McInnis, Bickerstaff Discuss the Trade

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">here was so much interesting stuff off the Jeff McInnis trade to the Charlotte Bobcats that it didn?t fit in the story in Thursday?s Observer. So here are some additional quotes, with aid from colleagues Ron Green Jr. and Langston Wertz:

From McInnis:

"I?m excited. It hasn?t hit me yet, you know? I haven?t played since January. I?m healthy and the New Jersey situation is behind me. Now I couldn?t think of a better place to come to. I always dreamed of playing at home in Charlotte. Now I?ve got the opportunity to take advantage of that, man, to come in and do what I can to help out. I?m not trying to step on anyone?s toes or to take anyone?s job. I just want to help out."

What?s your relationship like with Bernie Bickerstaff?

"It?s great. We always kept in touch, I keep up with him and coach (Paul) Silas. I look at them as mentors. I can call coach Silas or coach Bickerstaff anytime when I have a situation in the NBA or in life. People say me and coach Silas didn?t get along in Cleveland. That?s what y?all read and write. I had lunch with Paul in Ballantyne and somebody saw us and said, ?I thought y?all didn?t get along, that y?all didn?t like each other.? I ate with him and his wife, but that?s what the media said, that we didn?t like each other. I?m tired of having my name in negative stuff. I?ve been in league nine or10 years now, and people will think what they think and say what they say. I?m making money in the league and having fun in the league. My family knows who I am. My 6-year-old son (Jeff Jr., called Little Jeff), he knows me.

On playing here:

"It?s basketball. There will be a lot of ticket requests, but basketball is basketball. I don?t think I could?ve handled (playing at home) as well at 20 or 21. But having a kid changed my life. It slowed me down a lot, the stuff I do off the court, like going to clubs. I still go out, but I slowed down a lot the last couple of years. Just seeing a son shows you another side of life. I?ve got my son to go home to. That?s my happiness. Early in my career basketball made or broke me. I would get mad and take work home. Now I know it?s a job, and I take it as that.

Are you high-maintenance like your rep says?

(He laughs). "That?s almost like a prima donna, right? Damn, I don?t get how I get that reputation. Most guys wouldn?t take the roles I have taken. I?ve always been a shadow guy. I wouldn?t go to UNC to get attention and let Stack and Rasheed get all the props. I would?ve gone somewhere where I could get noticed more. Man, I just wanna know who says all this stuff about me? It?s like all the stuff in New Jersey (he says that people assumed he was a bad apple because of a years-old reputation and as soon as something bad would happen, everyone would point to him and say, he?s a bad apple, just like in Denver. He says Denver was a long time ago). I don?t care what people think, but let it be the truth. I have brought some stuff on myself, I?ll admit that. I did stuff early in my career. I talked back to coaches, and I won?t deny it. Now I grew through it, and why is it coming back to haunt me now? Can?t a person move on? It?s kind of unfair, but I know I have to deal with it. I?ve been through it. Ultimately, I?m happy to be here. There?s no better feeling I have than to try and end my career here. My agent expressed to (the Bobcats) that he didn?t want this to be a one-year, right here thing. But I was not supposed to have ever been in this league, and this is my ninth or 10th year. I?m going to try hard to stay here.??</div>

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