There have been people who said I was a Pat Riley clone. But I don't think that's true. While I did learn a lot from him, I could never be him. I mean, we even dress so differently.
I think the beautiful part about Yao is that his main legacy won't be about the game. His legacy will be about helping people. His legacy will be taking on important world causes to better his world.
People talk about Kobe's 81-point game, the second-highest scoring game in NBA history. I saw the game. I don't care if it was 79, 81 - I just remember the game. I remember the moves. I remember the shots. I remember the beauty of it. The numbers? What he shot from the field? I don't care.
There are franchise players to build around that have championship-level talent, skill, basketball IQ, and character - it's hard to find those guys. Those guys are rare.
My intensity is my greatest strength. It's also my greatest weakness.
I'm not a positive guy.
One of my college roommates was into The Police, and I got to like them. But I hear one of the guys left the band.
My one suggestion going forward is, any felony committed against a woman should be a full-season suspension.
I quit the Knicks, so I know what quitting is. I did. I quit. And it's something I regret to this day. I live with it every day, and I regret it. And I let my emotions come into it. And I was just emotionally spent. I made a bad decision, and I quit.
I had a great job with the Knicks.
There are a lot of young teams that all they are is young. That doesn't mean they have a chance to be good.
You don't know a player until you coach him.
Are you playing for your teammates and coaches? That's how it should be.
I think everyone talks about talent. It's really one of the most overused terms. It comes down to, do you play, and do you win? Talent is one factor, but certainly not the only one.
Only once did someone talking about my appearance bother me.
It can get good quickly in this league, and it can get bad quickly.
Goaltending was brought in because of Mikan and Chamberlain. So rules do change for specific players, in concert with a need to stay up to date on how coaches are taking advantage of the rules.
Whenever you are coaching, you are trying to get the most balanced team that you can: balance between defense, offense, and rebounding.
I like to watch anyone who has great competitive spirit and will: passionate teams.
Manu Ginobili - I like to watch him. I would pay to watch him play the game. He will try things that will drive a coach crazy, like a full-court bounce pass, but he has such a flair for the game. I love his energy and his spirit and his unpredictability.
