Jerry Colangelo Quotations

When it came time to make the decision of who would be sitting right next to me, it was obvious, ... This is going to be a three-year commitment and I will talk one-on-one with every player before any invitations are extended.

When it came time to make the decision ... it was obvious.

When it came right down to it, I had to make a choice. This was the individual, it was the guy, right time, right place. It was the guy I wanted alongside of me to go forward.

We would very much like to have Greg participate in our camp. There is a meeting that will take place at the Final Four with Greg, his family and the coaching staff at Ohio State. We'd love to have him involved. He has a chance to be a big-time player.

Would we be flexible with him as far as the pregnancy, absolutely. We just need to talk and work out the circumstances.

We want to quicken the game. We think these changes are the best way of doing it.

We needed a fresh, new start. That's not demeaning anyone else, I just felt Mike was the right man at this time.

So I visited with him about a half-hour ago to confirm that everything's OK and absolutely it is. He said 'Well, what should I tell the media?' and I said 'Tell them you're in, because that's what I'm going to tell them.

Shaq and I have a good relationship. I said (to him) the door's open. There's always a spot.

Mike is all about winning. He's the kind of guy I'd like getting into a foxhole with.

Mike is all about winning, ... He's the kind of guy I'd like getting into a foxhole with.

More or less, I think we have it. There is great interest on his part. His wife is having a baby and, if there's a player or two who might get a pass (for 2006), he would. . . . I like him. I feel that he has a great role for this team from 2006 through 2008.

From the get-go, when I first met with Coach K, it was clear how committed and passionate he would be. When it came down to it, this was the individual.

If it's any solace, I interviewed four Pistons.

He is as tough mentally as any young guy I've seen, ... To accomplish all he has under the duress he experienced, I feel very confident.

He had a bad experience, you know, in Athens. He wasn't happy about how things turned out there, the outcome and his own personal experience there. He sees this as an opportunity and he buys into representing your country and winning a gold medal, and doing it the appropriate way. He wants to be a part of that.

He looked me right in the eye and said it would be an honor for him. It was a very positive experience.

He's almost unstoppable in terms of his performance. There's a competitiveness about him that kind of wills his teams to wins.

He's having a sensational season. Obviously, we've got interest (in Anthony) because of where he is with his interest and his maturity.

His time here was a disappointment. He could never find himself. There were injuries. He had a problem with the language. The adjustment for him was very difficult.

He was looking though the glass at the photos that were up on the wall in their hall of fame. He said, 'Dad, I want to come here and do what you did to follow you.' I said, 'No, Bryan. That was my life. You're going to have to live your own life.

He wants to win a gold medal. He said that very clearly. He said if asked, he would be honored.

I was asked to stay on through the last collective-bargaining negotiations,

I think Toronto is an ideal situation. There's good ownership. There's talent. There's cap room. He has the chance to be the architect of something special.

I will continue on all those committees, so it's kind of passing the gavel or baton, and time for someone else to have the chairman's title,

Just as we sought to have continuity and commitment from coaches and players ... so was our commitment to having a home.

Our pre-World Championship training plan is coming together nicely. We feel excited and fortunate to be able to have the USA Senior National Team conduct its domestic training for the next three summers in Las Vegas. We appreciate the efforts Las Vegas Events and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority have made to make this happen.

I think he's done a great job of positioning himself in terms of his persona and conduct. In representing his country, he can expand on that.

I think Kobe Bryant is a player with enough moxie to go along with his talent that he'll adjust to whatever his role is. In fact, that's exactly what he said today.

You know, usually everyone just does a two-year term. I've had two terms, and the right thing politically is to step down.

We want to make a directional change. I didn't say an attitudinal change,

The fact remains that the cost of admission -- that is the value of these franchises -- has risen to such a degree that in most situations, the leagues have outgrown the family ownership situations. My opinion is ... you are going to see a lot of large conglomerates participating in professional sports.

We thought enough of him to give him a pass. By attending training camp, he'll still be a part of that team, and we're going to count on him big-time as we look forward to the Olympics.

We attend and scout all of the international competitions. And so this team will be totally ready. There will not be any concern about not knowing what to expect.

We need to change the perception of how the world looks at us as a country and a basketball power and we have to reclaim what we lost. It's a lot about how they look, how they act on and off the court. The only way to change the perception is to have people doing the right thing and that's the goal.

We have a chance to change a public perception - and we're going to do it with class and dignity.

This whole concept of a Dream Team, that's over and done with, ... The theme going forward is more about respecting the world basketball community, and it's also about redemption. We have a lot to come back from.

We wanted a team not of individual stars, but athleticism, shooters, role players and distributors.

Bob's an old pro. Bob felt it. He read it. He heard it. So when he got the call to meet me this morning, he was still hoping that maybe, just maybe, there was a slight possibility that it would be something other than the discussion we had, ... He would have liked to continue.

Everyone's slate is clean, regardless of what everyone has said. The fact is, we need to change the perception of how we're looked at as a country and as a basketball power, if you will, and we need to reclaim what was lost.

Things like that happen. A player gets traded and, somewhere down the road, he re-emerges. We've had that happen the other way for us. His game against the Celtics provided a glimpse of the expectations people had of him.

I've spent my entire life in the game on different levels, and here was an opportunity on an international stage to represent my country at a time when our basketball program needed an awful lot of work as a result of the World Championships in Indianapolis a few years ago and the Olympics in Athens.

I've spoken with Shawn some time ago and he certainly indicated he wanted to be a part of this thing. He's the kind of individual and player who personifies what you want to represent you.

The stability is very important to this league, and the potential over the next decade is huge.

The building has undergone a complete transformation over the past few years, providing for an enhanced entertainment experience for our guests.

This is an excellent competitive opportunity and a critical piece of our team's pre-world championship training. We look forward to bringing the USA team to Seoul and we are excited to face experienced national teams from Korea and Lithuania.

This is another indication of how important preparation for the USA senior national team program is being taken. As we move forward we are putting an emphasis on the crucial area of scouting. We anticipate having a very thorough scouting program. To have someone of Rudy's experience and accomplishments is awesome. It is somewhat going back to his roots.

This is the first standing USA Men's Senior National Team and the 23 players selected will give us everything we need to form a great USA team. We feel we have versatility, shooters, size, quickness, role players and defensive stoppers. In making the player selections we took into consideration the style of play anticipated to be used by the coaching staff.

There was no continuity. There wasn't much in the way of crossover regarding the roster or coaching. If you look at what's been successful worldwide, they have a national team and the players take pride in playing for the national team.

It's a sensitive deal. It'd be inappropriate for him to be out front.

It's a far cry from where a lot of people thought they were mentally. The bottom line is when you're being hustled by agents and a lot of players making direct calls to me - things have changed. People buy in to wanting to be part of the first national team.

It's officially official in his case and I know he's excited about it. He's obviously one of the core guys you want because of his talent, his age, his maturity at a very young age.

It's officially official in his case and I know he's excited about it.

That is for the purpose of (NBA Properties) launching sponsorships (in China).

I've indicated that Mike brings an awful lot of consideration to the table for this staff because of his international experience as a player and coach.

The camp will begin approximately July 18 and we're not finished until Sept. 4, ... That's going to be a grind.

I'm not giving status reports on my emotional state.

I have no comments on that. I really don't. There is a time and a place for everything, but not today.

I had a previous conversation with him and we said we would meet again when he came to Phoenix. He's really excited about it. He's really kind of juiced about representing the United States. He had some great things to say about the opportunity.

I'm very proud of what he (Bryan) has accomplished and he's well recognized around the league.

I'm very excited. I think we're going to have a good team.

I'm not sure when we (as a league) will start talking about it. As far as downtown, we could be ready in '09 because the major hotels and the light rail would be completed.

I'll continue to evaluate it. Robert and I will continue to have conversations in the next few days.

If you recognize how far he's come in his game, you combine God-given talent with a work ethic that is terrific and a heart to be the very best, I don't know how high is his high,

In my mind how it's been done in the past was a little bit ludicrous. Guys would receive letters. Agents would get calls. Is your guy interested? That's not where we are. We only want players who want to participate, and I have to look them in the eye to find out where they are.

By selecting Rudy, we are getting someone who brings impressive credentials. His accomplishments as a NBA player, NBA head coach and as a USA Basketball head coach are tremendous.

I built a career on risk-taking, so I support people who take risks, but calculated risks.

Meadowlark, you are the best!

The bottom line is, you can't be afraid to fail.

The community owes us nothing. It's up to us to go out and earn their respect.

Be a sponge. Spend as much time as possible with people who truly know their craft and be a great listener. That is how you learn.

The first major competition we are selecting a team for is the 2006 FIBA World Championship. This is an important competition and we are taking this as seriously as we take the Olympics.

The league has accomplished so much in the last 30 years, but the potential over the next decade is incredible, just with technology alone. And you really need to have that stability, and the stability that David has offered the league in terms of his leadership and building a strong organization of people is very important to that future.