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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CAVALIERS v HAWKSMay 23, 2015Mike BudenholzerCLEVELAND, OHIO: Practice Day Q. Can we just start to getting your reaction to the news on Kyle today and what you might do going forward there. COACH BUDENHOLZER: Obviously, very, very unfortunate for Kyle. He's such a big part of what we do, but we will‑‑ there will be other people who will get opportunities, and we expect to compete and get after it tomorrow in Game 3. I don't think anybody's going to feel sorry for us. Q. Do you have an idea what you might do to replace him in the starting lineup? COACH BUDENHOLZER: No. Right now we don't. I think we'll talk about it this afternoon and this evening. My guess is we will make a decision before shootaround and be able to answer that question then. Q. The release that you sent out said that he would seek a second opinion. Do you know when that will be? COACH BUDENHOLZER: No. I think, because of the weekend and including a holiday weekend, I think some of those details are being organized, trying to be put together. So we do not know when that will happen. Q. Did DeMarre come out of Game 2 okay? Do you expect him to be able to go for Game 3? Is that part of the decision on how you'll handle Kyle being out? COACH BUDENHOLZER: DeMarre made it through last night good. I think he's still a little sore. It's still‑‑ you know, but considering the circumstances, he made it through last night well, and we expect him to play tomorrow. We expect him to be good. I don't know that he has a big impact on how we decide to‑‑ who starts and who doesn't start. Obviously, him being healthy and him being able to play is pretty important, considering Kyle will not, but exactly how we go or don't go, I don't think DeMarre will‑‑ it's connected in some ways, but in some ways I guess it's not. Q. I just thought it might be connected with Bazemore maybe, that he slides over there or something, but I understand. COACH BUDENHOLZER: Well, Baze is obviously‑‑ Baze is someone we'll consider that has the potential to start. And DeMarre and Baze have played together. We sub Baze in for Kyle usually pretty early in the first quarter. So they play together a fair amount, and they'll probably have to play together more, whether it's to start the game or not. We're going to beef that up a little bit. Q. How difficult is it going down the stretch here of the season and frustrating, from a coaching perspective, of losing bodies left and right, particularly at this stage of the year? COACH BUDENHOLZER: Well, injuries are such a big part of our league and a big part of the playoffs. Everybody has to deal with them, and we're not any different. Of course you'd love to have everybody healthy and have your whole team and be at full speed. That's the ideal. But you can't spend too much time or frustration thinking about it, concerned about it. You've just got to get your mind right. You've got to get your mind focused. And the guys that are healthy and the guys that are available get ready to compete, get ready to get after it, and go play a basketball game. Q. I just want to know in general, just what it‑‑ if you were sort of expecting this when you left the arena last night and what impact does it have to lose Kyle? I know he's kind of struggled in the playoffs, but he does so much for you guys in terms of drawing attention. COACH BUDENHOLZER: Oh, yeah, his impact on the games are‑‑ I mean, you're around every day. You guys, particularly you, Paul, you see it, and you know it. So we will miss him. As far as what I expected when I left the arena, I don't really know what I expected. I think, when you have somebody roll onto your leg, those things can be problematic. I guess there was some hope last night that maybe it wouldn't be that bad or it would be something that was less serious, but you always kind of hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Q. What do you think is the mindset of the team? Like you said, everybody has that next‑up mentality, but particularly with you guys, with two tough games at home and being down in the series, and now to get this news today, are you worried what it kind of does to the team mentally as you try to get ready for Game 3? COACH BUDENHOLZER: I think that the mental approach is going to be important. In a way, it maybe makes it‑‑ what's the word? It kind of hammers it home. Whether we're down in a series, whether we've lost a player, whatever the situation may be, that having the right mental approach, no matter what the situation, no matter what is happening, is going to be the most important thing for us. So you almost get double punched, and it just fortifies or makes it more clear to you how important our approach is. Not just because of where we are in the series, but in addition, we lost Kyle. Q. How is he taking the news, by the way? Have you had a chance to kind of speak with him, I guess? What was his reaction? COACH BUDENHOLZER: Yeah, he's‑‑ I think he's such a good teammate and such a competitor. I think to not be there and not to be in the middle of this opportunity, in the middle of this series is‑‑ you can just imagine. It's very, very difficult for him personally but more so for how much this team has done together and how much he's been a part of that. He's been a huge part of our leadership, our fabric, our fiber, all of that. So it's hard on him, but he's also very mature. He understands that it's part of competing and part of sports. So I think he's ‑‑ considering the circumstances, he's handling it in a really mature and really professional way and feels really badly for his team and obviously for himself. Q. Slightly different subject, Mike. How do you deal with LeBron? I mean, nobody‑‑ as you all said, nobody stops him. I would assume you've got to slow him down a little bit because he really seems like a guy on a mission right now, especially with guys out around him as well. COACH BUDENHOLZER: Yeah, there's no doubt we have to do a better job defending him, I think both individually and as a team, and I think, if we can keep him in front of us, that or just take away the paint better, hopefully limit some of the players around him, there's just‑‑ we've got to‑‑ at the end of the day, I think, the three‑point shooting, the players around him, his passing, I think, is probably as much or more of a concern than anything. We've got to do a better job of taking away passing lanes. We've got to do a better job of arriving on pass and contesting shots. So that's really not any different than coming into the series, but I think, as you experience it, as you see it and you feel it, hopefully, we can get better as the series goes on. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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