One on one with … Jason Richardson - NBA Insider - basketball player - Interview

After winning the slam dunk contest and receiving MVP honors in the rookies vs. sophomores game on All-Star weekend, Warriors rookie guard Jason Richardson has parlayed that success into more confident performances. He has averaged 16.3 points since the break, vaulting into the Rookie of the Year race. TSN's Sean Deveney caught up with Richardson and asked him about his turnaround.

TSN: Well, you have been playing well, personally, lately. Is there any reason behind it?

JR: I just have been trying to help this team out as much as I can. I got a little energy from the All-Star break, winning the dunk contest and being MVP of the rookie game. That gave me some confidence. Now I want to pick it up for the whole second half of the season.

TSN: Had you worked on the dunks?

JR: The Wednesday before I left, the last day we had practice before the break, we had a 9 o'clock practice, but me and Gilbert (Arenas) came in at 8, and that was the first time we worked on it. We didn't even really work on it seriously. We just went over the dunks I knew I could do, and those are the ones I did in the contest. That last dunk I tried, that one I had only tried once before. And I had missed it. But I knew it was one I could get, so I put it up my sleeve.

TSN: There was some controversy over that dunk, though. They weren't going to let you do it over after you missed it the first time.

JR: I had tried one between my legs, but what happened was that I had bruised my whole forearm on the one before from dunking so hard. So I could not catch the ball; it was hurting. When the ball went between my legs, it slipped out because I could not catch it. I had no feeling in my hand. They tried saying it was an attempt, but I was like, `No, you have got to give me that again. We can't let it end on this.' Everybody on the sideline was saying, `You've got to give him another chance.' So that's when I pulled out that dunk.

TSN: I remember talking to scouts near the draft who said you were a great athlete who did not have any kind of shot. I guess they were wrong on that.

JR: I think people took that too far. I know I am not a great shooter, but I know I am not a horrible shooter. I am an average shooter right now, one who needs to get better. You look at (Michael) Jordan and Kobe (Bryant) when they came in--and I am not saying that I am them--but those guys were not very good shooters when they came in. Look at them now. They are great shooters. I think the more I work on it, the better shooter I become.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Sporting News Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group