NBA Pre-Draft Camp Media Day (Part Three)

Interviews from media day featuring Cedric Simmons, Rodney Carney and J.J. Redick.

Media Day Part One

Media Day Part Two

Cedric Simmons

Mike Schmidt: Is this all happening a little fast for you, I mean three weeks ago people were questioning your decision to declare, and now it’s not uncommon to hear your name projected into the top 10.

Cedric Simmons: Yeah, it seems like everything is happening fast. Man, it’s like a whirlwind actually. I just try to take it one day at a time and slow things down, but sometimes, I don’t even know what the date is.

Mike Schmidt: How intense has your training been?

Cedric Simmons: It’s been pretty intense. A lot of reps, a lot of shooting, a lot of drills, just to keep the conditioning and everything up. You’re not only shooting, but you’re moving as you’re shooting, so that kind of keeps your wind up.

Mike Schmidt: Did you develop your jump shot after you left NC State and started preparing for the draft, or is mid-range shooting something you felt you never had a chance to do in college?

Cedric Simmons: I feel like I could in college, but I never really had the chance to, but these last few weeks I’ve been building my confidence, just shooting it from mid-range, or shooting it from the college 3 because that’s nothing in the NBA really, the big guys knock that down all the time. If you make that shot, you can make a lot of money.

Reporter: Who have you worked out with so far?

Cedric Simmons: New York, Philly, and Boston.

Reporter: Who else are you scheduled to work out for?

Cedric Simmons: Houston, New Orleans, and Chicago.

Mike Schmidt: If the draft were held today, where do you think you would go?

Cedric Simmons: I’m really not sure man. You know the NBA is filled with unknowns, that’s the thing about it, so I really don’t know where I’d go, but I’m pretty sure I’d get picked. I’m pretty sure I’d get picked in the first round. I don’t want to count my eggs before they hatch.

Reporter: How did the conversation go between you and your mother about your decision to declare?

Cedric Simmons: She just asked me if I was sure that this is what I wanted to do, and she heard so many horror stories about kids that decide[d] to go in, and they end up overseas or something, or end up not playing anymore. But she never heard horror stories about the kids that decided to stay one more year and ended up falling off.

Reporter: Are you talking about because of injury?

Cedric Simmons: Yeah, injury or just, the scouts looking at you more, they found out new weaknesses. These days they draft younger players a lot more than older ones.

Mike Schmidt: Who do you pattern your game after?

Cedric Simmons: I always watch Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, but pattern my game after Garnett and Tim Duncan, I can’t really say I did that. I kind of try to combine the 2, because Garnett is long and lean and athletic, and Tim Duncan uses footwork, so I try and pattern my game after both of those guys.

Reporter: Have you already received feedback on your workout between draft camp games?

Cedric Simmons: Yeah, it was a good workout, dunking the ball well, and I was shooting it well also. I had a good defensive stand where I blocked Torin [Francis], but I really haven’t heard any feedback.

Reporter: What do you hope that would accomplish.

Cedric Simmons: I hope it would push me up some, you know, to the lottery range, or maybe to the top 10.

Reporter: Did the coaching situation at NC State influence your decision to declare?

Cedric Simmons: No, me and coach Sendek had already talked about me entering the draft, kind of testing the waters, but once he left I had a lot of guys coming at me from difference angles saying they were agents and stuff. That uncertainty there didn’t really push me towards leaving or staying.

Reporter: Once Coach Sendek left did you have more agents coming at you?

Cedric Simmons: Yeah, it was wild man. Guys from everywhere, finding me showing up at the gym. At least 8.

Reporter: How soon was this after he left?

Cedric Simmons: A couple weeks.

Reporter: What was your reaction to that?

Cedric Simmons: I didn’t know what to do. I changed my number, I tried to just take a step back from everyone. It just got ridiculous. I was getting phone calls, 8’clock in the morning, 6’clock in the morning, 2’clock at night.

Mike Schmidt: If you could work out for every NBA team, who are the 3 people in this draft you’d like to work out against?

Cedric Simmons: I don’t have nobody really.

Mike Schmidt: You don’t think there’s somebody you could workout against to help improve your draft stock?

Cedric Simmons: I mean, there’s a lot of bigger names than Cedric Simmons out there, but I’m not here to pick those guys who I work out against.

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J.J. Redick

Reporter: Tell me about the experience of playing at Duke…

J.J. Redick: Playing at Duke is extremely demanding because you have to be great every day. Every team brings their A game and every game is on national TV. Everybody guarding me thought they could make a name for themselves by shutting me down. You always have to raise your level of play and bring your A game every night.

Reporter: With how rare good 3-point shooting is becoming, do you think teams are really valuing that commodity?

J.J. Redick: I feel like teams feel like they need shooting, but teams drafting in the lottery want to draft a complete player. I understand that’s my thing going into the workouts. I feel I’ve added a lot to my game in the last 2-3 years and people can see that or not, I just want a chance to show what I can do. If one team likes me in the lottery, that’s great.

Reporter: What teams have given you the most positive feedback?

J.J. Redick: All the teams have given me positive feedback. Houston and Utah are the teams that - I’m not definitely on the top of their board, but I’m definitely in the mix there, at least I feel I am, from talking to my agent and talking to the teams. I think a wing player is one of their interests.

Reporter: Did you count the number of uncontested jumpshots you took last year?

J.J. Redick: It’s not a lot. I saw a chart, from eleven games. I can’t tell you which eleven games, because I don’t know. There were shots charted – catch and shoot from each side, one dribble, two dribble from each side, iso’s, and so on. Catch and shoot was less than ten percent.

Reporter: Who do go to for advice on the process, specifically from the Duke family?

J.J. Redick: I like to talk to Coach K a lot. Of past players, I talk to Mike Dunleavey. He’s a son of a gun, though. He had one workout, and it was for twenty minutes, and he shot jumpshots for twenty minutes. The teams were like, “thanks for doing that.” He was in summer school the whole time, and decided to stay in at the last minute. So he didn’t give me much advice about the workouts, but we talk a lot about the league and everything, and what to expect.

Reporter: Why do you relate to his advice so well?

J.J. Redick: Well, we’re both white guys. Let’s be honest, we play in a game that’s dominated by African Americans. There aren’t that many white players, and to get the perspective of a guy like that that came out of a program like Duke and is now playing in the NBA, it’s invaluable.

Jonathan Watters: Could you describe your daily workout regimen?

J.J. Redick: I work out twice a day, once in the morning, once in the evening. In the morning we do a lot of live, two-on-two stuff and some drills, and in the afternoon we do a lot of shooting.

Jonathan Watters: Who are you working out with on a regular basis?

J.J. Redick: Shelden (Williams), Brandon Roy, Corey Belser was in there a little bit, Matt Haryasz was in there a little bit.

Jonathan Watters: What have you done as far as team workouts?

J.J. Redick: I’ve done four so far. Golden State, Utah, Seattle, and Houston.

Jonathan Watters: How do you think the workouts have gone?

J.J. Redick: I think they’ve gone well. I don’t think I’ve had a bad workout so far. Hopefully I can have a few more good ones.

Jonathan Watters: Have you felt the need to prove that you’re more than just a shooter?

J.J. Redick: I’ve felt the need to just play. I don’t go into workouts thinking I need to score off a one dribble move, step-back, or anything like that. I can score, I can defend.

Jonathan Watters: Is there anything specific that you have been working on?

J.J. Redick: When we were out in LA we worked a lot on pick and rolls. I haven’t had a chance in a lot of my workouts to show that because I’ve been going up against four guards, but I think that’s something I’ve gotten better at.

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Rodney Carney

Jonathan Watters: What is your daily workout regimen like?

Rodney Carney: I work out every day, work on my handles, work on my weaknesses. I think I’ve got them down to a T. I’ve got a little bit I still need improvement on, so that’s why I work on them. But I’m not going to be back in Houston for a while, I’m going to be working out for team after team after team. So right now that process has stopped.

Jonathan Watters: Which teams are those?

Rodney Carney: I’ve already worked out for six already, I’ve got four more to go. After this I’ve got the Timberwolves, Seattle, Chicago, and Portland. Then maybe Houston again.

Jonathan Watters: A second workout in Houston?

Rodney Carney: I worked out bad the first time, so they’re bringing me back, so I can show that I’ve worked on what I didn’t do well.

Jonathan Watters: We’ve heard a few conflicting reports on the Charlotte workouts with Adam Morrison. How did that go?

Rodney Carney: It definitely went well for both of us. We both made shots, I had some crazy dunks. He handled the ball well, shot the ball well. It was a good workout for both of us.

Jonathan Watters: Is there anything that you’ve been working hard on since the end of the season?

Rodney Carney: My ball-handling, one on one skills, trying to be creative with my moves. I think I’ve got a lot more creativity to my game, I’m protecting the ball a little bit better. Those are a couple of the things I’ve gotten better on since the end of the season. It’s been a good experience. Tracy [McGrady] comes down and helps me out and he’s a very skilled player. He’s taught me a lot of little skill things, like how to get your defender off balance.

Jonathan Watters: So he’s been mentoring you a little bit?

Rodney Carney: Yeah, he’s been giving me a few tips. He’s kind of like a big brother.

Jonathan Watters: Is there anybody else out there that you pattern your game after?

Rodney Carney: A lot of people say I play like Shawn Marion. We have some of the same moves. He took my floater… (laughs)