TNT Notes and Quotes

"I want him to do well because a lot of people are going to make money off of him ... I just hope he does well, it will be difficult on him coming to the NBA, if I had the number one pick I'd take Caron Butler or Jay Williams." -- Charles Barkley on Yao Ming

"There's also a language barrier. In a close game, it will be tough. The last two minutes in the game, [head coach] Rudy [Tomjanovich] won't have time to have a translator over there, and that might be something very critical for guys coming over who don't speak fluently." -- Analyst Kenny Smith

"Steve Francis, he's the one I should know because he has a commercial in China. I spent a lot of time trying to learn what he said." -- Ming on the Rockets he knows

"The people in Houston are going to have to be patient. When you draft now you're drafting for the future." -- Barkley

"He's going to be terrific; he's as good in the screen-and-roll as any college player in a long time." -- Guest analyst Missouri head coach Quin Snyder

"He shoots so well and has NBA range. A big factor to be corrected -- in the lane can he make plays, cut down on turnovers and finish in traffic. But the total package in scoring is there." -- TNT analyst Hubie Brown

"If Yao Ming doesn't jump in the draft, he could have jumped all the way up to No. 1. Dunleavy, Caron Butler and Drew Gooden have the best chance of stepping right in and making major contributions right away." -- Smith on Mike Dunleavy

"I had Drew Gooden rated as the No. 3 pick in the draft. He can play small forward and when he gets older he can play power forward. That is a great pick. Jerry West knows what he's doing. Jay Williams, Drew Gooden and Caron Butler are the three guys you can start now. Three years from now, people are going to talk about him and how he dropped to 10 like Paul Pierce did." -- Barkley on Drew Gooden

"This is a great pick by Cleveland. He's probably the only guy that if you give him the ball he is going to get his shot. He may not make all his shots, but he is going to get his shot. That is a unique skill in this league." -- Smith on Dujuan Wagner

"Without question, he's the best athlete in the draft. He's a finisher. This is a reincarnation of Antonio McDyess." -- Smith on Chris Wilcox

"This is a great pick by Miami. This guy is a scoring machine who really is a tough hombre." -- Brown on Caron Butler

"The thing what I like best, aside from his offense, is that he is tough-minded." -- Snyder on Butler

"These guys are used to doing the slow dance, and when you get to the NBA, you have to do the hustle." -- Smith on Nikoloz Tskitishvili

"I was a six year old -- I did the Georgia National Dance but not ballet; that's for women. It helped me a lot with my footwork and to be faster and more elastic." -- Tskitishvili on his background in dance

"To be honest, they need everything. I cannot wait for them to announce this pick because I want to see how they're going to react." -- Barkley on the Knicks

"The Phoenix Suns are going to start rebuilding, obviously if you draft a high-schooler you are going to wait two or three years. They have to start rebuilding. The first year is a learning process." -- Barkley on Amare Stoudamire

"I'm going to make them pay for passing on me." -- Butler on being chosen 10th

"I just hope Michael does not come back, because I don't want to see him get hurt. Michael is their best player; they're not sure if Kwame Brown can play, but you got to have question it. I haven't talked to Michael about this, but I think they're going to take Jared Jeffries. -- Barkley on the Wizards

"We had a shooting contest and we tied, so I'm going to get him when I get back." -- Wizards pick Jeffries on Jordan

"They have something going on, this is another power forward, they got three now. That's an unfortunate part of the business when you get traded the next day. Somebody has got to go, and Elton Brand isn't going anywhere." -- Barkley after the Clippers chose power forward Melvin Ely

"I don't foresee the Clippers keeping him. Why did they take him if they have people at that position? They either took him to trade him or they're incredibly stupid." -- Barkley

"We couldn't be happier. The No. 1 with Yao Ming is very expected, but there were a lot of candidates at 15 and Nachbar is a well-rounded player." -- Tomjanovich

"We have a sellout crowd of 5,391 here at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, many of them basketball fans, the rest unable to get tickets to the Cher concert." -- Ernie Johnson

"It is a wakeup call for American basketball. For a game we created, there are some fundamental areas we are not addressing in our early stages of basketball that they are." --Smith on the European invasion

"This guy here, along with Freddie Jones, were the two most explosive players in college basketball last year. It is going to be fun to watch him develop." -- Barkley on Ryan Humphrey

"I was looking over at him and kept waiting for him to get picked. He can be a great scorer. I think the new rules will really help him as the floor opens up more. I think he just needs to work on his defense. -- Snyder on Kareem Rush, his former player at Missouri

"You mean you don't teach your kids defense?" -- Barkley

"No, we are taking after you, Charles." -- Snyder

"That might the only place where guys are saying, 'Please don't pick me!' -- Smith on the Trail Blazers

"He might be the only guy that is happy to be going there. Community college is like going from high school to the pros. He can sit back and learn." -- Smith on Portland's pick of Qyntel Woods

"I didn't know Craig Sager had a brother." -- Barkley on Casey Jacobson's attire "Craig Sager is the only guy on TV that can't get a date. It is almost impossible to be on TV and not be able to get a date." -- Barkley on Sager

"You know when Kenny and Charles first came into the league, they didn't speak English either." -- NBA commissioner David Stern

"It hurts me to say this, but this guy could probably play and play well. His best asset is probably his versatility ... he is good inside and outside. That is what will really help him." -- North Carolina alumnus Smith on Duke's Mike Dunleavy

"I thought I would be back for my senior year, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity." -- Dunleavy

"I am concerned if Yao Ming can hold his spot [in the paint] ... I'm concerned with his upper and lower body strength." -- Brown on Yao

"He looks terrific even though there is not perfect information out there. We see all of the high school players and college players all of the time. The key is to find potential and stars, but there has to be questions out there." -- Snyder on Yao

 

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