David West - Interview

What can you say about David West? Other than he is developing into one of the best PFs in the league. DW gives us the 411 on all things Hornets here.

Competition in the West:
There’s no weak team in our southwest division, so we know we’re going to be fighting some of the best teams in the NBA every night. We just have to match their challenge, and understand they bring the same edge as we do.

Hornet Philosophy:
I think: just play hard, that’s about it. When you put maximum effort forward everything else just falls into place.

Explaining the Princeton Offense For Dummies:
If they don’t have some form of basketball IQ I can’t…OK:

1) Always move.

2) Don’t stand still -- that’s the biggest way to kill the offense.

3) When guys, or the ball, are coming toward you, look for the backdoor.

Coach B. Scott Runs Him Hard:
I think it’s all relative. I think what he tries to do is make sure we stay in shape, but he does run us. But again, it’s about us making sure that we’re prepared to play. Especially for guys not playing in the actual game, because they can get out of shape. And if you’re not getting up and down in practice…

Coach's Style:
He says what he wants, in terms of how he feels about guys. But basically, he puts it on you to perform. Do your job. At the same time, one of the things I do appreciate the most is the opportunity to play. There’s a lot of coaches in the league that will bark you down, you know, standing up every play, every time down the floor calling plays, and be completely in your face. Coach allows your ability to take over. He’s not going to try to limit you. He just wants you to be constantly aggressive, be on the attack all the time. That’s one thing I can appreciate, because I know, just from talking to guys around the league, that’s something you don’t get everywhere. You don’t just have the opportunity to just play.

On B. Scott coaching more in practice:
Yeah, but he coaches in the games too. It works both ways. I mean, in terms of trusting the guys so every time down the floor he doesn't’t have to call a play. We’re just looking to make basketball plays. That’s what it comes down to. Phoenix beats people because they make basketball plays in their offensive set every time down the floor. And they have freedom within those sets.

B.Scott's J:
I will say that he still can shoot and he does take guy’s money. In shooting games, he will take your money if you think you can shoot better than him.

B. Scott vs. Peja:
I don’t know who I’d put my money on. If one guy gets hot, man, it could be anybody’s show.

Assistant Coach Darrell Walker:
I think, number one, he just has that brutal honesty. And, a lot of guys can’t deal with it. Again, it’s not necessarily to beat you down. I think it’s more or less where you know exactly where he stands on every single situation. He’s old school in terms of letting guys know when they messed up. Or letting guys know that they need to be playing better and they need to be making shots. It just comes down to that. He’s going to speak his mind, and he’s going to talk to you like a man. And you gotta be man enough to take the criticism.

When Darrell Talks...
Again, you should listen, because he’s been there, he’s a proven player. But at the same time, he’s in a different capacity now because he’s not a player, he’s a coach. So you gotta look at it in terms of that. He’s not gonna sugarcoat things, none of our coaches will.

Playing with Peja and Bobby Jackson:
They’re winners. They’ve won in the league. And they know the offense. They used to run similar sets in Sacramento. And I think it’s a great opportunity to have some veteran leadership. You can learn from older guys who have been through some of the wars.

Chris Paul:
I think he understands what’s needed in order for us to be successful. He’s understood that from day one. He’s just going to continue to push the team's limits in terms of how willing we are, and how much we gotta keep up with him, how much it’s going to take for us to keep up, so he has options to pass to. With his ability, to always play at that speed and that pace, it’s something you gotta be prepared for. And he’ll let you know if you’re not running, and he needs you to run with him.

David West:
I just want to bring improvement to my game. I don’t want to take any backward steps, everything is going to be moving forward.
Favorite TV Show: I like Countdown with Keith Olberman.

Coolest Dresser:
Some of these guys have the European look going on. Rasual. I think Tyson’s got a little Euro look going on as well. But, I don’t know, to each his own I guess.

DW's Style:
My style’s laid back, just jeans and a t-shirt. I’m comfortable, man. Comfort is my number one goal.

DW, DJ:
I’m listening to whatever hip hop artist I’m feeling that day. I sometimes give guys exclusive music. I just have the most music. The most access to music. I know a lot of guys that get a lot of mixed tape music and stuff like that. So my teammates look to me for some new stuff. Stuff that’s not out on the radio yet.

Hornets Like:
I think we like playing against Phoenix because we know the style of play, you know the type of game it’s going to be up and down, a lot of scoring. Those are the best kind of games to play in. Phoenix just sucks you into their brand of basketball, so it’s almost contagious. It’s going to be more playground fun.

Key to Crunch-time:
Having the confidence to not be worried about the outcome. It’s always just having the confidence to be in that position, to be man enough to take that shot.

Strangest thing about Tyson Chandler:
I don’t think he’s strange.