Listened to an interview on local Orlando sports radio today with Jermaine Taylor. Bullet points -Believes Dez Bryant needs to be part of the team and not worry about something so small. Was asked what the Rockets players made him do and stated that it was mostly just carrying bags or getting donuts. Laughed that he didn't mind carrying bags because the guys made so much money that usually they were Guicci or Louis Vitton bags. -Wasn't nervous at all during his first start against the Lakers, and was happy that coach trusted him to guard Kobe, really didn't want to disappoint his coach. -Biggest surprise for him in his transition into the NBA was the spacing due to not having the 3 second rule. -Believes that if he would of followed his football career he would of been just as good at Football, in High School he ran a 4.5 40 Yard dash. -Asked about Yao's progress and said he had no idea, even though he states he has watched Yao several times workout. -Says that the Rockets have a really good team with Yao, Scola, Martin, Brooks, Ariza that the Rockets just need to work it out. -The NBDL helped him develop his game to the extent where he could actually spend time on the NBA court. Wasn't frustrated about shuffling to the NBDL, didn't want to pout. Saw it as an opportunity for more minutes. -Mentioning his start against the Lakers where he had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and two assists and the interviewer asked if he should be considered for a starting role, to which JT said most definately. Admitted that he did not have control, that all he could do is work. -Said that the Heat would be really tough to beat, but that they aren't unbeatable. -His choice for three teammates to surrond himself with right now were Kobe, Lebron, DWade. -Said he patterns his game after D Wade and that their games are very similar. Stated that he watched him and Kobe mostly -Wants more Twitter followers. Said he won't deny anyone so request is jtaylor8ball or jtayloreightball he didnt specify which way it was, but it was the one time during the whole interview he actually sounded excited about anything. Notes: Weird that he stated he has watched Yao several times, and amongst the conflicting reports of Yao's progress, he couldn't shed any light on it, actually that he had no idea. He was about as mundane and monotone as the Ferris Bueller Teacher who does the visine commercials. Didn't say much about the Rockets when lead into this portion of the interview, only that the Rox would have to find a way to put all together.
i like jt alot. he seems like a cool dude and has alot of potential. hopefully he can keep improving :grin:
Nice Info .. Thnkx man Sometimes u get the wrong impression of a player .. he looks better grounded than I Thought .. And he's per minute production is good .. I expect a much bigger role next year ..
fyi the twitter name is with the number 8 http://twitter.com/jtaylor8ball Thank you very much for the recap of the interview!
for real, i was watching mike and mike this morning and golic said when he played for the oilers they tied someone up to the goal post for the same thing. i like that attitude. the dude seems like he's got a good head on his shoulders.
First, kudos on a great find! I wouldn't make too much of how he reacted to the Yao question. Taylor was a rookie last season and Yao didn't play. He was a gigantic dude on the sidelines in a suit, with a great reputation. So Taylor never played with him and probably doesn't know him well at all. He's still trying to find his way. Also, he probably knows squat about the rehab Yao's been going through and figured saying nothing would at least not make him appear stupid.
Man, I hope we don't see these odd in and out of the d-league fiascos anymore. I hope he is a permanent part of our rotation this season. Seems like Von Wafer with better defense.
Taylor definitely has potential! He showed it last season, with what little playing time he had. The guy is learning and knows he has alot more to learn, and is willing to work hard to prove himself, so I give him some credit. He'll pan out to be a solid player, but am not putting too much stock in him becoming a starter...unless injuries plague us at the 1 and/or 2 spot.
No it was a little more awkward in that he stated that he specifically watched Yao workout several times but that he had no idea how Yao was doing. Wouldn't most of thrown obligatory "Yeah man Yao looks great running around or in drills" something. It almost seemed as if he was annoyed by the question about Yao during his interview.
Good read. Thanks for the recap. Cool about the Twitter info! JT follows ClutchFans, that's all you need to know.
