DeJuan Blair After Falling Out Of 1st Round Of NBA Draft
July 1, 2009 – 10:00 am by Bunk
On the eve of the 2009 NBA Draft last Wednesday, Sports Radio Interviews posted an interview with former Pitt Panthers forward DeJuan Blair as he was counting down the final 24 hours before learning his fate in the NBA. Throughout the entire process leading up to the draft, there had been concerns about Blair’s knees and about where he might best fit position wise at the next level. Despite those concerns, most mock boards had Blair going somewhere in the mid to late first round, at worst. Well, it appears those concerns were more substantial than some might have realized, as Blair fell all the way out of the first round before being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 37th overall pick in the second round. Blair joined KTKR in San Antonio on Tuesday to talk about his stock falling and how he feels fortunate to have landed with a perennially competitive team like the Spurs.
On how he’s feeling now that the draft is over, even if he did fall lower than he thought he might:
“I’m just feeling good man, coming to a veteran team with a veteran coach. It’s amazing man, it’s a blessing.”
On if he’s talked to Coach Greg Popovich:
“Yeah I talked to Pop, man. I love Pop. He’s a real good person, he’s an excellent coach – one of the best. I think he’s the best next to Phil Jackson, you know, so he’s amazing. I can not wait to get down there and come play with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. It’s amazing man. It’s going to be a blessing, but at the same time, I’m a winner and I’m going to a winning team so hopefully we’ll win and do a lot of great things.”
On if he’s scared of Coach Popovich:
“I hope he is, because if he’s not, that means he don’t like me. So I want him to be scary – I can take it, you know, so it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be a lot of fun being coached by a scary coach.”
On which of the following two nicknames he’d prefer: S.O.D (Steal of Draft) or Hasheem Thabeet’s Pimp:
“I like S.O.D…You’ve got to hype that up – S.O.D.”
Listen here to Blair on KTKR in San Antonio
Tags: DeJuan Blair, KTKR, NBA Draft 2009, NBA Draft grades, Pitt Panthers, San Antonio Spurs
