“It’s definitely realistic,” Jared Dudley said. “That should be our goal, to the be No. 1 seed in the West. As we’ve seen in the playoffs, home court advantage is huge. Talent-wise, we’re there and we’re bringing in one of the best coaches. Now, it’s just about chemistry. It’s not about talent or coaching. It’s just meshing everyone together and playing both sides of the ball. We’re not going into this thinking this is a year to feel each other out. This is a year where we’re trying to be the No. 1 seed or, at the least, the No. 2 seed.”“I’m excited to play for him,” Crawford said. “We talked about my role and it’s basically going to be the same as it was last year. He’s going to use me in the exact same role. Obviously, Doc has championship pedigree and that’s what we’re aspiring to be – champions. You have to have someone who can lead you there, someone with that kind of pedigree, and he has the credentials. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’ve talked to some of his former players that have played for him and he gets everybody to buy in. Everyone is going to be on the same page, competing together, winning as a team and losing as a team. That’s all you can ask for from your coach.”“We’re going to go as far as Blake can take us,” Crawford said. “I don’t want to put pressure on him, but he’s that good. Obviously, Chris is one of the top players in the NBA, but he’s unselfish and wants guys around him that can get it done. I think with myself and Blake, we have two of the better offensive players in the league. I think Blake is ready to take that next step. He’s our hardest worker. He’s always adding something different to his game. When he was playing in my pro-am, he was much more comfortable stepping out to the elbow area and knocking down shots. If he masters that, that’ll just open the court even more and it’ll demand double teams. Nobody can guard him when he’s knocking down that shot consistently. He’s so athletic, but he also makes great decisions and great passes. I think this will be a big year for him.”
Alex Kennedy, HoopsWorld
If you have the time, read the whole article. There are quite a few quotes from both Dudley and Crawford.
