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If it was true that I just cared about the money, then my whole attitude would be different. I want to win every game, and I want to go out a winner.
Personally, it doesn't matter to me if I had the worst career stats in N.B.A. history as long as I got my 'ships. The 'ships, it shuts everything up.
I was never one to feed into what the media was saying about us, especially out there in Portland because I was so in-touch with the people everyday.
I keep going back to Flint for one reason: the people. They still have hope. They just need to know that there are other people who still care about them.
As long as the people in Flint need our help, we're going to be here. And our hands-on impact is needed to uplift the morale and bring people's spirits up.
What I tell a lot of the younger guys is, 'My speed isn't the same, my agility isn't the same, but yet I still can talk.' That's an extra defender out there.
There's a lot of bad habits a lot of guys have now in the NBA and in college, so there's only one way to get them started right and that's to go back to the roots.
I just go out there and 'D' up. Everybody can make a layup, but everybody can't play 'D.' Just winning, that's all that matters, that's the bottom line. Get a win.
It doesn't have to take a Portland Trail Blazer or a professional basketball player to do good things in the community. You can work at a bank or work at a 7-Eleven.
If you've got one guy you know is going to get that ball in crunch time, it's easier to defend him. But if you have five guys who can get that ball in crunch time, it's harder.
When I got interested in football, nobody was cheering for Kansas City. Kansas City was trash. I said, 'That's my team.' Then what happens? We get Joe Montana and Marcus Allen.
I am a confident person. I can make predictions or whatever, that is just my confidence level. If I got out there and do that, fine. If not, ain't no tears coming out of my eyes.
There's two facets of this game. You know, if I'm not making shots, OK, then I have to do something on defense. So if I'm missing shots or making shots, it doesn't affect my overall game.
Hey, people have their own opinions. But when I'm on the floor and I don't see somebody giving their all - I'm going to demand an effort. I'm out there to win games, and that's the bottom line.
Not saying that guys in the NBA don't play for heart, but once you get that money, you're under a different mindset. But when you're trying to get there and get on this level, you're more hungry.
Look, I'm not a water expert. I'm not a scientist. But I've been to Flint. I've seen what's happening. We have a third-world situation still going on in the United States of America. That's the truth.
I'm not the type of player to let the 3s get me down: 'Oh, I'm missing a couple of 3s. I don't want to do this no more.' No, I'm out there playing basketball, and I'm not going to let that get me down.
That's how you get better on defense; not just 'oh, man, my guy beat me,' but you have to think about, 'okay, my man beat me, so I either have to pick up the next man, or I'm going to give somebody a foul.
Actually I think it's better for me to come off the bench, because for them first couple of minutes when that first five is in there, you can see the little things and what you need to do when you get in there.
Every kid likes to be read to, or just even have an adult play with them, no matter if it's little girls with a tea party or boys playing in the dirt, it's all part of being a kid. It's something we all went through.
When I was playing, I had that passion and fire, cussing everybody out, but I had the opportunity to change that being out on the floor. But now that I'm coach, I can still have my passion, but I just have to tone it down.
Everyone in their career is going to go through a slump, but the thing is how you react to it. You're either going to talk about it or you're going to try to shoot your way out of it and I'm going to try to shoot my way out of it.
I love Air Force Ones. That's the shoe I grew up with in Philadelphia. My older brothers got me wearing them and I just stuck with them. Everyone in the neighborhood used to wear them. It's retro. It's tradition. That's me, old school.
I'm not sure how I became that way. But I've always been that way. Every team has to have at least one emotional player on the squad, or it wouldn't feel like a real squad. That lifts the squad up whenever it's down. That's what I try to do.
I came up with my natural logo and ya know, just dealing with Nike I was like can y'all put my logo on the shoes and, you know. At that time I think other guys had logos or specific names on the shoe. So they was like yeah - let's rock and roll.
To me it seemed in college ball, guys are more hungry. It's for a different circumstance when you're talking about playing for money and playing for heart. Not saying that guys in the NBA don't play for heart, but once you get that money, you're under a different mindset.
I wouldn't say it's to the point where I hate him or nothing like that because he's not with my mom or he wasn't there when I was growing up. He's my father whether I like it or not - he helped give me life. So I still love him and everything. Sometimes I wished he was with me, and other times I didn't.
When the ball don't lie, you can look at it as, OK, if I put that hard work in with shooting, what's going to happen? The ball is going to go in more. If I'm doing a lot of hard work, in the gym, in the weight room, I'm putting that hard work in - then throughout your career, that ball is not going to lie.
I already accepted that I can't jump no more. I'm not as fast as I used to be. I accepted that already. That's where you become more smart, make that first step or two before that quick player can get there. I gotta make this jump shot, so I'll give a pump fake because I know that he can jump higher than me.
The advantage of not starting is you're sitting back, looking at the game and saying, 'OK, we need rebounding,' or 'We need hustle points.' Coming off the bench, that's what you try to do. The disadvantage of it is you gotta catch that flow. You're coming off the bench, you gotta come ready, warmed up already, catch the flow of the game.
Two of my bread and butters are my ankle and knee. That's why I always wore high-tops. I had to protect my ankles no matter if I taped my ankles or wore ankle braces. I gotta protect my ankles. Gotta protect the money maker. That's why I've always rocked the Air Force 1s. Of course, I put in orthotics in there 'cause these joints is flat.