Jim O’Brien Talks Draft, Pacers
June 23, 2009 – 9:15 am by Will Brinson
Jim O’Brien’s always been an underrated coach, at least in my opinion. Plus, the Indiana Pacers are kind of a train wreck right now (my boy, Danny Granger, aside) and he did a pretty good job with the squad last year, all things given.
So, one would think that he feels somewhat comfortable with his job security, although grabbing a breakout rookie in this year’s draft could really do a big job to boost the team’s morale. So, naturally, 1070 the Fan asked O’Brien all about the draft.
On whether they pay attention to “that goofball” Bob WhatsHisFace of the Indy Star:
“You know, the truth of the matter is, Bob probably knows about as much as I do when it comes to who Larry’s going to pick. It’s a unique draft, because everyone can pick the first four, but after that — we had a young man from UCLA, Jrue Holiday, and we asked him where he would go. And he said anywhere from 4-14. And at this point in the draft, to have a guy that talented not know where he’s going to go in a shorter range, is very, very surprising.”
On what they look for in workouts:
“People don’t really look at toughness, necessarily. Certainly, we need talent. But we had a young man we interviewed this year and we asked him how he thought the workout had gone. And he said, “Look Coach, you can’t teach toughness.” So we’re looking for a great athlete with mental and physical toughness. If we can get that combination we’ll be in business.”
On what position he’s looking for:
“You know, we’re looking for the best player. You’re always in a little bit of danger if you slot somebody … You pick by position, if that player fits the position.”
On DeJuan Blair:
“I think Blair is a stud. Tough-minded, you know, he’s not tall — 6’6″, long arms, but he’ll beat you to death in the low post, both offensively and defensively. He had a great game against a guy who’s probably going to be the second pick, Thabeet, and it doesn’t matter how big you are when you play against Blair, he’s going to beat you up.”
Listen to Jim O’Brien on 1070 the Fan in Indianapolis with Kravitz and Eddie
Tags: DeJuan Blair, Indiana Pacers, Jim O'Brien, Jrue Holiday
