One on one with … Michael Redd, SG, Bucks

Sporting News, The, Nov 24, 2003 by Stan McNeal

After playing behind Ray Allen for most of his first three seasons, Redd is emerging as one of the league's top shooters. His scoring has been a key to the team's unexpectedly strong start.

TSN: What's the biggest reason for the fast start?

MR: We're playing with a passion. There's no egos on this team. And we have tapped into Coach (Terry) Porter's philosophies, especially on the defensive end. If we take every possession seriously, we'll be in most of our games.

TSN: Are you getting more open looks, or is your shooting that much better?

MR: My teammates are finding me, but my shooting has improved. Like I have for the past six or seven years, I spent the summer working with my high school coach, Keith Neal. Every Monday through Friday, we'd be at the local rec center early in the morning. I'd usually take 500 or 600 shots with him rebounding for me. I also worked more on shooting off the dribble, which has helped me since I'm handling the ball a little more.

TSN: Speaking of good shooters, you played behind Ray Allen until he left last season. Who's the better shooter?

MR: Hmm. I'll let you be the judge of that. Ray obviously is a great shooter, but you know I can't take anything away from my jumper. When we had 3-point shooting contests, it was pretty even.

TSN: What's the best way to describe the differences between this year's team and last year's?

MR: From 1 to 12, guys are energized every night. The team definitely has benefited from being younger.

TSN: What's the biggest difference between Porter and last year's coach, George Karl?

MR: Coach Porter is more laid-back, he's not in your face. He's definitely more calmed down than George.

TSN: Is being lefthanded ever an advantage?

MR: It's big. Guys are used to guarding people who are righthanded, and no matter what the scouting report says, in the heat of the moment, they think everyone is going right. Even though I work on going both ways, I still want to go left.

TSN: Of players past and present, who's a lefty with a shooting stroke as sweet as yours?

MR: Chris Mullin had a sweet stroke. He's the one that stands out.

TSN: Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, did you ever dream of playing football for the Buckeyes?

MR: Never. Too tough on the legs. I always wanted to play basketball. At first, I wanted to go to Michigan for basketball but by my senior year of high school, I felt it was more important to stick to Ohio State and help rebuild that program.

Scout's views

Observations and opinions from two scouts, one from each conference

Jazz point guard Carlos Arroyo may not look like anything special, but he has earned some respect around the league. What will be interesting to see is how teams adjust the second time they play against him. Jerry Sloan should get a lot of credit for the way he's coaching to the Jazz's personnel. They are running a lot of new stuff this season.... Vince Carter is playing the best he has in a couple of years, but it's clear that he still does not like getting banged around. He needs to be more consistently aggressive.... There will be a stretch this season when Yao Ming dominates, but he's having a hard time adjusting to some of the things the Rockets are doing. Last year, when they threw the ball in to him, everyone would stand around. Now after someone passes to him, they cut through, and Yao is not used to that. The help defense also is coming from somewhere different, and he's having to adjust.... Bucks point guard T.J. Ford is better than I thought. What's amazing is how good a rebounder he is--and when he gets the rebound, forget it. He'll beat everyone down the floor. I didn't think he would be able to finish like he has.... The Magic are trying to spread things out to make it more difficult for teams to focus on Tracy MrGrady, but they miss the shooting of Pat Garrity and Gordan Giricek bigtime. Without those two, there's no one McGrady can kick the ball out to.... If McGrady really is trying to get Doc Rivers fired, he is in for a rude awakening. There is no better coach in the league for a superstar. Doc treats him like royalty. McGrady is only 24, but you start to wonder if he's going to get it. To hear that stuff about retiring shows he literally doesn't have any connection to 99 percent of the world.