Dec. 30 vs. Utah Jazz - Sam Mitchell and Quin Snyder Pregame Quotes
Timberwolves Interim Head Coach Sam Mitchell
On Ricky Rubio recent defensive success…
“I think he’s just being aggressive, following the game plan. You have to be careful about steals because that’s not necessarily a great stat to be leading in, it just depends on how you get them and when you get them. There have been teams that led the league in steals but have been the worst team stats-wise defensively. So we don’t preach or we don’t want our guys out there actively looking for steals, if the opportunity presents itself and you have to be awfully sure, because if you don’t get it then you open up the defense.”
On defense and shot-blocking…
“It’s not the shots you block it’s the shots you can change. So just remember that, it’s not the ones you block, it’s the ones that you contest and change. Stats are great but stats can be misleading, so you have to be careful as coaches, if you coach by that plus/minus who’s going to play most of the game? Because if you look at our plus and minus after most games especially when you lose, 90 percent of your guys are minus, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they played bad. To me guys like Gobert, Dikembe Mutombo, Whiteside, those guys may block three or four shots, but they probably alter or make you think about another 15.”
On Tyus Jones and Zach LaVine in their recent play…
“I don’t think two games is enough, that wouldn’t be fair, we aren’t going to judge Tyus. The thing I’ll say about Tyus is that he plays extremely hard, he’s trying to assimilate himself into the rotation by just playing defense and running the offense. At certain points we know Tyus can shoot the basketball and we encourage him to shoot when he’s open, but Tyus is a smart kid and he’s just coming in and playing defense and moving the basketball and trying to get other guys going and that’s what you need right now. When you have a young player those are the things that you need to try and do, learn how to play without making mistakes and learn how to carry out your defensive assignments.”
Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder
On playing shorthanded…
“We didn’t talk about it because it’s not a long time ago, but by all standards I think our focus has been on ourselves, but it’s something we’re aware of. Any team - it’s the NBA - any team on any given night, these guys are all NBA players. Some of them All-Stars, some of them are D-League guys, whatever the case is. But all these guys are here for a reason.”
On Gordon Hayward getting to the free-throw line….
“I think it’s something that he’s getting more definitive in his game offensively. I’d like to think that would be the case regardless with who’s on the floor, but I think that’s been a point of emphasis, him attacking.”
On being part of the Duke tradition…
“I know Tyus. I talked to him in Chicago for a while before the draft and that group of guys, Tyus and Justise Winslow and Okafor. We met with Justise and Tyus. That was a unique group. There was a level of character and poise and that’s who he is… I was proud to go to his school.”