2006 Draft Night Quotes
First Round Draft Pick J.J. Redick
Did you think all along that you would land here?
I have had a feeling for about a week that I was going to end up in Orlando, but I didn’t know anything for sure until this afternoon that if I was there I was going to be their guy.”
Can you finally put it to rest what is wrong with your back?
“I have tried to put it to rest two or three times now, but some of the media continue to speculate about things. I had a herniated disk, past tense, and I received a cortisone shot almost three weeks ago and have been pain free now for two weeks. I am asymptomatic and as long as my rehab program continues to progress the way it is, I should be back on the court next week working out.”
Asymptomatic meaning what?
“Asymptomatic meaning I have no symptoms.That is the one the doctor used.”
Could this thing flare up again?
“Well that is assuming it doesn’t heal, but the rehab program I am on is designed to (prevent that). Obviously if there is a risk of a future injury then we will have to re-evaluate it.”
When did you hurt your back?
“I hurt it the week before the pre-draft camp.”
Do you think you fit a need for the Magic?
“I definitely do. I talked with the Orlando personnel – Otis Smith and Dave Twardzik and Brian Hill about it, and we talked about what a great fit I would be there, especially with Jameer Nelson at point guard and Dwight Howard down low. I feel like the Magic needed a shooter – Coach Hill expressed the need for a shooter, and I feel like they got their guy.”
Did you think you were going to go to any teams before the Magic?
“No, I had a sense that Seattle was a slight chance, but my agent hadn’t really been in contact with Seattle a lot. We had mainly focused on Orlando because we thought that was going to be the best fit for me.”
Do you still feel like you have something to prove?
“I always have something to prove. I got booed relentlessly tonight at the draft and it’s not even a sporting event. To be honest with you, I loved every minute of it. I had a smile on my face. That is things that I use as motivation – all the negative criticism that I have received over the last few weeks. Obviously part of it I brought on myself, but the back thing, all the wild speculation that I was out for eight months, six months, all that stuff, is completely unfounded.”
Are you glad you are out of the ACC?
“I am going to miss Duke. I am going to miss the people that I became close with there. But I am definitely ready to move on to the next part of my life and progress as a professional athlete now.”
Have you spoken with Grant Hill recently about the team or the town?
“Actually I haven’t been in contact with Grant since the end of April. The last time I talked to him was when I was choosing an agent, and I kind of got his advice about that. He and I have had many great conversations over the past four years and he has always been great about dishing out any advice, so having him as a resource as I make my transition is going to be very very important.”
What things do you want to improve upon in your game at the next level?
“I think I want to improve my ball handling and my strength. I feel like I can score the ball, and I feel like defense, for me, is just a matter of competitive will and I did that, especially my last two years at Duke. I think my ball handling and my strength, if I can improve those two things, it will help me out at both ends of the court.”
Do you think it will be hard for you to adjust to the NBA three-point line?
“No, I really don’t. To be honest with you, I think a lot of my three’s that I shot at the college level, and made at the college level, were from NBA range and sometimes a little further out. I feel like in workouts I shot it well from NBA range. It is a different shot – it is definitely much farther out, but with a lot of repetitions I think I will be able to make that adjustment.”
When do you expect to play again?
“I hope to play in summer league. It is a matter of whether I feel like I am healthy enough and I’m in shape. I plan on resuming working out basketball-wise and conditioning-wise next week.”
Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith“This is the guy we started out targeting for this team, for a long time. The reason is, he’s one of the best shooters we’ve seen in the draft for a long time. I think he’ll be able to take the pressure off Jameer and relieve some inside pressure for Dwight and the double-teams he’s going to see for the rest of his career. It’s a wonderful pick-up for us.”
On if J.J. will start for the Magic: “We don’t think we’re going to throw him into the starting lineup. Last I checked we don’t have any starters – well maybe Dwight. It’s still early, we have a long way to go before we get there. What we do have is somebody to come in and spread the defense, somebody who can shoot the basketball. So whether we’re starting him or bringing him off the bench, the coach will come in and talk to you about that. I don’t think he’s a starter for us right now.”
On J.J.’s back issues: “There was some concern but we had our doctors look at him prior to the draft. We grilled our doctors again prior to making the pick at 11 and he assured us that his back wasn’t going to be a problem. It may cause him to have some discomfort from time to time. But as his body matures so will this area in his back and he’s responded very well to the treatment that was given to him a few weeks ago, so that’s a very good sign for us.”
“I was assured that his back wasn’t an issue for him, so I feel comfortable at taking him at 11. Looking at this draft, there is less than five percent of them that are 100 percent healthy. So every guy you’re going to get is going to have something that you may be somewhat concerned about. But nothing that is going to stop you from taking the player.”
On the DWI being an isolated incident: “We did background on that. After sitting down with him, as a person, last week it wasn’t anything that we were going to get hung-up on. He assured us, coach K assured us, and the background check we did on him came back the same.”
On if he thought someone could’ve slipped to them in the draft: “He did (Redick). He got to us at 11. He was the guy. I don’t know that there was anyone on the board when we picked at 11 that we would’ve taken ahead of J.J. You can say there was a possibility of Rudy Gay getting down there at 11, and that would’ve been another discussion with our coaching staff.”
On if he knew what the teams above him were doing: “We got a little nervous at nine and 10. We knew what was going to happen early on, but nine and 10 – we got a little nervous.”
On if he’s surprised with all the trades in the top 10 picks: “Not really. No one really knew who they were going to take in the top 10 so it didn’t really surprise me that much. Probably what surprised me was how active Portland was.”
On if J.J. is cleared to play for summer league: “As far as I know he should be cleared to play in the summer league.”
On James Augustine: “He’s a rebounder, active. What I like about him is that he’s very coachable. Believe it or not, we were trying to move up in the second round to get him. So it’s very fortunate for us. We were trying to combine the two (picks 41 and 44). But I’m glad we stayed where we were and got the pick we wanted in Augustine. We’re excited about it. It was a slam-dunk draft for us. A successful draft.”
“Augustine to me is a good 15-minute player. He’s going to be a nice player. I love that (his athleticism). It’s what I like about him the most. He’s an agile big, and he’s not afraid to use his body. He’s one of those guys who’s active and will do what he has to do to get on the floor.”
On Mario Kasun: “We’ve tendered an offer to him to retain his rights. Do we expect him back? It would be a long-shot.”
On if the draft changes what they’re looking for in free agency: “I don’t think this changes anything. We still have to answer the question as it relates to DeShawn Stevenson and Trevor Ariza. Option one for us would be to retain DeShawn Stevenson. Option two would be somebody to fill in the hole there. They could be on our roster or we could get a free agent that would be serviceable. But I don’t think any of them would cost us in the ballpark of where DeShawn is.”
On J.J. being a defensive liability: “How much of a defensive liability is Adam Morrison? Or Brandon Roy? Someone said it adequately today when they said, ‘Any kid you take, I don’t care who they are, you’re going to have to teach them how to play NBA defense.’ And I don’t think J.J. Redick is any different. What he can do is shoot a basketball. No qualms about it. That’s his strength and that’s what he does. Is he a lockdown defender? There are probably five in this league that play that position. But what he can do is score the ball. What he is on the defensive end is a very smart basketball player who is able to use the floor to his advantage.”
On J.J.’s swagger: “I love it. I love it. You have to have a little swagger. He was probably the most hated kid in college basketball in the last three years. I like a tough kid more than a soft kid. I want somebody that’s going to be able to come out and compete every night, night in and night out – and you know you’re going to get it from him. He’s played in big games. He went to one of the best college basketball programs in the country. And he went there for four years. I don’t know how you can overlook that.”
On picking two college seniors: “What a coincidence. Not really. I think you need to take guys who are still growing and learning but are mature. I think it was a really good draft for us.”
On what else the team needs: “I still think you need to add a two somewhere. Another wing player wouldn’t hurt us.”
On Trevor Ariza: “I’m counting on Trevor, unless somebody hits me with a ridiculous offer. Which as you’ve seen anything can happen. I’d like to keep Trevor and DeShawn on, but you have to ask yourself at what dollar amount.”
On what his first draft in command was like: “I think I was pretty calm. I allowed the guys to discuss and do what they do best – evaluate talent. When I needed to pick a fight I did. And I thought Dave handled the draft room perfect and coach came in with input that was very good. My job was to facilitate and watch. And I did. I wasn’t overly concerned unless I got down to where all my guys were off the board and gone. If the three guys I had targeted were all gone, that was going to be my fear.”
On free agency: “I think you recruit starting Saturday. You don’t sit back and wait. I will sit down and talk with one or two guys, no question, before the weekend is over.”
Orlando Magic Head Coach Brian Hill
On if J.J. was the guy they wanted: “This was the pick. There’s a group of players you look at and think is going to be available at 11, and it doesn’t mean they’re all going to be there, they could go anywhere from seven to 14. But, J.J. was the guy at the top of that list. I’ve been in this league long enough to know that shooters like him are a rare commodity. And I think he’s going to add something to our team and be a great asset to us.”
What makes him different from Trajon Langdon: “I don’t think that Trajon was the same type of scorer that J.J. is. Trajon Langdon was more of a spot-up shooter. When he was open and had his feet set he could make shots. Redick can shoot the ball coming off screens, he can shoot it off the dribble, he can create space to get his shot off. I don’t think he’s going to have any trouble getting his shot off. He’s got a little bit more of a cocky mentality than Trajon had. He’s a little bit more of a competitor who plays with a chip on his shoulder. I just think he’s an all-around better basketball player.”
On if he liked him from the start: “I’ve always liked him. As much as Duke is on television, and as ESPN has said, this is a guy who had a bulls-eye on his back for definitely the last two years of his college career. Every team that they played geared their defense to stop him and yet he still was the player of the year and one of the leading scorers in the nation. He’s a very talented offensive player.”
On if this closes the door on DeShawn Stevenson coming back: “Oh no. Not at all. We definitely want DeShawn back. He was a key component to our team this year.”
On J.J. not working out for the Magic: “Workouts are just a piece. As a coach I’m always more concerned with a guys body of work over the past one, two, three, four years whatever it was in college. I think there’s more to be gained from what the guy did over his career than what he does in a 60 minute workout here playing two-on-two. What he accomplished in college is a much better barometer of what he can provide for our team.”
On if coming from Duke makes J.J. more NBA ready: “You can factor it in there and say he played in a great league for an outstanding coach that is a teacher that demands accountability day in and day out and demands a lot from his players. It’s more what the player’s skills are, but it’s certainly something you factor in.”
On what the deciding factor was in taking J.J.: “I think it’s the body of work. What did he accomplish and what level did he accomplish it at. And some of the variables to me are; how tough is he –mentally and physically and how much does he love the game. Those are the variables I want to know about players when I’m talking to their coaches. We can all evaluate a players skill set. We can’t evaluate what’s in here (pointing to heart) and what’s up here (pointing to head). Those are the intangibles that separate a lot of guys.”
On J.J.’s attitude and play: “If you watched him play in college you saw a lot of that. When he played on the road in front of hostile crowds you saw this guy make shots, and he just had that air about him – ‘I’m just going to keep doing this all night and there’s nothing you can do about it.’ I just think he’s a very gifted shooter and those guys don’t come around very often. There’s an old saying amongst us old coaches, ‘shooting overcomes a lot of other deficiencies.’”
On if J.J. can still get better: “All these guys can get better, and they usually do. He’ll have adjustments to make just like everybody else. He’ll probably have to get a little bit better physically and defensively. But we think he’s going to be a very good player.”
On J.J.’s trickle-down effect: “The NBA offense is about spacing. And he’s another guy that’s going to allow us to spread the floor as Dwight continues to develop in the low post and demand more and more defensive attention. This year it will be harder for teams to collapse their defense on Dwight with Jameer’s penetration ability, this gives him another guy he can kick the ball out to on the perimeter and spread the defense because he’s a three-point threat.”
On the trades in the top 10: “We don’t see that every year. Obviously some teams made moves to get up higher and pick. Memphis and Chicago in particular helped themselves. It’s not something we see year in and year out in the draft. A lot of teams try. It happens every year, the phone calls are made and all those teams are trying but it’s not something that is always accomplished.”
On the DeShawn and J.J. combination: “It gives us another threat there. Like I said, DeShawn was a very important piece to me. He drew the toughest defensive assignment night in and night out. We want to have the luxury of having both those guys out there.”
