Emeka Okafor Meets with Charlotte Media!!!

On July 31, the Bobcats re-signed forward/center Emeka Okafor to a long-term contract. An original member of the Bobcats organization, Okafor along with Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins, met with the local media to discuss the deal and what impact it has on the Bobcats as they look toward the 2008-09 season.



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Bobcats Forward/Center Emeka Okafor
(On re-signing with the Bobcats)
I’ve had a great four years here in Charlotte and it’s very nice to know that my career will be extended here. I’m looking forward to putting on the Bobcats hat and helping the team make great runs. I’d like to thank Bob (Johnson), MJ (Michael Jordan) and the Bobcats organization for showing me the commitment and giving me the opportunity to extend my career here.

(On how important it is to keep the Bobcats core group together)
The longer you can keep a core group together, the better they play. You learn the ins and outs of each other and your strengths and your weaknesses. I think history has shown that whenever you can keep a core group together, they just play better.

(On if he was confident he would remain in Charlotte)
I was hopeful. Basketball has a business side and in the business side, things need to be evaluated and things don’t always end up the way you want. Fortunately in this case it did. It ended up exactly how I wanted it. I was very fortunate in that regard.

(On having Larry Brown as the head coach of the Bobcats)
Larry Brown, he brings a certain dynamic and insight to the game that would make most teams better. I think he’s a perfect fit for us. Our team is young. We are hard working and he can give us that discipline and give us those little insights to the game that can take us to the next level. When I heard that Larry Brown was going to be the new head coach, I was very excited. I thought it was very positive that the organization was making great steps to try to make the team better. I’m just very excited to get the thing going.

(On if this will be a continuation of what he learned while playing for Larry Brown during the Olympics)
I definitely think so. The Olympics are a little bit different in that the coaches come in and they know that the players aren’t necessarily theirs. There is only so much they can impart. That being said, Larry Brown, he still gave us a lot. I’m just excited to have the opportunity to learn more. I think that just the way the organization has been progressing, he’s just going to help just push us along further.

(On if he had any frustrations about not getting a lot of playing time during the Olympics)
I was a college player. I knew I wasn’t going to see the light of day. I was just happy to be there and get a nice welcome to the NBA. I was around Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, a young Dwyane Wade, a young Carmelo (Anthony) and a young LeBron (James), so I was able to come in and just get insight into what league life was about and how things would be conducted.

(On if the contract negotiations were a distraction)
Not at all. Like I said earlier, basketball has a business side, so I was prepared for that. My focus was just to workout and prepare myself for the season. In the back of my mind, I wanted to be a Bobcat, and like I said earlier, sometimes things don’t work out the way you want, but in this case it did. Worrying about the contract negotiations would have just been extra stress that I didn’t need to have.

(On if he ever felt like it wasn’t going to work out in Charlotte)
Not really. I started here and I had a strong inclination that I was going to remain here. That’s also why I wasn’t really worrying too much about it. Like I said, basketball has a business side and you almost have to learn to separate the two. Me understanding that, I knew that things would work out.

(On what he can do to improve his game)
Everybody can use improvement. I’m sure between my list and Larry’s list, Larry’s list will be bigger. (I can just improve) my all-around game, offensively and defensively. I’m just really looking forward to learning from Larry and just soaking up what all he has to offer.

(On if thought about accepting the qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer)
That wasn’t in the best interest for anybody. I really wanted to remain a Bobcat and I felt that Bobcats wanted me to remain a Bobcat. Again, I keep eluding to this ugly business side of basketball, but it’s a reality. Sometimes the business side has to be addressed and issues like that pop up. I wouldn’t have liked that.

(On his contract)
It’s a substantial commitment that the Bobcats showed. I don’t think it’s quite hit me. I’m a humble person, so I tend to downplay a lot of things, but it’s kind of hard to downplay the generosity they showed. I’m thankful for it and I’m looking forward to showing how I’m committed once the season starts.

(On what he’s worked on this summer)
I’ve worked on just basic mobility and also to be more effective away from the basket. I’m just trying to expand my game. Once I get more of a feel for Larry Brown’s system and what he has in store, I think my game will get a little more shape as well.

(On if the coaching change had any influence on his decision)
You had to take notice of Larry Brown being hired. Larry Brown, he is a great, great coach, a championship coach. He’s taken multiple teams to the championship level. Like I said earlier, when the Bobcats hired him, it showed me that they were committed to making the franchise better. Hiring Larry Brown, an elite coach such as him, you have to take notice of that.

(On what he thinks Larry Brown will ask as a coach)
I think that Larry is a very defensive-oriented coach. He’s very particular in what he wants. He knows the game, so I think number one he will want us to work hard and be attentive and just to lay it all out there. Of me, I think that he will ask a lot of me defensively and he’ll want me to anchor the defense and shot-block and all that fun stuff. All the other details I guess will be sorted out later.

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Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins
(On if there were any variables in the free agent market that had the Bobcats concerned about their ability to re-sign Okafor)
Not really. We knew we wanted to get a deal done. We held to our strategy and we said we have to get our best player, our best big man, back. Obviously Bob (Johnson), Michael (Jordan), Larry (Brown) and myself all wanted Emeka back. Once the negotiation process, as Emeka said, took care of itself, we were able to come to a resolution that we are all happy with.

(On how happy he is to have Emeka Okafor signed to contract)
I was telling Emeka that he might not have been nervous, but I’m sure we were in a lot of ways, me included personally. When you go through that process, you hope you can come out with a good conclusion and we know how much he means to us in terms of our improvement. Once we got a chance to show him that in terms of a contract, I think everything now is just moving forward and becoming the best basketball team we can become. He’s a huge piece to that.