What are your personal goals?
For me, it’s just to stay healthy all year, that’s number one. Number two, just consistently stay on the floor, not get into foul trouble. [I want to] average a double-double, consistently get wins and be a big part of that.
If the NBA lockout cuts into the regular season, will you consider playing overseas?
I might go overseas since I’m healthy now. Hopefully we do have a season and [the lockout] is not going to prolong when the season is going to start, but [playing overseas] definitely will be an option because I have been getting some interest.
Have you been in contact with your Kings teammates during the offseason?
Yeah, I talk to Tyreke on a daily basis. I actually went to the University of Kentucky alumni pros versus the Dominican Republic [exhibition game on August 15], so I got to see my teammates, Francisco Garcia and DeMarcus Cousins, go against each other. Kentucky obviously had John Wall, [Rajon] Rondo, Tayshaun Prince, and Dominican Republic had Al Horford, Charlie Villanueva, Edgar Sosa and some other people, so it was a pretty good game to go to and I had a good time.
Garcia scored a game-high 30 points in a win and Cousins led the Kentucky pros with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Were you impressed with how well they played?
Yeah, Cisco was shooting the lights out – had 19 in the first half – and Cousins was getting to the line and using his strength. It was an exciting game – I had some fun and I saw they did, too.
What are you hoping to see from Cousins going forward?
Just to mature, know the game [better] on the court and off the court. Everyone goes through their rookie wall, and hopefully with more experience, learning, and taking advice from other people throughout the League, he should be a good player and definitely the focal point for our team.
Do you expect Evans to have a big bounce-back year?
I think he’ll be all right. For the most part he was hurt – he had the foot problem and an ankle problem, so hopefully he’s looking to have a big year. I’m sure we all are, and not just as individual players, but as a team, as well. The more hard work we do without people watching, the more will show up on the court.
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