I love Minneapolis! For me, it's the best-kept secret in the world.
People always talk about the big cities as being the best place to
be and play, but I'm from a small town, Mauldin, in South Carolina.
And even though
Minneapolis is large, it has a small-town feel.
It's comfortable to me, and there's a lot to do. And the fans here
get behind you all the way.
How do you rate the T-Wolves' season last year?
You have to rate it very high. Just because we didn't make it to
the Finals, it's not like the whole season was a waste, because we
accomplished a lot of things teamwise and goalwise. I mean, I'm
motivated every year to compete, but there's extra motivation now
to take it to the next level.
Do you have any pregame rituals?
I like to play video games, because it takes my mind away from the
game ahead, and it doesn't make me as intense. It calms me down a
bit. My favorite game is a PlayStation2 game called SOCOM II: U.S.
Navy Seals. It's a combat, search, and destroy game. Playing games
like that allows me to channel some of my intensity. I also find
that playing
chess relaxes me. I do a lot of that online at home. I
don't
know specifically who I'm playing, but some of them are like chess
masters. I like to be competitive in a lot of things I do. Game day
for me is a very physical day - the preparation, then the game
itself - so the chess not only calms me down, but gets me focused.
The Minnesota Vikings supposedly have a game room set up for
their players. Do the Timberwolves have anything like that?
We don't have a specific game room set up, and that's fine, because
when I get to the Target Center it's all business. No time for
video games then.
We hear golf is another sport you're really intense about. Where
do you like to play, and who do you play with?