Utah Jazz Press Conference

[c_prej]

We would like to welcome everyone. We were quite busy this offseason. First we would like to thank and wish Rashard Lewis the best on his new adventure. We loved Lewis and what he did while in Utah. This was a hard decision but what we recieved in return we felt was better for the franchise. In the trade we get back our starting PF Antione Walker. We are excited to welcome him back to Utah. We never really wanted to move him but we felt we had to try something to improve our w/l record. In addition to Walker we recieved the 2nd overall pick in the 2007 draft. We were super excited to be able to draft Greg Oden! We truley believe a true center like Oden is what our team has been missing to get back to the playoffs and contend. We are looking forward to high rebound numbers and hopefully more block at the center postion. After the draft our focus shifted to find a replacement for Lewis. We are glad to introduce Mr. Grant Hill. We feel he will be the perfect replacement for Lewis. He brings good defense with the ability to score too. Also like to thank Mo Williams for returning to the team. We feel the contract we agreed too was fair for both parties. Thanks, and the floor is open for questions.

[The JNR]

DLB: You've certainly gone through quite the turnaround. Is it safe to say your mentality is playoffs or bust?

[BeeBall Reasons]

Are you worried that Hill might not be the same player at age 35? What stat line do you expect from Greg Oden?

[Pelicans78]

Who do you expect from your backcourt and perimeter players this season? What can you tell us about possible gameplans this season?

[c_prej]

DLB: You've certainly gone through quite the turnaround. Is it safe to say your mentality is playoffs or bust?

We are ready to make it back to the playoffs!

[c_prej]

Are you worried that Hill might not be the same player at age 35? What stat line do you expect from Greg Oden?

We are not worried about Hill's age. Oden is very talented player, we are hoping he will average 12 points 10 rebound and 2 blocks a game. We are hoping overtime he will be able to compete for dpoy on a regular basis.

[c_prej]

Who do you expect from your backcourt and perimeter players this season? What can you tell us about possible gameplans this season?

We are excpecting better defens and more rebounding. We struggled last year but feel we have filled those needs. We are leaning towards an inside scroing focus. As far as defense we are still trying to figure our plan out.