Today's players aren't as cool as Iceman

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Mar 17, 2004

Q. Name a player right now you really admire.

A. There's a few of them. I like Kobe (Bryant). I like Tracy McGrady. I like the boy out of Toronto, Vince Carter.

Q. You don't see any finger rolls today you like?

A. Naw, I ain't seen one. A lot of our kids today don't identify with the history. So, therefore, you ain't got no resources to pull from. So you got to reinvent the wheel, which you can't do.

Q. What did you think of Allen Iverson's refusal to come off the bench for Philadelphia because he wasn't starting?

A. It's the youth of today. But you gotta respect authority. In my eyes, Allen is wrong. It's something he's got to rethink. He's got to realize that "I did make a mistake."

Q. Is the present-day NBA game appealing to you?

A. I enjoy it because I'm still involved with the (Spurs) franchise (in community relations). I've been with them for 26 years, and we won the championship last year. I still have a lot of love for the game, but they ain't producing like we produced 10, 12 years ago. They don't shoot the ball as well because they don't go in the gym and shoot 500, 600, 700 shots a game. I shot 84 percent on free throws and 51 percent on two-point field goals. And that's 26,595 points.

Q. Was the talent in your day as good as it is now?

A. It ain't as good today as it was yesterday. Give me $50 million and tell me to show up, you ain't telling me to produce. It's kinda hard to get better. I tell these kids to get into the community and find some kid you can mentor. That's what keeps you humble. Other than that, you're going to be on that cloud you're on, and a good head of wind is going to come and might blow you away, and we might never can find you.