Road To The Championship
Dec 07 2010
After coming to the Bulls, I wanted to set a goal that would keep me focused on the upcoming 2010 basketball season.
I think a realistic goal for us is a championship. We’re not just here to win regular-season games and compete in the playoffs. We want to win a championship. I think anything shorter than that, we're setting ourselves up to be shorter than what we can reach. I think we have potential to be a championship-level team.
That's what we play for, every NBA player. I'm very vocal about it. I want a ring and my teammates want a ring. I think the biggest challenge will be coming together with our team chemistry. We also need to work to be a good and consistent defensive team. Also, continuing to see how we respond when we have a couple of losses or if we're up and down. Can we fight back up and have that courage and confidence to keep going? In playoffs, we need to see how we fight back in a series. We'll learn a lot about our team but the goal has to be a championship. That's what we all work for.
I'm very excited to be part of the team. I'm looking forward to get going. Looking forward to seeing how good we can be. We have to prove ourselves. I think on paper we look terrific. I think we have to put what we have on paper on the court, get in the lab, mix it up, see how we jell together and then go out there and prove to everybody how good we are.
We've got a lot of balance, a lot of depth. I think up front, Joakim and I have a chance of being a more dynamic frontcourt, along with Kurt Thomas. In the backcourt, Derrick Rose is one of the more dynamic scorers in the league. We've got Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver, for defense and shooting. I think we'll be better than what a lot of people think. We have Luol Deng on the wing, which is great to have. But we have to go earn our respect. With the talent that we have and the hunger we have, I think we're ready to really push for a championship.
