Otis Smith
Otis Smith
clock closing dribble ended goal jerry scoring trying
Jerry Reynolds was trying to dribble the clock out because he didn't know Scott was closing in on the record. But then Reynolds ended up scoring the goal to give Scott the record.
basketball bothers bottom caliber capable expecting forward francis lead looking played playing seen stepping steve three trying whatever
I don't look at Steve as being any trouble. We're just trying to get Steve Francis back. As I told him, I haven't really seen Steve Francis in three weeks. He's been on our team, but he hasn't played up to his caliber of basketball for whatever reason. We're just trying to get to the bottom of that and get him back to playing basketball the way he's capable of playing. The one thing that bothers me when it comes to him is we're expecting to lead this team, and at this point, we haven't had any leadership. We're looking forward to that stepping up, too.
anyone attention coaches details dividends happen lose losing paid players seen
I've seen coaches lose players many times when things go badly. That didn't happen here. He wouldn't let anyone quit. And the attention to details he had when we were losing paid dividends when we started winning.
commit difficult dwight foul guy quarters teammates
Dwight has to commit to his teammates that he's going to be a better free-throw shooter. It's a little difficult when you go to a guy for 3 1/2 quarters and then, down the stretch, you can't because he's not making foul shots.
difference dwight greatness shot
Dwight could have a shot at greatness. That's kind of always been the difference in the two.
catch hurt six somebody stronger team three weeks
There's no need to panic, and this could actually make our team stronger in the long run. We have to look and see what's out there, but there's no need to get somebody who is going to take three to six weeks to catch up. We'll look at who's out there, but we're not going to do anything to hurt our team.
looking move opportunity steve
It doesn't have legs. We're not looking for an opportunity to move Steve Francis.
expect fully
I still fully expect him to be here on the 24th, but that's just the way I think. It's something that is going to go down to the 25th hour. We've still got time.
basketball change foot needed needs player shoot skilled
I think he needs a chance. He's a very skilled 7-foot basketball player that can shoot the ball from the elbow, top-of-the-key area, 15-17 foot range. I think he just needed a change to show what he can do.
means order playoffs stop talking understand
We have to stop talking about the playoffs. The playoffs is a means to an end, with the end being a championship. But you've got to get to the playoffs in order to get that far, so I do understand that part of it.
areas argue bodies coming consistent knock physical presence shots somebody whether
I still think we need a physical presence inside. We've got length, but not enough girth inside. We need some bodies there. You can argue whether or not we need another shooter, somebody who can knock down consistent shots coming off screens. Those are the areas of concern.
effort
I thought it was a good-faith effort on our part to show them they're part of our future. It's one thing to say it and another thing to show it.
talked team together
We've talked with them, but we've talked to a lot of teams. I still like the team that we've assembled, but we just haven't been able to see it together because of injuries. So we're having to look at some different things. You can't just be stagnant. Like they say, if you're not getting better, you're getting worse.
closed consider forward matter practice return
We now consider the matter closed and look forward to Steve's return to practice tomorrow.