00:00:09.240 - 00:00:21.350

I hope we can get off to a better start defensively than we were last year. We kind of worked our way into it gradually last year, and I really think that this year will perhaps be the same type of situation. We have made some minor adjustments.

00:00:21.440 - 00:00:30.790

I don't think that they're anything that we have to be overly concerned about, but by the same token, there are some things that we have to adjust to. And if we can get off to a good start in this kind of build as we go along,

00:00:30.920 - 00:00:43.920

I think this will be the same type of team that it was last year. We can't make any promises except that we'll go out and make it as exciting as last year, but Uh, Los Angeles with the addition of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they're gonna be much better.

00:00:44.050 - 00:00:55.520

Uh, Seattle and Portland and Phoenix, I think they're gonna be much more improved teams, but we'll be a much better team. Uh, you're not expecting the sophomore jinx or anything, are you? No, I'm not, Joe. I haven't thought about it. Now when people bring it up,

00:00:55.570 - 00:01:09.420

I just don't wanna hear it, uh, you know, I'm just gonna try to be more consistent in my performance and help try to help us win a lot of ball games. Dependent on number 24 as you have been in the past, yeah, we try to, you

00:01:09.420 - 00:01:20.980

know, put a few more wrinkles into our offense. Uh, we know that Jamal Wilkes can score and so we'll probably go to him when, uh, teams are doubling, tripling teaming Rick. We try to get our centers involved a little bit more, of course, our guards. So

00:01:20.980 - 00:01:30.180

what we're trying to do, we're trying to run a much more balanced attack, but that doesn't necessarily mean that, uh, Rick still won't score the way Rick can score. But I just hope that some of the other people can take some of the burden off of

00:01:30.180 - 00:01:30.460

him.