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NBA DRAFTJune 24, 2010Evan TurnerNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK No. 2 Selection, Philadelphia 76ers EVAN TURNER: I'm really excited to be here with you all tonight. It's a dream come true and looking forward to a great career. Q. Evan, how do you expect to fit in with the team? Do you think you have to earn minutes right away? Do you expect to be starting or have to fight for your minutes? EVAN TURNER: You know, just coming from the background, I think that you have to earn everything. I'm definitely ready to earn my minutes and earn my keep, and also, you know, just be part of the team and work hard and play hard. Q. You've been drafted by Philadelphia, a very, very demanding city, so how are you looking to deal with that pressure that you're going to have coming in? EVAN TURNER: I don't have any pressure, I don't think. I have a lot of demands from myself, so I'm going to play hard and work hard and I expect myself to be great and Philly especially to be great, and we have a mutual understanding. Q. How much did Ohio State's style of basketball prepare you for the NBA, and was that also a factor when you chose Ohio State instead of a couple other Big Ten schools thinking that they would prepare you maybe better than other sports? EVAN TURNER: I think Ohio State style prepared me because Coach Matta wants you to make plays and play hard and that's what the NBA is about, use a lot of pick-and-roll and play-making ability and it's all about toughness and grit. One thing that turned me on to Ohio State is all of the recruits he was bringing in with Cook and Oden, a lot of competition and a lot of NBA players there and that's what I was thinking, to get me prepared for the future. Q. If the NBA were not part of your life, what would you want to be doing? EVAN TURNER: I think definitely helping youth and also people who don't know, I want to learn how to play the acoustic guitar and maybe go on a world tour or something. Q. Do you have any musical background? EVAN TURNER: Not at all. Q. At the lottery, I talked to Jrue Holiday about the potential of playing with you after the Sixers got the No. 2 pick, and he had very high praise and knows your style of play. How much do you know about him, and can you talk about being paired with him? EVAN TURNER: I know he is kind of like a high school legend on the West Coast. He's well-respected and ambitious and a tremendous competitor and's a big backcourt guard and he's all about winning and he's competitive. He's young and he's only going to get better and I think we can grow together. Q. Are you ready to guarantee Philly in the playoffs next year? EVAN TURNER: You can't guarantee anything but I don't think about losing and I expect the playoffs, as well. I'm sure my teammates do, as well. As long as you play hard, everything will be fine. Q. Give us an idea of your defensive approach and your strengths and weaknesses? EVAN TURNER: I think you have to -- in regards to defense, I think you have to have an attack mentality on defense. You have to be ready to get down and also be aware, help your teammates out. You know, defense takes a great pride and respect for yourself and I'm ready to defend. Q. Weaknesses? EVAN TURNER: I just have to get more consistent in regards to weakness of my game, long-range, and also I think definitely my decision-making can get a little bit better as well. Q. What can Philadelphia expect right off the bat? EVAN TURNER: I'm a competitor and hate to lose and I'm a hard worker and versatile. I think they can expect somebody that means well. Q. I wondered Philadelphia calmed your nerves before 7:30? I saw David take a call and hand the phone to you. Wonder if you knew this was going to happen before anybody else? EVAN TURNER: You never stop thinking. Yeah, sort of calmed my nerves a little bit. We talked a little bit about and there was a high possibility they would be selecting me. Q. Since the Sixers traded Iverson three years ago, it's been a struggle looking for a player to really get excited about; do you think you can be that player to really get the fans back into the team? EVAN TURNER: I think I have a potential to be, a possibility to be. Once again I think I expect a lot out of myself and I've proven that in the past and I've worked hard. I think the team in general will be really excited. We have some new players and good young players, as well, so should already be excited, new additions, can do a lot of big things this season. Q. How much are you looking forward to playing with Coach Collins, as a veteran coach, how much are you looking forward to working with him? EVAN TURNER: I've been looking forward to playing with him all my life. He's been a player that's on top of the game at different stages of the game and coached some of the greatest players of all time and I can't wait to learn from him. Q. He was drafted by Philly, too. EVAN TURNER: Yeah, so he knows what it's all about. Q. John Wall announced a deal with Reebok yesterday and Derrick (Favors) is going with Adidas; will there be something from you in that department soon? EVAN TURNER: Maybe if somebody wants me, I'll find a spot. (Laughter). Q. What's the adjustment going to be playing without the bail for -- EVAN TURNER: I'm versatile. It's basketball. I think some people get tied up too much in, well, he hasn't done this and he hasn't done that. If you're a basketball player, you can make anything happen. End of FastScripts |
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