“The right guy at the right time after Athens and the World Championships, ... This is the type of guy we need. After 2004 we needed a wake up call and we got ours.”
“I admire the kid. Not for what he did, but how he's come back and he's worked and he's done things to improve himself. I look for a great year out of him.”
“I don't know if this is the right wording, but I felt betrayed. We're disappointed. Things happen, maybe it's a good thing. He's a very talented player. I always liked working with him and how he went about things on the basketball court. He's a top-12 player in the league, but we're in a situation where we have to move on.”
“Any time you deal a player, you would like him to go out of the conference. We're looking at the West, but if it's the East, that's how it's going to be. Whether we get a draft choice or a player, we're going to make sure it's the right deal. We've done enough to back Ronnie. We're in a position where we have to protect the franchise now.”
“I'm not going to say we're better, that's not going to happen when you lose a player like Ronnie. [But] as far as chemistry goes, we're a lot better. We're still deep. We have some emotional guys, but we'll be fine.”
“We would like to get a deal done. We're looking at every option. Teams continue to call us every day, but we're going to do what's right for the franchise and not just do a deal to do one. We want somebody who is going to fit in with this team.”
