[外電] Tim Floyd on O.J. Mayo

看板Timberwolves (明尼蘇達灰狼)作者wisdom8002 (Blood、Sweat、Tears。)時間17年前 (2008/06/08 23:33)推噓0(0推 0噓 1→)

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Tim Floyd on O.J. Mayo June 5, 2008 Mike Trudell Wolves Reporter USC men's hoops head coach Tim Floyd joined us to discuss NBA Draft prospect O.J. Mayo, who starred for Floyd in his only college season. Here's what Floyd had to say over the phone from Los Angeles: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MT: Thanks a lot for joining us coach Floyd. You've coached at the college and NBA levels for 20 years. What is O.J. Mayo's ceiling as an NBA player? Floyd: Well, I think O.J. will be an All-Star in that league. I couldn't tell you exactly when that will happen for him, but I do know that he learns very quickly. I think he has a lot of assets, a lot of attributes that separate him from other players that are coming out of college. One is his ability to create separation, to get his own shot. He's not only quick, but he's strong and that's a rare combination in a lot of players and he utilizes both of them very well. MT: It's clear that Mayo can score the basketball almost at will, but how would you gage his ability to make plays for teammates? Floyd: You know, I think he does that well. I think O.J. has always been the centerpiece of every team he has ever been on, and not that he wasn't here, but he learned to trust his teammates, to include them, to get guys involved. I thought he did a great job at that. Early in the season he had more turnovers than he would have liked, but he is so bright - you know, he had a 29 on the ACT - that he was able to, through mental discipline and preparation, practice, putting pressure on himself, correct that as the season moved forward. I think he does a great job of including his teammates. MT: How much did all of the buzz and pressure surrounding Mayo affect his freshman year? Was that affect diminished as the season went on, as he developed? Floyd: Really it was almost unprecedented, what he stepped into. Remember, guys like (Kevin) Garnett and Kobe (Bryant) and LeBron (James) never participated in college. Three days before his first college game (Mayo) was the feature story in USA Today, opening the college basketball season. Two days before his first game he shot a cover for Sports Illustrated. (That) rarely happens for guys who haven't played a minute of college ball. I think he handled it well, I just think there was an adjustment that all players go through and there will be an adjustment as well when he moves to the NBA level. Talent separates that adjustment and O.J. is, in my opinion, the most talented kid in this draft. MT: Towards that end, how would you compare his talents with those of Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose? Floyd: I have great respect for all these kids that are in the draft this year; we played against all of them. Rose and Beasley and (Kevin) Love ... Didn't see Eric Gordon but we played against Bayless ... All I know is I coached in (the NBA) for a few years, and we were the first team to go young in that league when I was with the Bulls. We had young players like Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, Elton Brand, Ron Artest and Jamal Crawford, Marcus Fizer who were stepping into the pro level for the first time and (some of whom) did not complete college. All I can do is measure (Mayo) against those players coming in, and I think he's more physically prepared to play his position, and his skill level is more prepared to play his position than those guys that we have. These young guys he's getting compared with, I think it gets down to what's your flavor and what's your team need. I believe Rose will be an All-Star, Beasley will be an All-Star and I'm certain our guy will be as well. MT: Mayo's been quoted on ESPN saying that basketball is his life. Have you been around a player that's as focused on being great? Floyd: I have not. A lot of guys talk it, but O.J. acted it out. The day he got here, he started waking our players up at 7 a.m. to go over and lift weights. After they finished he made sure everybody stayed and worked on their individual skills. They'd go to class after that ... In the evenings they'd go over to play against the pros over at UCLA. He had the same type of work ethic throughout our season. He always stayed late; he'd come over in the evenings and work on his shot. The kid truly does love basketball. MT: What areas of his game needs the most work going forward with his career? Floyd: Well, the things we talked about he got better on. Early in the season I told him I thought he needed to get fouled more, so late in the season he spent more time at the line, he tailored his game in order to get fouled more. It wasn't that he couldn't drive, like some other players can't; he settled a little bit at the beginning of the year for his jump shot, but he made that adjustment and proved he could get to the line. The other area was his turnovers early in the season, but as we mentioned earlier, he got that cleared up as well. MT: What can you say about his shooting stroke? Floyd: Well, I think O.J. possesses the ability to shoot the three off the catch and to create his own shot off of one dribble or two dribbles, but he can also post up. As a guy who can play the point and the two in that league, I think that's going to be a great asset. MT: Let's put basketball aside for a second. What kind of kid is O.J., in your experience in dealing with him as a person? Floyd: Well, he was unbelievable here. A lot of these guys when they finish their season and declare for the draft, they don't complete their academics. O.J. stayed and completed his academic work because he cared about his teammates next year. He didn't want us to lose a scholarship - he felt like it was the right thing to do. He's been outstanding as a young man from day one, he's loved by the people here at this University, he treated everybody with respect, we never had an incident off the court, and for all those reasons, I'm appreciative and grateful and I'm glad we had an opportunity to coach him. MT: Generally speaking, how much did opposing PAC-10 coaches compose game plans around Mayo? Floyd:Well, we saw it all year long. We saw double teams, we saw, you know, walls being built with offside help to keep him out of the lane, we saw full denials, we saw box-ones and triangle two's, he's a great talent. To average 20 points in the college game when your team is comprised of other good players is quite an accomplishment. People tend to forget that the NBA game is eight minuets longer and with the 24-second clock vs. the 35-second clock, there are that many more possessions and that much more ability for a guy like O.J. that can score, to score. I'm convinced he's going to score a lot of points in that league. MT: You faced Michael Beasley in the first round of the NCAA tournament. You said you feel like both players are extremely talented but it's just whether a team wants a low-post or perimeter player? Floyd: That's my take. I have a lot of respect for Michael Beasley's game. Who wouldn't? He can rebound, he can post, he can face, he can put it on the floor, he can pass. He has a tremendous amount of ability. It was a great made-for-TV matchup. I love our guy, I'm sure (Kansas State loves) their guy. But I'd like to go to war with our guy again next year, unfortunately we can't. MT: Can O.J. play both the one and the two in the pros? Floyd: I think that's the intrigue about O.J., is that he can play either. He can play both very, very well. In addition to that, he can defend both positions. MT: That was the next question ... He can defend both ones and twos in your mind? Floyd: I absolutely do. I've watched him defend great speed and quickness at the point; I've watched him defend small jets that can fly around at the point, I've watched him defend bigger twos. I just think ... What a lot of people viewed as a question mark coming in, ended up being a real strength for him as people had an opportunity to evaluate his game. MT: What should we know about Mayo that we don't already? Floyd: Well, he's a good person. He's been so scrutinized for so long - since he was a seventh-grader. I think often times he's been misrepresented and misportrayed by irresponsibility in the media. I think people really love him, he's respectable, he did the right thing when he was here and I think the Timberwolves would be fortunate to have him. http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/tim_floyd_on_oj_mayo_080605.html -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 118.165.18.126