. So it's pretty much just my time right now and although it's in a rebuilding stage I accept the challenge because that's what I'm about is challenges and persevering through adversity. And that's pretty much been my whole career -- persevering. I've been playing for nine years now and you don't play for nine years without working hard. Is this a one year and out thing, do you think? EW: I hope not. Whenever you're in a trade and the emphasis was on certain players, and Paul Silas gave me one of the biggest compliments as far as me being a leader, and Jim Paxson, being a leader on and off the court and in the locker room, so I could be a great statesman for this team. And that's the type of role I'm going to fit in with this team because of age and how things are. But at the same time I'm going to go on the court and produce. You pride yourself on being a tough guy who does whatever it takes. EW: That's easy to do. That's just going out and playing basketball. It's one of those things where basketball is fun to me, no matter what the situation is. The game came late to me. I didn't really play until I was in 12th grade. So I pretty much understood it from a different light, just going out there and working hard. And I kept that same perspective all the way through. It was one of those things where each year I improved my game and now I'm pretty much inside-outside. I can post up with the best of them and get to the line, and score without the clock moving. I can hit the three, and for the most part I'm very vocal on the defensive end. And I help my teammates out anyway I can. And hopefully if they see me out there doing the things I do, it will rub off a lot on the other players. When you played against the Cavs last week, what did you think of them and what did you think they needed? EW: I just think they needed a team identity. Right now, LeBron is pretty much doing a lot of the things, and I think a lot of the other players have got to understand that. Team identity is a must. You have to have some type of team identity. And the best team identity to have is on the defensive end. You've got to have the other teams knowing that once you play this team, it's going to be a tough game on the defensive end. You establish it by hard work and understanding. And I think that's something that can be established really fast. It's not one of those things where you have to shoot 100 times more or work on your game, like offense. Defense is nothing but hard work and understanding helping each teammate out. You've played with Paul Pierce and against LeBron. How would you compare the two of them at this point? EW: When Paul first came into the league, his ballhandling as far as his left hand wasn't where LeBron is. This guy can pretty much do a little of everything. When I first seen him play, the first thing I said, is 'This guy is mature.' He's unselfish. He thinks team first. You never hear him say I. And that was the first compliments I ever gave to him without me telling him, because at the time I was against him. But now that we're teammates, it was one of the first things I admired about him was that he was a wise young man. And to be that age and understand the game, was fantastic. So that was one of the first thing that I noticed about his talent. How important do you see team chemistry in the whole grand scheme of winning? EW: That's very important. One thing about me playing for the Celtics was I got a chance to talk to some of the older guys from some of the championship teams. One in particular was Cedric Maxwell, who flew with us because he did radio. That's all he talked about. He always talked about how our team camaraderie was fantastic on and off the court. Like he used to say, we'd walk past the Lakers locker room and yell, 'You all are going to lose tonight.' But the team knew that was the way he was and they backed him up for it. And that's what it's all about, getting to understand each and every player individually on and off the court. That's the best thing you can get. And that's what we had in Boston. We had a great group of guys. Guys who were willing to listen. If I was gonna tell them some sort of criticism, they were able to listen to me. I wasn't one of those guys who would do it out loud. I was one of those guys who would do it one on one. I do it respectfully, because I know some of the young guys can get a little dissuaded when you do it in front of other players because the ego thing comes in. That's one thing I never had was an ego. Have you had a chance to talk to coach Silas yet and what he expects from you both on and off the court? EW: Pretty much the same thing that I did for the Celtics. As far as when we were in practice, some of the things I was saying to some of the young guys, as far as being off your man when the ball's on the opposite side of the court. Pretty much painting an illusion not hugging onto your man. Defend the goal and not your man. If you can defend the goal and the ball, then you're pretty much doing your job. If you're defending just your man, that's when you're out of whack. It's just one of those things where you have to understand the concept. I'm a really scientific type of guy. It's like three squares out there when we're playing defense. It's the paint, it's one sideline and then the other. So if the ball is on one wing, I'm on the second box. I'm never more than one box away from the ball. It's just a scientific game. That's all. What can the team and fans expect of Tony Battie and Kedrick Brown who also came over with you in the trade? EW: Pretty much the same thing since we were in the same system. Kedrick is very athletic and can get up and down the court. He can really jump out the gym. And Battie is one of those big guys who can really run the floor and hit the 15-footer, and understand the team defensive concept for a big man, as far as helping out power forwards and stepping up when guys drive to the basket. He can really step up instead of letting the offender come to him. He goes out and meets the offender, and normally that's when you don't get foul. Can this team win this year? EW: Definitely. They're not too far off right now. They've been in games. They are showing they can compete with the top teams, and LeBron has shown that he can run the team. And that's all you really need. Now you just need camaraderie and the team getting together. When I was with the Celtics this year, we had seven new guys. I said we need 20 games together, doing it in practice and on the court. Once we got to 20 games, that's where we went on our five-game winning streak. It's pretty much the same thing here. But again, the guys need to understand what we need to do on the defensive end, and that will pretty much cater to the offense. Bruce Meyer 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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