I was lucky. A lot of people have that. People that don't tell you what you want to hear, but what's best for you. I was blessed with great friends. I was always blessed that way. My dad always kept good people around me. I just got lucky. Because of the spotlight you're in, people are scared to tell you otherwise.
I was talking to Coach Wooden after I had signed at UCLA and over the summer, and we used to talk all the time. The thing is, talking to Bill Walton, once you throw in your two cents, he throws in the other 98 cents. He will not stop talking, I'll tell you what.
I think any time you have Phil Jackson involved in any organization, you're going to definitely look at it, and it's definitely intriguing. The Knicks are definitely a place where anybody would like to go.
I feel like in order for our team to have the upper hand, I have to play extremely well, and I have to bring the rest of the team with me. That's how I feel approaching every game.
Randy Wittman told me not to shoot 3-pointers. That got me very uncomfortable. There were certain labels tagged on me very early in my career, spots on the floor where I felt uncomfortable.
It's no secret I was willing to commit to Minnesota for five years. I'm very happy with my contract. I'd love to be in Minnesota. But like anybody else, I want to win.
I'm kind of a dirty guy, a little Bill Laimbeer-ish. Those are the guys I used to watch growing up. I used to watch Karl Malone; now I watch Boozer and Elton Brand and try to emulate those guys as much as possible because those guys are about the same size as me.
Luckily, I'm young and I have a great training staff that helps me take care of my body day in and day out. You make sure you're eating right. Make sure you're hitting the iron, lifting as much as you possibly can. That's easier said than done because we don't have many practice days.
When you're on the court, there is certain things that you would do that you wouldn't do off the court. When you get off, you obviously have to be gracious and a humble person. When you are on the floor, be a team player. Championships are what you are defined by - legacy. Go about things the right way.
I just try to keep the same people I've had around me from Day One. Keep it a real small circle because if you do that, not too much is going to go bad for you.
Coach Wooden, when he speaks, you listen. I've taken a lot of things from him and his little blue book because to him, it's not just about basketball, it's about life as well.
The more downtime we have, the more time you have to play games like 'Ghost Recon Future Soldiers,' so for me it's a fun way to get integrated into video games and for me to have fun with my buddies and team up and go into battle with 'em, kind of like out there on court.
