Dwane Casey Quotations

We'd like to be an up-tempo team at the right opportunity. We want to make sure we know our roles, know our alleys, know our rules in running. It's very difficult to be a running team. That's something that you grow into, work on in training camp.

We're more in an attack mode, which creates rebounding lanes and a little bit more space where his man has to help. He can get it, catch it and has a little more room to operate.

We're missing two of our main horses, and our young guys can keep their heads up by their performance (Friday night), competing against a playoff-hungry team.

We both were without our star players. We struggled the first quarter and they struggled the fourth quarter.

Would I love to have them? Yes, but I understand injuries, and there's no use in forcing it or taking any chances.

We've got a postal bill that's pretty high.

We always hold out hope. Mathematically we're still in it. Every time we walk out on the floor, we're playing for something and we're playing for improvement.

We needed a game like this in the worst way. It was good because it gave our starters a chance to play and not have to scratch to be in the game. It was good medicine for us.

One thing that hurt us tonight was our transition defense. They were playing a small lineup and we didn't recognize that they were coming down and looking for the 3-point line. If you're not ready to get back in transition, it's going to be a long night. We saw the best of Phoenix tonight.

My heart came up into my throat. That's why you only play your superstar between 20 and 25 minutes in the preseason. Those are situations you want to avoid.

Nobody should be happy with the way we're playing right now, from Mr. Taylor all the way on down to our video guy.

Right now, Marcus is our point guard. Marko continues to work. I think that competition makes your team better. Right now, Marcus is doing a good job and has done nothing wrong to lose his position.

Right now it's not balanced. It's going to be tough to play four point guards.

If we do have a chance or a sniff of making the playoffs, we've got to do it in the next couple weeks.

I don't differentiate between Orlando, Miami, nobody. We've got tough games coming up the rest of the season. We have to prepare and play at the level we know we're capable of, which I didn't think we did the other night against Orlando.

I'd like to see what the game brings. We're going in trying to win the game. I'm not going out trying to have a tryout. We'll do that Sunday in practice.

I'd like to see if he can get up 20 shots. You can't just walk through that and get that many shots up, quality shots. To get 20 quality shots, it takes work.

I felt for him, just because he's one of my players and he's going through a tough situation. I didn't judge him, saying, 'He's a bad guy. Let's get rid of him.' No I didn't.

I feel for Fred. He's like the little kid that wants to go in the party and play but can't. I told Fred I wish we hadn't amnestied him. ... I'm sure he's going to have a long line of people after him.

From a coaching standpoint, I would say I would like to have other players involved. He's a great player, you can't take that away from him. It's entertaining, it's good for the league. Whether it's good for his teammates, I don't know.

He worked out this morning, but the ankle was a little sore so we'll hold him out tonight. We'll err on the side of caution.

He gets them in so many different ways. He is as quick as Iverson with the ball, probably not from coast to coast, but from a standstill going to the basket, he is as quick.

He made the right read and the right calls a couple times. That's what he faces in the fourth quarter. He does not face single coverage. He faces double coverage, triple coverage a lot of times in the fourth quarter. The people around him have to make plays.

We've got to try everything to get better and in a groove. I've seen flashes of real good basketball from Mark Blount. I think getting him in the starting lineup will give him a little bit more ownership, a little bit more opportunity to score early in the game.

We've got to regroup. We've got to come back together. This is us. Nothing is changing. No one else is coming in this locker room. ... I know there are trade rumors, but this is us. No one else.

With Mark Blount at the high post, I don't think teams can double- and triple-team Kevin as much. I think Mark Blount and Eddie (Griffin, the starter) both will give us that two-headed center at the high post that will keep them from sagging off on Kevin.

We told him to pump fake and go. It's a very delicate thing because the worst thing you can do is start putting hesitation in a shooter's mind. It's learning, reading, being in that situation numerous times.

He's also been the catalyst I think for those guys. Getting the ball into them, being the quarterback, being the defensive guy, knocking down big shots and being the leader of that team. I think he's been huge.

He's just made a concerted effort going to the boards. It's called him being a great player.

He's doing a very good job of playing under control. He's got his passion back.

He's day-to-day. It's just a sprained ankle. Nothing major.

He should be a great example for young men who think that scoring is the most important thing.

His three-point shooting is a big plus. He can stretch the floor and pull up in transition. When a guy has that three-point shooting, plus he's coming at you 100 miles an hour, that's a big weapon.

He's going to take some time to rehab it and get it well.

He's done a good job of going in there and keeping it together and continuing to train - which is hard to do sometimes. Especially when you have a veteran team like that . . . that's used to doing things their way.

We made stands. We're doing a much better job picking it up defensively.

He can score offensively, but No. 1 he's a defensive stopper. You can stick him on 1s, 2s, 3s and some 4s and say, 'OK, let's go to work.' That overshadows his offensive game. Once he gets a defender going to the basket, he's tough to guard. And he can post up against some and create mismatches because he's so strong.

He just ripped it through and took it to the basket. That is what we have been telling him to do, attack their feet.

He is one of the quickest guys with the ball in the league.

Kevin has opinions and is frustrated. We're all frustrated. We're not happy with where we are. Nobody wants to not be fighting for the division lead. I think he just spoke his mind on the feeling of everyone, from (owner) Glen Taylor all the way down to our trainer.

Kevin has never said, 'I don't like who we have, I don't like you as a coach, I don't want this coach. I've known Kevin for a while. He and I hit it off right from the start. To say there's not going to be bumps in the road - there's always going to be bumps in the road in any relationship. But it's always a matter of respect. Like I told him the first time I met him, if there's one player in this league that I would pay to watch play, it would be him. Because he brings it every night.

Kevin did a masterful job of rebounding. We have to have somebody to help out on the boards in the paint.

Kevin and Wally are playing at an All-Star level. I hope everyone is taking notice that they are playing solid basketball at both ends of the floor.

Kevin's basket was the back breaker. That's in our playbook, and we executed it perfectly.

I thought we took some quick shots, which allowed them to get easy buckets. It got their confidence going; it got their rhythm going. We forced some shots.

I thought we would respond a little bit more offensively in the second half. Every big play we had, there was an opportunity to extend the lead and we didn't come up with making the play.

I thought defensively he was great. He stuck his head in there and got some tough rebounds. It's just an all-around basketball game that he is playing.

I thought Dallas took us to the woodshed, especially in the first half. We didn't come out like we were on a three-game skid.

I think you have to have a focus on the road, a mental toughness on the road, that I think we're trying to find. That's the story of our season.

I was early (in the program's integration). I can remember a lot of times (recognizing) that it was a big thing to be a minority at the University of Kentucky. But it's totally changed now. They've got a black head coach (Tubby Smith).

I thought we came out in the first half in a nonchalant way.

I thought we had a quality, quality game tonight. Guys played to win down the stretch ? except execution and closing out games, on both ends of the floor.

I thought we had a good effort until about a two-minute stretch when Ray (Allen) just went crazy. He hit some tough shots and some tough threes.

I thought we lost a lot of juice. I thought they were quicker than us tonight.

I thought that was a turning point in our season, (Wells') shot, that group of close games we had. I think it took a little starch out of us, and we were never able to regain (momentum).

I think a lot of it is we've got to get another third guy. Luckily, the other night against Seattle we had a third scorer (Eddie Griffin, 24 points). Right now, Kevin and Wally are playing at an all-star level, and we just need another person to step up. I'm not discriminating who it is; anybody can step up and get their minutes.

I think all those together broke our spirit and our belief in each other.

It happened so quick. We come up with different ways to lose it.

I watched him work out right before his rookie year and I remember how raw he was when he first came out of Alabama. Just to see him now, how polished of a player he is, how smart a defender he is, how he plays the passing lane, how he kind of lays in the cut and surprises the defense - he's just come such a long way and he's the heart and soul of his team with the way he plays.

I want to win, for these young guys. If they go out and beat Memphis, we'll deal with the consequences later.

I think they're probably two of the best and quickest in the league coming off screens, changing speeds. They'll come off; they'll hesitate. Where Ben Gordon gets you is that second burst of the speed. We just didn't gauge their speed and square our shoulders.

Jason hit some huge shots. I don't know who could have guarded him on a couple of those shots he made.

I saw he got into some scraps with the national team and I like that, as long as you use it in the right way.

Our positive was Rashad scoring 18 points but on the other end you have guys driving by you going to the basket. I thought though his offensive attack and feel was good.

Our perimeter guys did not contain the ball at all.

Our second quarter killed us. If we get anything at all in the second quarter, we're in tall cotton.

Our trend the whole year has been developing a rhythm in the first quarter. Then once (Kevin Garnett) comes out we kind of get off kilter.

Marko made a decision. You can't question it.

Marko is a big guard who can see over the defense, and he can defend both the point guard and shooting guard position. We feel we've really upgraded our defense and our team with the addition of Marko.

Marko had 40-something games to get it done, and we were below .500. I feel very good that I gave Marko more than a fair chance with the starting position.

I think right now Fred is just trying to decide what he wants to do, whether he wants to coach, be in the front office or play. I think he could do all three. He still can make shots. He's very knowledgeable of the NBA to be in the front office or to be a coach. It's a good dilemma to have.

I think he's making his best basketball play. I don't think he's being too unselfish. If somebody has a better shot than you, you've got to make the play.

I thought it was a clean block at the end. It was a big win, a lot of people counted us for dead. I was glad to see our guys fight back, they met the challenge. Tonight the guys pulled together, responded and executed down the stretch on the fly.

I thought it was great for our confidence in close games, to come out and close the game, and win a game when a team is making a hard run at you like that. We're excited about it. The guys are excited about it.

Justin has grown by leaps and bounds. Playing with his type of energy is an NBA skill. I've had players like that before (in Seattle) ? Reggie Evans, Ruben Patterson. In those guys' careers, they've always been underestimated as far as what they bring to the table.

That was a turning point in our season. I think it took a little starch out of us.

That was the main thing ? we ran out of gas with those guys. It was more a matter of running out of gas than anything else.

That was all in fun. I didn't want to mess with the game. But guys were over there joking about him shooting the threes. I didn't mean for him to shoot seven, but like I told him, he was open for a reason.

Most likely, we're going to have a lot of the same guys back, most of the same guys back. That's the reality of it.

Whoever it is in the papers talking about trading for our guy, it's as close to tampering as you can get. But you can't prove anything. I'm sure New York can't control it just like we can't control what you guys may talk about. It's not good when you talk about trading our star player, the face of our franchise.

We just couldn't regroup and then they got on a roll. The more we tried, the more they got on a roll and got going, so there's no answer. If you don't come out with a focus and effort for 48 minutes in this league, you're in trouble.

Those guys fought hard, played hard. To lose like that ...

We have to put together 48 minutes. That's been our story all year.

We have to put together 48 minutes and that has been our story the whole year. That is a growing process. That is the next evolution. When a team makes a run at us we have to go right back at them.

We're coaching to win first. Development will come along with that. I'm trying to create an environment of professionalism, working hard, playing hard.

We got good looks last night, so it wasn't the fact we weren't getting shots. I think we're better prepared (after Thursday's practice) for the rhythm shots now than we were yesterday.

We finally got a game on a last-second shot.

We wanted to increase the tempo, push the envelope and play as fast as we could. If you are going to be a running team, you have to do it every night. You have to force it. Sometimes the guys think they are running, and they are jogging instead of sprinting.

We have to have more distribution from other guys stepping up.

We need his offense. For us, he's the closest thing to that third scorer we need. He's the quickest guy we have.

We know this road trip is going to have a lot to say about where we stand as far as the possibilities of making the playoffs.

We got the shots we wanted and the spacing we wanted. We didn't jack up threes.

We had an opportunity to get in the playoff race, and to come back with a goose egg is very disappointing for me. It should be disappointing for the players, and it's disappointing to the staff. When you have young guys like that, we make so many mistakes on both ends of the floor, it's hard to recover from that on the road.

We had an opportunity to extend the lead but didn't come up with making the play. We had open shots, guys were wide open but you've got to be able to make those.

We didn't do a good job of matching up in transition. They were playing a small lineup. We didn't recognize quickly enough, because they were coming down and not looking to run a play but looking for the three-point line. If you're not ready to get back in transition, it's going to be a long night.

We still have to see what he can do against the MVP of the league.

(Yao) is a big man and he's a handful for us. We tried three people on him and he is just a handful down here wrestling with him. He has really, really had a stretch of games the last couple of weeks where he has played well and been a force.

You lose that many close games, it will shake your confidence.

The expectation level is sky-high for all of us. Their goal was to win the division, thinking they could run away with it like we did last year. I don't know if that's a realistic goal.

There is a rainbow at the end of the storm.