Carl Dukes and Mike Bell were joined by Atlanta Hawks Head Coach Lloyd Pierce to talk about the NBA playoffs and him being named to the Team USA Basketball staff.
Coach Pierce on his relationship with Gregg Popovich, “I worked for Mike Brown for five years and Brett Brown for three years, so I have eight years of working with guys that worked with Coach Pop. I haven’t coached with him directly.”
Coach Pierce on if he is going to bring in free agents being with Team USA, “I got to get my foot in the door and find a way to get a championship. Kerr has three, Pop has five, Villanova has two….I don’t even know how I got here.”
Coach Pierce on the Rockets/Warriors series, “I’m glad that’s all over with and we are talking about play on the court. Durant is playing really well right now.”
Coach Pierce on how to handle the refs, “I don’t want my team to think I’m more worried about the refs rather than what we could have done better earlier in the game. The 80/20 rule applies. 80 percent of my attention has to be directed towards my team and my players.”
Coach Pierce on Travis Schlenk, “I’m confident in Travis’ ability. We are doing our job with the research and the videos. This is where we get busy for the next month and a half.”
Coach Pierce on if he wants Vince Carter back, “Yes. Both for what he does on the floor and in the locker room.”
Coach Pierce on what he told Trae Young and John Collins, “Sacrifice and commitment are what we need this off-season. How much are you willing to sacrifice? We have to spend time with each other to get better. We already have four guys back in the gym. John Collins is already back in the gym.”
