	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 25, 2019

Andre Roberson

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Q. Can you update us on where you are, what you can do right now and where you are in the process?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Well, I'm on good track to return for training camp, so as of right now, still waiting on the bone to kind of fully heal. But making great progress. Yeah. Running. You guys seen. Happy about that. So keep progressing.

Q. How close were you to returning when you had the last setback where they found the fracture?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Well, you guys kind of seen me a little bit, running, jumping. I would say about 85, 90 percent. I was about back, and then, you know, unfortunate things happened, went up for a dunk, heard a crunch, and got some imaging and there was a crack. So that's it.

Q. What was your reaction when you got that news?
ANDRE ROBERSON: I was kind of upset, sad, cried a little bit. But I told you once before, I believe everything happens for a reason, and it kind of helped me grow and learn different aspects of the game, not only the game but myself and grow from that and take it and use it on the rest of my life.

Q. Andre, when you first got hurt, I could tell just even in those weeks afterwards just how much it affected you. Not to say that all this hasn't affected you, but do you look at it a little differently having gone through all that you've gone through? Are you able to roll with it a little bit differently?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Yeah, for sure. It definitely took me a little bit of time to accept it, but now I'm in a great place. I'm at peace with myself and just kind of taking it for what it is. I'm in a great spot to kind of return fully and healthy, ready to go next season. That's all I can wish for at this point. Like I said, continue to grow and learn from it.

Q. I mean, these things have sort of been not necessarily completely and totally linked it doesn't seem like. Is that more frustrating, or is it like, okay, I know that that healed, that's fine, but I've got this other thing going on? How do you process them like that?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Well, they kind of work hand in hand. By me rupturing my patellar tendon it kind of shut off the blood supply to the patellar bone, which causes it to be weaker, and then when I was coming back I was working harder than the revascularizing of the tendon was happening, so you kind of see where the problem was there, and we did not know that at the time, unfortunately.

But kind of got everything -- nipped everything in the bud and we're in a great place right now. I'm on a bone diet, tendon diet, so should be good.

Q. The fact that your tendon, it wasn't like you reinjured the same thing.
ANDRE ROBERSON: No, the tendon was a hundred percent healthy.

Q. Does that make sense, you didn't reinjure --
ANDRE ROBERSON: Yeah, for sure, my tendon was healthy, looking great. Just the bone. That's about it.

Q. What have you felt or how have you felt about Terrance Ferguson, and how have you been able to help him?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Watching him grow over the year was great. Seeing him take on a role, especially at such a young age and grow, just shows where his future with this organization is going. He has a bright future. He still has a lot to learn, even me teaching him along the way. Can't teach him everything, you know. He has to learn things for himself on his own and kind of how his game is applied and then take it as his own.

He has a lot of years ahead of him, and he's going to be just fine.

Q. What do you mean by bone and tendon diet? I just want you to be specific about it.
ANDRE ROBERSON: Yeah, you know, more calcium, dairy products, and tendon, obviously I take collagen, Vitamin C, magnesium pills, just things that have a little more of that kind of stuff in it. I don't drink milk. I take calcium pills and I'll take shots. Kind of more than milk.

Q. How would you have defended Dame in that series?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Me personally, I don't know, it's kind of over and done with. You guys will have to find out next year. But no, he likes to go to the left, and he likes to shoot off his left a lot, so I wouldn't let him get that way. When he's on his right hand he likes to drive more. So kind of got to take that into account. Whenever he used the double drag he would split the first one every time. It's harder to kind of analyze when you're out there. It's kind of different when you're sitting back and watching it. Knowing that from experience. But yeah, I mean, he played a hell of a game. He had some unbelievable shots, and I guess it was destiny on his side.

Q. How hard is it to watch?
ANDRE ROBERSON: It was tough to watch. Second year in a row, missing Playoffs, knowing that first round you could have helped in certain ways, and it was just kind of frustrating. I just kind of got mad at myself after the series, just thinking all this could have been avoided, just going back to way before when. But like I said, it's a part that I grow, learn, listen to my body more and stuff like that. It was just frustrating, but at the same time, you know, it's a chance for our team to grow and learn and come back next year stronger.

Q. Billy said that you were basically running some film sessions for some of the guys; just to hear you describe Lillard not using the double -- just curious, what were those moments like for you to kind of be the tutor in some of those?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Well, initially it was kind of weird, just kind of being in that position. But at the same time, like I was in their shoes, Perk leading film session for me or Thabo leading the film session for me and me passing on kind of the knowledge, and that's what this game is all about. That's what life is all about. It was just kind of cool, kind of watch it take place, just sit back and kind of realize, s---, I'm doing this now. Excuse my language.

But it was cool to help those guys.

Q. You mentioned listening to your body more. Are you saying that you felt something at one time and you just kind of just said, okay, I'm going to play through it?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Yeah, of course. Obviously I felt it. I mean, it's kind of hard to rupture a patellar tendon. But everybody plays through something, you know. Nobody plays the game 100 percent. You're always fighting with something. At the time, you know, just kind of didn't know my own will or my own pain tolerance I should say, and I guess some are higher than others, and just happens that I guess mine is pretty high to kind of push through.

Q. Obviously as you watched these last year and a half or so, you can see the way the league is evolving with all those three-point shots going up. The game when you step back into it is still going to be basketball --
ANDRE ROBERSON: Yeah, I understand.

Q. How do you think you'll have to adjust because of that?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Well, for one, I was kind of nervous coming back anyways, just kind of seeing how soft the game is being called now. Just me being a physical defender, I was like, oh, s---, I'm going to be rusty, timing is going to be off and they're calling it soft, I was like, hmm, odds are kind of stacked up against me. But the game changes every year. Something is always new, and you've either got to adapt or you don't, or get lost. Only way I'm going to have to find out is by playing, going back out there preseason, getting used to the refs again and kind of the speed of the game. It's definitely going to be a little bit faster so I've got to be in great shape. So I'll be working on all that this summer.

Q. Having preseason in mind now as opposed to before you were coming in in the middle of the season, does that ease some of those nerves you're talking about?
ANDRE ROBERSON: No, no. Missing almost two years of basketball is tough. But I'm kind of excited. I've got a summer ahead of me. I've got a chance to kind of work out the rustiness, get some pick-up in eventually and kind of get a feel for the game, and definitely kind of get adjusted. I've been working out lifting, so I've definitely added some strength. So I've got to kind of learn myself a little bit more again. It'll be fun. It's definitely going to be a challenge but it's going to be fun.

Q. Russell typically will have some exhibition games in July. Is that still too early that you could be playing basketball by July?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Yeah, there's no point in me rushing or trying to get back to play an exhibition game. My end goal is to win a championship next year, and there's no rushing that. So we've got a whole season ahead. Summer, we'll see, kind of roll with the punches, not really having a goal. Just kind of going off of feel now. It'll be a little bit easier.

Q. Terrance in the starting lineup with you out, how would you feel about coming back and being a guy coming off the bench again like you were earlier in your career?
ANDRE ROBERSON: We'll just have to see. I mean, I wouldn't mind. Like I said before, whatever Coach asks me to do, I'm going to go out there and do it to the best of my abilities, whatever is best for the team. Whether it's T-Ferg or me starting, I'm going to go out there and support my guys either way. Yeah.

Q. What are you looking forward to the most, maybe not starting right away, but what is the one thing you're looking forward to the most next season?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Just being back on the floor, honestly, and just being in the arena. I guess kind of being in it, kind of take it for granted but now kind of stepped away, it's just like, man, it's kind of special, especially seeing all these guys retire like with their farewell games and stuff, it's like, all right, go out there, soak up every minute, every moment, and just kind of live in the moment and enjoy it.

Q. You have the unique perspective of sort of soaking in what was happening out there. A lot of your teammates were in the middle of it and sort of don't have that perspective. When you think about first-round exit, falling short of what I think a lot of you wanted out of this season, what do you point to as maybe those two or three things that maybe kept this team from going further, doing more?
ANDRE ROBERSON: I think each and every one of us has to look ourselves in the mirror and hold each other accountable. Enough pointing fingers, we've got to look at ourselves, what could I have done better, what could I have brought extra, what could I have done more, and next year come back hungrier and stronger. We do that, then we put ourselves in great position to go out there and be a top-tier team.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297