Otis Smith Quotes (45 Quotes)

The things we've done might look frantic, but they are calculated moves. Our objective is to win a championship. Being mediocre isn't OK with me, with ownership, or with Coach Brian Hill. We're taking steps with a goal of winning a championship.

We'll give Dwight the ball where he needs the ball -- on the move, in action where he's not seeing triple and double teams.

I think he needs a chance. He's a very skilled 7-foot basketball player that can shoot the ball from the elbow, top-of-the-key area, 15-17 foot range. I think he just needed a change to show what he can do.

We now consider the matter closed and look forward to Steve's return to practice tomorrow.

Hey, there is a first time for everything. But you're asking the wrong guy. That's a coach's decision.

I think we have learned that you want to be able to control your own destiny, and as you go through the season you have to realize that December, January and February are just as important as the games down the stretch.

Dwight could have a shot at greatness. That's kind of always been the difference in the two.

I thought it was a good-faith effort on our part to show them they're part of our future. It's one thing to say it and another thing to show it.

Everybody's career has ups and downs and times when they're not playing well, and Steve is going through a tough time right now. We just can't seem to put our fingers on what is causing it all right now.

Unfortunately and fortunately, we're not that far out. We have to make hay, but there's still room for us to make the playoffs. Guys have to come together, get on the same page and understand that we haven't thrown in the towel.

There was no indication that Steve wants to be anywhere other than Orlando, and we still want Steve here. Steve is still a vital part of our franchise. We need Steve to win basketball games.

I don't have a deal at this time. It's still a ways away. It's 50-50 right now.

Whether you like him or dislike him, Kobe is a special player. He has the killer instinct in him that a lot of the talented players don't have. When he smells blood, he goes for the jugular. That's a (Michael) Jordan-like quality.

I still think we need a physical presence inside. We've got length, but not enough girth inside. We need some bodies there. You can argue whether or not we need another shooter, somebody who can knock down consistent shots coming off screens. Those are the areas of concern.

When we hired Brian, there were specific reasons -- like his attention to detail, his knowledge of the game, his ability to teach. And those are the same reasons we've turned it around. We've got the right guy.

I've seen coaches lose players many times when things go badly. That didn't happen here. He wouldn't let anyone quit. And the attention to details he had when we were losing paid dividends when we started winning.

We've talked with them, but we've talked to a lot of teams. I still like the team that we've assembled, but we just haven't been able to see it together because of injuries. So we're having to look at some different things. You can't just be stagnant. Like they say, if you're not getting better, you're getting worse.

We're still evaluating, still using the phones and we have seven days to see what's out there and what we can do. Right now we have the team on the floor and we'll make evaluations as we go.

It's just Grant being Grant. He's cautious and wanting to make sure everything is OK and he's not hurting himself more.

I haven't really seen Steve Francis in three weeks. He's been on the team, but he really hasn't played the type of basketball he's capable of playing. I told him I expect him to lead this team. At this point, we haven't had any leadership.

We thought about Crawford and we liked him a lot, but it came down to is he going to make us three, four or five games better Or do you want to just go get the people who will fit what you want to do as opposed to trading for another contract We decided to go for the player we wanted rather than just the one who fit the dollars of the trade.

The guys are putting in the time and it's a great sign that so many of them are already in working well together. I think we are a playoff team. I think we have a pretty good chance. I like where we're going and I really like the pieces that we have.

We will have a conversation with Penny Hardaway, but Penny Hardaway will never put on an Orlando Magic uniform.

It's another part of the growing-up process for our young guys. What is happening now won't be a problem in the future.

There's no need to panic, and this could actually make our team stronger in the long run. We have to look and see what's out there, but there's no need to get somebody who is going to take three to six weeks to catch up. We'll look at who's out there, but we're not going to do anything to hurt our team.

Getting him into the rotation for a team that was playing for a championship two years in a row, that was tough for them. We haven't seen him (play). So it gives us an opportunity to see what he can do.

He's a young big guy with a lot of potential. If you're going to take a run at a player, you want to make that run at a 7-foot player.

Jerry Reynolds was trying to dribble the clock out because he didn't know Scott was closing in on the record. But then Reynolds ended up scoring the goal to give Scott the record.

We've got more guys hurt than we've got guys healthy. So of course we're looking.

It doesn't have legs. We're not looking for an opportunity to move Steve Francis.

The fans look at the game the way we have presented the game. That's just the way basketball is now and somehow we have to change it back.

We've got to stop talking about just making the playoffs. These are the kinds of steps you have to go through to eventually win a championship. That's something we want to do someday, not just make the playoffs.

We have to stop talking about the playoffs. The playoffs is a means to an end, with the end being a championship. But you've got to get to the playoffs in order to get that far, so I do understand that part of it.

Steve is still a good player in this league. Whether he goes from good to great is going to be on Steve.

We've had a conversation, but whether we're going to extend him based on 30 games or not, I'm not sure yet. We'll continue conversations and evaluate it, and if it makes sense and it's something we want to do from a numbers standpoint, we'll do it. But if we can't keep the numbers down, we won't engage it.

We'll miss Steve in a lot of ways. We'll miss the passion he brought for the game, we'll miss the energy he brought for the game, but I think we'll be better off in the future.

We have glimpses of four games where we play decent basketball. And then we have four games where we look like a different team.

It was more something that happened (Wednesday) night than a cumulative thing. It was something that happened during the game and afterward. We're going to handle it internally.

Coach Hill, Steve and I had a productive meeting today. We now consider the matter closed and look forward to Steve's return to practice.

It was obvious we weren't getting it done with what we had. That's disappointing, but it was time to do what was best for the future.

I talked to Steve more about his basketball than his mindset and I'm sure he's uncomfortable right now. He likes to be loved and I know that. When he hears some of the stuff out there I know he gets his head down. But I just wanted him to know that we still love him.

I still fully expect him to be here on the 24th, but that's just the way I think. It's something that is going to go down to the 25th hour. We've still got time.

I don't look at Steve as being any trouble. We're just trying to get Steve Francis back. As I told him, I haven't really seen Steve Francis in three weeks. He's been on our team, but he hasn't played up to his caliber of basketball for whatever reason. We're just trying to get to the bottom of that and get him back to playing basketball the way he's capable of playing. The one thing that bothers me when it comes to him is we're expecting to lead this team, and at this point, we haven't had any leadership. We're looking forward to that stepping up, too.

With this flexibility, I think you're able to get the players you want to get as opposed to doing a trade for bodies that years from now might not help you. It's about complementary pieces that can win you a championship it's not about collecting as many bodies as you can.

He's a young big (man) with a lot of potential that hasn't gotten an opportunity to play. In my mind, if you take a run at a player, you want to take a run at a 7-foot player that has potential.