Due Diligence on the Windhorst Interview
November 19, 2010You Were Warned…
November 19, 2010A year ago, the crowd of cameras and voice recorders was located in the far corner of the Cavaliers locker room. With LeBron James commanding the room of beat writers looking for their postgame quotes, players and PR folks were free to roam in and out of the room as the hord was avoidable.
This season, it’s a bit of a different story with guard Daniel Gibson, whose locker is located right in front of the Cavaliers locker room doorway. If you’re not in the locker room in the first wave, there’s a good chance you’re standing in the hallway waiting to merge and squeeze past the mass as if a lane closing on a interstate.
Though not listed on the All-Star ballot (write-in?) Boobie is averaging career- bests across the board: 14.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game. But, according to Gibson, while it is great to finally get the opportunity to be playing – and playing very well, mind you – all of the attention only means something to him if the team wins.
Sure, it may sound like the typical cliché response from an athlete (and Gibson himself could probably tell that I felt that was the case due to the “sure, whatever you say, man” grin on my face), but with the cameras and the recorders off, he reiterated that it’s the win total that means the most.
“I’m being real when I say that,” said Gibson. “All this attention is great, and I’m glad I’ve been afforded the opportunity to play, but it’s all about winning.”
Understandably, with the New Expression Cavaliers, the wins are a lot tougher to come by. Playing what has been one of the easiest schedules to date, gone are the days of one-loss seasons at home. In fact, the Cavaliers won just their second home game this past Tuesday after falling to Sacramento, Atlanta, New Jersey and Indiana in previous contests.
Now, the Cavs take to the road to face admittedly tougher opponents in the New Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs in back-to-back nights. Things will not get much easier next weekend with another back-to-back which features the Orlando Magic and the young and improving Memphis Grizzlies.
But for now, Gibson takes pride in the fact that Byron Scott has shown faith in his abilities. He’ll crack a smile when told that the team will have to move his locker for the fear of a fire hazard, but most of all, he’s having fun.
“It’s fun basketball because on any night, you could have a different leading scorer,” said Gibson. “Any night, you could be counting on someone different and everybody is playing together. Nobody is out there just looking for their own shot and I think that’s what basketball should be about: guys just going out there and playing the game the right way and enjoying themselves.”
Ten games in, it seems that Gibson can be grouped in to those that are enjoying themselves. An increased win total will only continue to elevate his spirits.
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Photo: Scott Sargent / WFNY
1 Comment
Go ‘head Boobie! The only relevant jersey I have left is yours.