http://www.nba.com/bobcats/backstage_bernie_050627.html BACKSTAGE WITH BERNIE: FINAL PRE-DRAFT THOUGHTS With the draft a day away, Bobcats General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff and President Ed Tapscott shared their thoughts on the latest trade buzz and their impending decisions. BOBCATS GENERAL MANAGER & HEAD COACH BERNIE BICKERSTAFF (On coming to a decision) The general manager wants to go one way, the coach wants to go another way. The president wants to go another way. We brought in a different group today. We brought in some of our regional scouts. It’s part of a process that’ll probably take us to about five o’clock tomorrow, and then we’ll have our decision. Where we are now is deciding whether we go big first, small second, or whether we go small first and big second. That’s the dilemma we’re facing. (On whether he will definitely pick one guard and one big man) Unless we make a decision that we’re going to take the best talent. You’ve got to make a decision. You’ve got two young high school kids out there that have great upside, and we make that decision at five. (On Portland trading down) I hear that they would like to do it, but I think that they would have to be concerned that if they move back, they won’t get the player that they want. They should have that concern. We’ve got a contingency both ways [depending on whether Portland trades down]. We’re on the board with Utah being there, with Toronto being there, with the Lakers being there. We put all the contingencies on the board. (On whether a trade will be made before the draft begins) It would be difficult because of where they’re aligned. If you take a player when the guy that you want is gone, and you get stuck with that player. [The Trail Blazers] don’t want to go back any farther than five. I think if we chose to move five and 13, we could get there (On trading after picks have been made) That’s a contingency you can handle. When you move past that, then it’s a problem. If you pick a player at three, and you want a player at six, but then that player you want is not there, you’re stuck. (Portland General Manager) John Nash is in a difficult position. There’s a guy there that he wants, and there’s a good possibility that that guy won’t be there if he moves back. It’s probably the same guy that we want. (On trading the 13th pick) We’ve had plenty of inquiries about 13. That’s a pretty valuable pick for a team that wants to move into that area. We just haven’t found anything that we could get romantically involved with. (On what you would want for the 13th pick) Right now we want the player that we think's going to be there. [If we did trade, we’d want] a young veteran and then, on the board, there would have to be somebody that we really liked also. We’re comfortable with either scenario, whether we decide to go big and a talent’s on the other end, or if we decide to go small and there’s a big on the other end. (On pre-draft rumors) We’re part of it. I give a lot of credence to what we say. Knowing [Lakers General Manager Mitch] Kupchak, they’re very disappointed about those kind of rumors, and apparently the players were upset. I don’t know whether that’s a smokescreen or what, but we’ll find out about the credibility of people tomorrow night. (On would you prefer to have a point guard) We’d like to have a point guard, but we’re hung up on being an expansion team, if there’s a talent there, we’d really consider that. (On picking a high schooler) I think [Gerald] Green and [Martell] Webster, they play into our system. I think that they’re considerable. And I think they’ll be gone in the top 10. It’s about patience. With young kids, you’ve got to bring them in. They would probably get an opportunity to play with us than with a lot of other teams. (On why there is so much uncertainty) Portland has not made a move. I don’t think it will get resolved until Portland makes a move. That’ show it’s been ever since we started. Had the ping-pong ball gone differently, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We’d really know what we’d like to do. But we could have been at six also. I guess nobody’s enlightened any more [than they were at the beginning]. (On whether Utah is the most likely team to trade with Portland) I think so. I think Toronto is in a situation like we are. The kid in New Orleans [Jamal Magloire] is being offered for two players. I think everyone’s of the opinion that if you have two picks, especially when you’re talking about teams like ours, when you’re talking about wins and losses, we need to add talent. Toronto’s doing the same thing. They’re in a rebuilding process. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOBCATS PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER ED TAPSCOTT (On draft preparations) I think one of the best things that Bernie has done with his staff, is that often times you like to address the players you like and things become sort of wishful thinking. Bernie has been great at saying, “Well guys, what happens if this doesn’t happen?” That forces us to go through all of the contingencies. We sort of call them fistfights in the kitchen. It has been a very interesting and lively debate, because this has been a very confusing draft. As Bernie said, the guy in Portland [General Manager John Nash] seems to hold the trump card and just is not sure yet what he wants to do with it, so it has been interesting. (On if the confusion makes things frustrating) Oh no, I think this is the fun part of the draft. This is the world’s biggest game of liar’s poker, so you are supposed to enjoy that and want to be good at it. All of us are trying to flush out that kernel of truth from all of the chaff that is out there. This has been as confusing of a draft that we’ve been through, so there is this saying in the room: There are lies, there are big lies, there are statistics and then there are the rest of us in the NBA Draft. That’s the way it has been most of the last couple of weeks. (On getting the most out of each pick) Remember, in the lottery are a lot of the teams that are in the same sort of process that we are: rebuilding and trying to add talent to the base of their team. You are trying to maximize each pick. You’re trying to get the best possible selection with each pick. That adds to this jockeying and moving around. --

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