Quotes of the week in the NBA
Minnesota rookie Derrick Williams, on whether he was bothered by being the No. 2 pick in the draft and not No. 1:
“Sometimes I think being the No. 2 pick is a blessing in disguise. I think it was better overall for me to come to Minnesota. I can learn from some of the players at my position, like from Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. I learn a lot from those guys every single day.”
Dallas’ Jason Kidd, on Lamar Odom:
“Odom is on a team that wants to win, so he couldn’t be in a better situation.”
Sasha Vujacic, now playing in Turkey, on his time with the Lakers:
“I was fortunate that I had the best players and the best coaches, learning from them. Also winning a couple of championships. . . . They’re my family and they treated me like family when I went to New Jersey, so L.A. is home for me.”
Washington’s Andray Blatche, criticizing his role on the team after a season-opening loss to New Jersey:
“You can’t keep having me pick-and-pop and shooting jump shots. Give me the ball in the paint. That’s where I’m most effective at. I’ve been saying that since training camp: I need the ball in the paint. I don’t want to be the pick-and-pop guy that I used to be. It’s not working for me.”
Blatche, on Twitter, after being criticized for his remarks:
“Everybody needs to shut up.”
— Houston Mitchell
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