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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 14, 2014 16:59:49 GMT -6
 1992/93 Media Conference Day(Media of the press have all taken their seats and snapped many pictures of all the new looked Charlotte Hornets as the general manager has taken to the podium.)GM Nick Malone: Hello and welcome everyone to the 1992-93 media conference here in Charlotte, for the Charlotte Hornets. I would like to start off by thanking everyone in the media that has come today and will ask questions in the moments ahead on our team goals and agenda for the upcoming season. We have our entire roster and coaching staff and your truly available to answer any and all questions you may have in regards to our squad for this upcoming season. Manute Bol: سلام or Hello Charlotte! (The members of the media wave and greet the 7-7 Giant.)GM Nick Malone: Thank you Manute for your contribution in today's media session. Now, nobody likes a losing record of 36-46, one year after making the playoffs as the Pelicans from New Orleans. But we saw this as a very important year for our franchise. This last year was a year of instability as we tried to identify what worked and what didn't for our club and really our family. We went from Derek Harper to Danny Ferry. From Sam Bowie to Charles Oakley. And left a bulk of the scoring load in the hands of Joe Dumars for much of last season and Johnny Newman down the stretch run towards the end of the season that left us with alot of exposed holes and really allowing teams to have their way from time to time inside the paint and at the foul line. We've learned alot over the last year so that we can now focus on making an effort to build a team and more of a family that can defend, rebound and shoot. (Nick paused so the members of the media could write down some important quotes from the last few statement.) GM Nick Malone: Now I would like to thank both Johnny Newman and Joe Dumars for their contributions last year that helped us get to the spot We found ourselves in at the end of the year. We've had another very busy offseason. We've welcomed back some fresh faces in David Benoit and Manute Bol recently who were on our club last year who will have expanded roles this season and an attempt to compete for some very important minutes. Sorry for dealing you guys, it's just a business. (David Benoit just nodded his head and smiled to be back at the foundation that originally drafted him.)David Benoit: Not a problem Sir. We're both glad to be back here. (Nick Malone shook David's hand to offer some solidarity and to welcome them back into the Hornets family).GM Nick Malone: Much appreciated of your understanding David. Anyways, Our busy off-season started with the draft and taking 6-10 PF, Tom Gugliotta with the 8th pick in the draft, this past June. This pick is very close to my heart as I solely believe that his size and balanced touch around the basket can immediately impact the game at this level. I fully expect Charles Oakley also to show him the ropes to develop a mean streak and an attitude that when rebounding, you own the basketball and nobody is going to take it from you in a very fair way. Also doesn't hurt that I got to watch him a great deal play high school ball at our local rival High School at Walt Whitman in Huntington, NY and really develop a nice inside game and a monster that got more seasoning at NC State. He will be a focal point of our team this upcoming season. (Nick looks to his right and sees Danny Ferry and Bimbo Coles chilling next to one another to the right of the podium.)GM Nick Malone: When I look at Danny Ferry and Bimbo Coles, I see two very talented and young leaders. They both have recently purchased real estate here in the greater Charlotte area with the intent on staying in Charlotte here on the long term on both very reasonable contracts. Coles has seen this franchise change over a lot but since the day he was drafted, we saw alot in Bimbo that could really develop here at the next level when given the opportunity. He presents a strong defensive minded presence and can find a lot of shooters to strike it from long distance too at just the right spot to be leading the charge for this Hornets team for the next 3-4 years to come. Danny Ferry is also an excellent shooter and came very close to leading the league last year in 3Pt. %. Now that didn't stop us from adding to our squad this season from other such teams. (Nick's 3 acquisitions this offseason are all sitting together as Nick can't help but smile at the product these three can create together.)GM Nick Malone: Now, I wanna thank the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors for their cooperation for helping to make these deals to bring in Steve Kerr and Sean Elliot respectively. There can always be critiques from the rest of the league of the moves that are made but if it bolsters the group, then it is best for our club to develop the identity we will carve out and make the rest of the league pay. Steve's sharp shooting and Sean Elliot's versatility as a 3&D kind of guy can help our club alot and we look to make these weapons very useful for how we can deploy these three at critical stretches of the game. Now while we saw alot of good players on the Free agent market and saw guys like Chris Dudley, Ledell Eackles and Derrick McKey walk, we were happy to sign Kevin Edwards to a long term contract. I saw how much of a game changer Kevin could be with the minutes he got with the Sacramento Kings last season and can be a nice change of pace when he had to deal with the likes of Michael Jordan or Kendall Gill or even Danny Ainge. (After addressing his team, Nick is glad to have them all aboard and is about to open up the floor for the many questions ahead that he's sure to face and scrutiny of the change in direction for his ball club as he takes a sip of water.)GM Nick Malone: It took a lot for me to learn first hand how this game works. I'll be the first one to admit that there were faults along the way and maybe gave up more than we should have to acquire some of these talents that are sitting before you today but these wouldn't wouldn't have been made if we didn't think it couldn't help us contend and be a playoff team for the many years to come. I think this team will fight and fight hard every night they take to the court. Do I expect them to win an NBA title? As we've seen down south, in Atlanta last year that they will always be a formidable club as long as Magic Johnson is there and also, there are alot of good young teams like Philly and Orlando looking to contend and I'm sure with the moves the Cavs, Boston, and Detroit made, they will all be tough teams to play against this upcoming season. I think this team may have enough to contend but if we don't get to the post season this season, we can always look at the roster we have and ask ourselves if there is a move that can be made to bolster our club. There always is. (Nick looks at the sea of reporters ready to ask questions.)GM Nick Malone: The floor is now open to ask the questions you want for our team and any player is open for questioning as well. |
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Post by IamQuailman on Jan 14, 2014 17:11:17 GMT -6
Hi there, Bill Maukee from Milwaukee Tribune. Where do you envision yourself in the Eastern Conference? Do you feel your team has enough in them to make a playoff run, or is this a year where you are planning on getting a good feel for who belongs in the future of this franchise and who will need to be moved along?
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 14, 2014 17:26:41 GMT -6
Hi there, Bill Maukee from Milwaukee Tribune. Where do you envision yourself in the Eastern Conference? Do you feel your team has enough in them to make a playoff run, or is this a year where you are planning on getting a good feel for who belongs in the future of this franchise and who will need to be moved along? : Great question, Bill. As I've stated in the past, if there is a move to make to improve this club, I wont hesitate to make it. I think that, realistically, in order to win our division, it would have to take a dramatic injury to Magic Johnson or Patrick Ewing to burrow through this division this year. I expect this team to contend for a 7th or 8th seed in the East this season but I won't fret if we don't make it. I don't think we will be a top 5 lottery team though either. I see next season's free agency class with the lessons I've learned this offseason to be a major building block to help our club also in the future. |
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Post by IamQuailman on Jan 14, 2014 17:30:35 GMT -6
Hi there, Bill Maukee from Milwaukee Tribune. Where do you envision yourself in the Eastern Conference? Do you feel your team has enough in them to make a playoff run, or is this a year where you are planning on getting a good feel for who belongs in the future of this franchise and who will need to be moved along? : Great question, Bill. As I've stated in the past, if there is a move to make to improve this club, I wont hesitate to make it. I think that, realistically, in order to win our division, it would have to take a dramatic injury to Magic Johnson or Patrick Ewing to burrow through this division this year. I expect this team to contend for a 7th or 8th seed in the East this season but I won't fret if we don't make it. I don't think we will be a top 5 lottery team though either. I see next season's free agency class with the lessons I've learned this offseason to be a major building block to help our club also in the future. Just to follow-up on that point, it is apparent that you prefer veterans to rookies, as the Hornets draft picks now sit with other teams. What is your contingency plan if building through the free agency does not work out as expected? |
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Post by PaulyP on Jan 14, 2014 17:33:24 GMT -6
Jon Snow from Westeros Sports Network. You are a very trade happy GM, please tell the fans of your franchise why they should buy merchandise of your players when you have shown you will trade anyone at anytime? How can the fans get behind a team that turns itself over every few months, bringing in 2-3 new players every so often
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 14, 2014 17:40:58 GMT -6
GM Nick Malone: Great question, Bill. As I've stated in the past, if there is a move to make to improve this club, I wont hesitate to make it. I think that, realistically, in order to win our division, it would have to take a dramatic injury to Magic Johnson or Patrick Ewing to burrow through this division this year. I expect this team to contend for a 7th or 8th seed in the East this season but I won't fret if we don't make it. I don't think we will be a top 5 lottery team though either. I see next season's free agency class with the lessons I've learned this offseason to be a major building block to help our club also in the future. Just to follow-up on that point, it is apparent that you prefer veterans to rookies, as the Hornets draft picks now sit with other teams. What is your contingency plan if building through the free agency does not work out as expected? : I prefer young vets to rookies. I want players that can perform and impact the game right away as it may take a rookie a season or two to really develop his game and identify who he is. Steve Kerr, can drill a 3 from any point in the Charlotte Coliseum. Sean Elliot can defend any wing better than most as can Kevin Edwards for his position. If we can isolate and find the players strengths and make them concentrate on those skills specifically, I like our chances. If plans fall through as they do sometimes, there can always be Plan B and C. Maybe trading back into the draft. We didn't have a 1993 first when we entered into this offseason and now we do with the Lakers pick. There can always be a way to make a move happen. and like I said, we are always exploring proper channels and trade blocks to see what can improve our club. |
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 14, 2014 17:47:26 GMT -6
Jon Snow from Westeros Sports Network. You are a very trade happy GM, please tell the fans of your franchise why they should buy merchandise of your players when you have shown you will trade anyone at anytime? How can the fans get behind a team that turns itself over every few months, bringing in 2-3 new players every so often GM Nick Malone: Thank you for the question Jon. We've tried to mix and match what would work best from when I took over the franchise from the Pelicans and now to the Hornets. The Pelicans roster while good was destined to be a first round playoff exit and a failure. With the Hornets, we thought originally we had a team that could contend but those pieces in place became too reliant on one or two players and never fully had a TEAM mentality in place even with Joe Dumars and Johnny Newman aboard. Now, we feel like we do. We have a young core team that can compete and contend and also we feel like we have cornerstones that are here to stay with Tom Gugliotta and also Bimbo Coles and Sean Elliot. We don't intend to trade them anytime soon but if there's a move to be made that can improve our club, we are rebuilding with an eye for competing also. It's a difficult market to navigate through. But these are the guys we expect to compete and make an impact on the court and our community right away. You should come out to our team BBQ next weekend, the rack of ribs is to die for and can put on some extra pounds on even the likes of Patrick Ewing or Stacey Augmon. |
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 14, 2014 18:47:17 GMT -6
Hi, Jason Jones here from SacTown.
What is the strength of your team? Is it offense, defense or some other aspect of the game such as rebounding to counter the star power that is growing in the Central Division?
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 14, 2014 19:20:44 GMT -6
Hi, Jason Jones here from SacTown. What is the strength of your team? Is it offense, defense or some other aspect of the game such as rebounding to counter the star power that is growing in the Central Division? : Thank you Jason for your quick and helpful question. We feel like this team can excel at all areas of the game as you mentioned. On offense, we feel like we will have a really strong grasp around the perimeter with Ferry and Kerr this season. Defense we hope to address that with Elliot and Edwards and also Bimbo Coles registered a steal or 2 a game last year and rebounding I think where this team will really shine. Gugliotta was a big time + rebounder in College and playing with guys like Manute and Charles Oakley, crafty/cagey veterans will help give us the advantage when it comes to getting a few more boards and possessions than the other team next season. So we may not have one individual key strength but we can excel at all three next season and I think thats the most fun that I can think of when pairing this team together. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2014 19:28:21 GMT -6
Jack Philson here from the L.A. Times. When you first came into the league you took over a team that was on a playoff run. You were openly disrespectful to a lot of other GMs in the league and said you weren't impressed. Since then it seems you've put your finger print on the team with less than optimal results. Can you talk about if the league has humbled you and forced you to gain more respect for your peers or if you're still as bold as ever? Would you say you're a better Gm now than you were a season ago?
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 14, 2014 19:46:15 GMT -6
Jack Philson here from the L.A. Times. When you first came into the league you took over a team that was on a playoff run. You were openly disrespectful to a lot of other GMs in the league and said you weren't impressed. Since then it seems you've put your finger print on the team with less than optimal results. Can you talk about if the league has humbled you and forced you to gain more respect for your peers or if you're still as bold as ever? Would you say you're a better Gm now than you were a season ago? : Thanks Jack for the question. I did make a very brash statement because I believed in my team. I believed at the time with Nick Anderson and Derek Harper and alot of older vets that this could be a great team. After getting demolished in 5 games, I realized the flaws and it needed to be torn down. I called out other GM's and teams because, I was and still am that if you're gonna make yourself known, you gotta be able to produce results. So I take full blame and responsibility for that. The team didn't perform to what I expected them to do so last season even and I saw another weakness in the design and I think with the moves we made, it'll put us in a better position this season that last. I always want to improve from one season to the next and make that and the fan base proud of the Hornets they see. It humbled me especially in Free Agency. This being my first go around, I acknowledged there were some faults in not getting the targets we had put offers on the table for here. Were my bids low? Yep, but I wasn't going to sell away my future when the class next season could be even greater. Bottom line is that this city and these fans deserve a great team. I strive to make that happen every day and look for the best possibility to do so and I look at other GM's and teams like the Sacramento Kings and the LA Lakers and even the Orlando Magic and Philly 76'ers among others as teams I greately respect and admire how they put their team together. It takes time and I am doing my best to make things right and I fully accept the humbling that happened. |
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Post by DarthVegito on Jan 14, 2014 22:41:31 GMT -6
Steve Kerr(Guard from your team) - Should I put my house up for sale yet or do I have a few more months?
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Post by 78 on Jan 14, 2014 22:51:02 GMT -6
Charlotte is a small market with a terrible economy with an owner who appears to be greedy and not too concerned with winning? Should the fans really believe this team can stay competitive long-term?
How exciting is it to draft Tom "Googs" Gugliotta from nearby N.C. State and will he get the starting nod over the veteran Charles Oakley?
You seem to have alot of solid pieces on your roster. Do you feel this is a playoff caliber team?
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 14, 2014 23:23:44 GMT -6
Steve Kerr(Guard from your team) - Should I put my house up for sale yet or do I have a few more months? GM Nick Malone: Of course you don't Steve, if you wanna stay long term you can of course and I'd love to renegotiate to make you apart of this franchise for many years to come but we value your skill and paid a heavy price to get you. You're going to be our starting 2 guard this year buddy. |
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 14, 2014 23:29:01 GMT -6
Charlotte is a small market with a terrible economy with an owner who appears to be greedy and not too concerned with winning? Should the fans really believe this team can stay competitive long-term? How exciting is it to draft Tom "Googs" Gugliotta from nearby N.C. State and will he get the starting nod over the veteran Charles Oakley? You seem to have alot of solid pieces on your roster. Do you feel this is a playoff caliber team? GM Nick Malone: Thanks for the question. I appreciate your interest in the roster I've assembled. Googs will most likely get the starting nod over Oakley but all of that is dependent on staying injury free of course and how fast he can pick up the NBA game. I expect him to log a lot of minutes for us this year. The fans can expect a winner on the court and in the community. These are a great group of guys that I feel can contribute at a high level and have a great chance to learn and play the game together as a unit that won't be moved unless the right deal presents itself. I expect this team to fight hard for a bottom seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race this year or give whoever holds my pick a low end lottery pick. I think this team has a tremendous chance for fighting hard for the middle of the tough Central Division. |
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Post by Conroy on Jan 15, 2014 10:00:19 GMT -6
Sports Guy Bill Simmons here, what's going to be your main focus heading into TC. With not a single player over 30 on your roster you stand to have a decent shot at improving individual players.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2014 10:40:57 GMT -6
[[Steve Kerr hears the GM and sit in the back room reassuring himself that he's finally here to stay. Matute Bol walks but and see's Steve Rocking himself Back and forth repeating the same sentence]]Steve Kerr: I'm here to stay... i'm here to stay.. Manute Bol: Yo man, is everything alright? Steve Kerr: I'm here to stay... i'm here to stay.. Manute Bol: Calm down man it's not that bad. You won't be here that long... No one is man. Steve Kerr: But he just said he wants me, he liked me. Manute Bol: Man, this guy treats you like Pogs man. Look man, he gave me a set when he traded for me the second time.  Manute Bol: Here's the thing, he may be a financial genius. Word on the street is he owns all of the highend rental properties in Charlotte. Know that moving package he gives you which recommends? That's his property. So he trades for you then gets you to rent from him and he wins. Now if you mention the word house, you may as well start packing a bag because he knows his little coup is over with and you'll be sent to Milwaukee in a New York second. [[Steve starts to flip out]]Steve Kerr: Fuck, not again. NOT AGAIN. Mantute Bol: Whoah man calm down what's wrong? Steve Kerr: I JUST asked if i could keep my house in a press conference. I'm done. I'm fucking done. Manute Bol: Relax man, he can't trade you for like 53 days but hey maybe we'll get packaged together. You know the sick shit? He's got a photo of all of us with a countdown calendar for the days until he can trade us. And I think he's racist. I tell him I'm from Africa and he gets someone to announce me in Aribic. Steve Kerr: How are you ok with all of this? I thought I had a high school kid for a GM before, but this is some next level shit. Manute Bol: You'll get to the last stage of grief: Acceptance sooner or later man. Steve Kerr: Sooner or later...
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 15, 2014 11:14:42 GMT -6
GM Nick Malone: Now now Manute. I gave you those pots as a special momento from my own personal home as something you can give back to the proud people of your great country. It was an aspiration tool to help you be the monster I know you can be down in the paint. Besides, we don't need to air past grievances do we? I want you to be a successful NBA player like Steve is and not be passed around from team to team. We are a family.
(Nick pulls Steve off to the side, away from Manute as Manute looks back down at his pogs to contemplate life.)
GM Nick Malone: Steve, don't pay him any of mind, he's just still disheartened after I shipped him off to Cleveland for Joe Dumars last year and he came back and it got us Tom Gugliotta. If you were a GM, you'd make that deal right? You don't have anything to worry about. There's some great homes here in the greater Charlotte area that I really think would be a great investment to look into because we want to make a great investment to you. I wanna sign you so your not just a rental like some of the other players were in the past. Yeah, I've made some mistakes but who hasn't. I want to make you a permanent fixture to the Charlotte Hornets family if you give me a chance.
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 15, 2014 11:18:55 GMT -6
Sports Guy Bill Simmons here, what's going to be your main focus heading into TC. With not a single player over 30 on your roster you stand to have a decent shot at improving individual players. GM Nick Malone: Great question Bill. You're pretty young compared to some of the other media members here. I've always been of the beliefs that you get better production out of young, proven, vets. Granted, over 30 brings you a lot of sage wisdom and leadership qualities but I solely believe that the quality of players we have here from Bimbo to Kerr to Elliot and Gugs will carve a nice legacy for this Hornets squad but that doesn't mean we won't look for options to improve our club. I'll say it as plainly as I can, new shit is better than old shit. |
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Post by IamQuailman on Jan 15, 2014 13:12:53 GMT -6
BREAKING NEWS:
Only minutes after GM Nick Malone says Charles Oakley will be showing Gugliotta the ropes of playing as a big in the NBA, Charles Oakley has been traded to the Raptors. What are your thoughts behind this? Have you now committed to Gugliotta learning trial by fire?
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 15, 2014 13:22:48 GMT -6
BREAKING NEWS: Only minutes after GM Nick Malone says Charles Oakley will be showing Gugliotta the ropes of playing as a big in the NBA, Charles Oakley has been traded to the Raptors. What are your thoughts behind this? Have you now committed to Gugliotta learning trial by fire? GM Nick Malone: It's no secret that I had been actively shopping Oakley now for a little while which is part of the reason why I didn't really mention him a lot as being part of our future like our new 2guard addition Vernon Maxwell will be. Vernon is excited about coming to Charlotte To play with Steve Kerr, Elliot and Edwards and Ferry among others. I'm fairly confident that Gugs can pick this game up from the start and yes, it'll be a trail by fire but I have full intentions on making Gugliotta a Rookie of the Year candidate with the way he can come in and right away be a focal point of our offense. |
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Post by WigNosy on Jan 15, 2014 13:56:43 GMT -6
The Manute Bol experiment was an abject failure in Los Angeles, a previous stint in Charlotte, and Cleveland. What makes you think he'll be successful this time around with the Hornets?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2014 13:58:33 GMT -6
[[Manute walks by Steve Kerr again.]]
Manute Bol: Like I told you mention the word house, and he trades to get a new SG.
Steve Kerr: I'm sorry for not believing you.
Manute Bol: Apologize to Vernon when he gets here. You're going to have to show him the ropes. You're one of the longest tendered Hornets these days.
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 15, 2014 14:50:19 GMT -6
The Manute Bol experiment was an abject failure in Los Angeles, a previous stint in Charlotte, and Cleveland. What makes you think he'll be successful this time around with the Hornets? : We know Manute's strength is really his blocking ability and because of his size, his pension to grab rebounds. That's it. Now that may come off harsh and we may lack alot in the paint this season but after striking out in Free Agency, we really wanted to grab Elden Campbell but he respectfully turned down our offer and signed elsewhere. That's fine with me, Our only option going into this season with losing Dudley to Detroit was right at Bill Wennington. He's a perfectly fine player and can be an extra body for us but I wouldn't call him a go-to option. So Cleveland presented us with a favorable offer that didn't cost us much other than a draft pick that we expect to be in the High 20's in next years draft and we took the opportunity to take back Bol. He will be of help for us defending the paint but we will look for other options either in next years draft or in the impending free agency for our answer down in the paint to pair next to Gugliotta. We aren't in any rush though till I see how this team plays together as a unit. |
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Post by Nick Malone 77 on Jan 15, 2014 14:54:06 GMT -6
(Nick looks sternly back at Steve Kerr as he looks worried about his future off to the side and looking out the window.)
GM Nick Malone: Look, I wouldn't have traded Johnny Newman and all my second rounders for you if there wasn't a plan in place to make you a focal point of this team. we saw how badly you were being misused in Golden State and figured we could bring you in, set you straight, and make you a lights out shooter. Now, if you have your concerns about playing with Vernon, talk it over with him but I expect you, Mad Max, & Kevin to all go about this professionally and to play as a super group that I know you all can play at. You will be apart of our future Steve and you're gonna have to trust me. That's all I can say.
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credit loco for photoshop
