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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 Michael
Wright: "I don't regret having left college
early"
You played last season in a top team in Poland [Slask] and you are now in a better league, but also in a worse team [Granada]. Do you think this is a step forward in your career? Michael Wright: Yeah, I think it's a good situation. I mean, Slask was a very good team and they were in the Euroleague. I think I could have helped them this year. But the league in Spain is like the second best competition towards NBA, so that's why I picked to play in Spain. When did you decide that your best option was to play overseas? MW: After training camp. You know, a lot of people wasn't getting signed as free agent in the NBA so I didn't want to sit and wait and I just came over here to Spain. Was there ever any chance of signing a contract with an NBA team this summer? MW: Well, if I don't have any, I'm gonna try it again. If I don't make it, I'm just going to come back to Europe. I'm going to try harder, work on all my weaknesses and just try harder to get back into the NBA. What is the main factor that is keeping you out of the league? Lack of size? MW: Yes. There a lot of things about my size. Average size pro power forwards are about 6-9 and I'm 6-7 1/2. I guess I'm a small forward in a power forward's body. I mean, there's a lot of little things... You know, I'm going to hang in back there, but there are a lot of things I have to work on towards being back there. Looking back, do you now regret having left college early? MW: I don't regret it at all, because [height] has always been a factor. Everybody has always questioned my height. Some people said that I was like 6-6 or 6-5, when I'm 6-7 1/2. I think deciding on what could have happened... But you know, this is draft. Lute Olson was inducted to the Hall of Fame Friday. What are your memories of the coach? MW: He's a great coach. If someone like I had a kid, my first option would just be just taking him to Arizona, because Lute Olson is a great guy. I mean, he teaches you... He's been around basketball for a long time. He's really knowledgeable. That's all I can say. He's a great guy, he's a great teacher, great attitude. You know, he makes people want to work, work on their game and things like that. And what about Kevin Garnett? What was like playing with him in high school? MW: It was great, too. He was a great person with a great attitude... He was a hard worker and I'm not surprised how high he went on his draft. He was a very hard worker, he had a great work attitude. I'd be watching him in the gym when I was a freshman and he was running stairs and stuff like that and I was like, if I work hard just like him I'm going to go somewhere and get paid for it [Laughs]. Many people say that team in Farragut Academy was one of the best high school teams ever. Was it really that good? MW: It was that good! I mean, just being around with a star like Kevin Garnett... It made our team and us, all the guys around, stars too, which is phenomenal. He was a good guy and we had a good supporting cast with him. Do you stay in touch with him? MW: The last time I talked to him I think it was last year. I mean, you know, he's busy. He keeps changing his phone number. You know, he's got several phone numbers and changes them every week... And with your teammates in Arizona -- Richard Jefferson, Loren Woods...? MW: I talked to them this summer. We all played in the Boston Pro League and everybody is cool. We just talked about the seasons that we had together. When we were in the championship and we played against Duke the last night, we were just saying that would be our last game and we had to play together. That was a great team, too. Do you hope to join them in the league soon? MW: Yeah, I hope to. Like I said, I'm going to keep on trying hard. But if I don't make it, I'm going to come here [Europe] and play. Jorge Sierra is the editor of HoopsHype.com Tell us what you think about this interview. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
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