Media Availability: Brian Keefe, Deni Avdija, and Daniel Gafford | 02/06/24

Media Availability: Brian Keefe, Deni Avdija, and Daniel Gafford | 02/06/24

Uh we got to continue to build the habits we’ve been trying to do this last week and a half play Fast share the ball uh get into the paint um things that we’re going to keep doing every day that’s going to it’s going to be regardless of who we’re playing against

But they’re obviously a great defensive team how b c doing uh K was full Kyle was a full participant today uh ready to go and Marvin was a partial participant today Brian how do you balance the playing with Speed playing fast while also making sure that you’re not tur the

Over take care of the ball that’s there’s been a bit of an uptick the last couple of games sure um yeah we would don’t want to play in crowds like you have an open man make the pass I think that we try to keep it very simple with

That we want to have good spacing and that allows you to see the the decisions that you make sometimes those turnovers we were just a little bunched up but when we have good spacing we shown some good results so we keep working on our spacing and making that extra pass how

Have you seen with the um he’s had the ball in his hands a little bit more than we’ SE in theast his decision making continuing to improve how have you seen him grow in that aspect I I I think it’s growing every day every practice every

Game uh we’re going to keep putting him positions to grow I think he has a good feel for the game and sees things so we’re going to put in positions to create for himself and create for others Cleveland winning 18 of their last 22 games of the four games that they’ve

Lost what did they struggle with in those games you know we’re we realize how good they are but we’re we’re really focused on our process here um we talked about this the other day we needed to have a good practice today and we got in

The gym worked and I think those are the habits we’re trying to build every day I have great respect for Cleveland what they’re doing they’re playing great basketball but we got to keep getting internally better with oursel Brian how how good has bol’s like5 mentality been from the outset I

Think that’s something he had naturally in him and you know he’s always been a quick decision maker um makes good decisions um we want him continue to grow with that and play aggressive and attack downhill because we think he can be a guy who can create for himself and

Others but he’s that was something that he had early and I think has developed over the season help us understand how a coach goes about explaining to players that their disposition defensively wasn’t good enough in the prior game is it film is it talking is it I think it’s

A mixture of all that but I think we were all aware that we weren’t who we had been and we we took a little bit of a step that we didn’t want to take um I think we had to own that acknowledge that we did that multiple ways messaging

With talking to the team talking together film but that’s something we we can’t be about and we’re going to continue to work on our habits that we won’t be that again kind of conducting practice and going about Daily Business the week the trade deadline where things could change

Things could stay the same do you is that something you address with the group or you like try to not address it at all we we don’t focus on the outside noise we focus on these walls in here and the people are in this building and

That’s what we did today we got after and practice so we never really try to focus or think about things that we can’t control um we focus on getting better today did you have the level of practice that you wanted to see yes you could probably hear it in my voice so

Yes a little bit y um sometimes Eugene will go out there and put up some pretty crazy numbers in short period of time um what does it say about him just a production he can provide sometimes in small glimpes I think Gan has been a great example of our development system

That we have here um great job our coaches have done with them a great job with our g-league coaches have worked for them and mostly credit to Eugene who has when giving any opportunity either the last five minutes of the game or thrown in early the other night he

Always produces so credit to him but also credit to the to how what we believe is important here and that we develop all of our players and having them ready when their numers called and he’s been a great example of that for our team I know the the Synergy you

Spoke on with yourselves and the goo when guys like whether it’s PJ Johnny Gino Jules are down with the go go is there a conversation amongst you and Cody on what you want to see them focus on improve upon or is it just the collective conversations you all are

Already organically having that they already know yeah we’re like one organization so like they’re part of my staff I’ve always in constant communication with them and his Cody and his staff so we’re all working on the same development plans for all of our players that’s something we take a lot

Uh a lot of value in um that would we’re basically working as one so when he goes down there he’s focused on the same things that he would be any guy who gets goes down there doing the same things that they would do for us so it’s a lot

Of great Synergy between both staffs take on after the last game and how you performed in that last and how to kind of replic that uh I think the energy was there um for me I was aggressive trying to make the right play trying to compete the highest level

Uh but the end of the day like you know we lost so it doesn’t really matter I feel like we could have done better as a team in terms of uh defensively and competing uh even myself and uh other than that trying to just trying to learn

From last game and be better for the next one how was that communicated to the team that the team defense the whole defensive effort and performance wasn’t good enough I think we’re smart enough to know that it wasn’t there and I think we we showed film and we watch film and

We are like we didn’t even have to talk honestly like we know what we’re capable of we stop teams we play good defense in some games and I feel like uh when we’re not playing like that we we like everybody’s paying attention so yeah about it what have you thought about Cory’s

Development I think it’s great I think uh I’m like I see it every day in the gym and um just I feel like he’s a good player he has the instincts he know where to be he he has the IQ for him was more like mental and keep shooting and

Like being consistent and I feel like he’s doing it this year um he’s not afraid he’s going to the rim uh with bad intentions which is good to see and uh his shooting like become more consistent and honestly like he feels a lot more comfortable on the court and it’s normal

For a guy that in his third year and like um obviously you see the development and hopefully he going to develop him here what do you think about the way that Eugene tends to put up like big numbers in short periods of time I love it I feel like since the beginning

Of the year every opportunity he got he he did the most of and I feel like you can’t take it for granted of a player that doesn’t doesn’t really play and then he comes in and like have like nice numbers and like good impact on the game

And I feel like we’re all aware of it and like we believe in him believe in him and uh he’s just going to he’s just going to keep working hard and like stay in uh stay uh stay with us and like he’s he’s going to be good believe in him how

Important will it be to attack the paint tomorrow and not just drive and finish in there but get a piece of the paint in terms of getting good flow and ring on the um I think there was one stat that coach was talking about like when we

Touch the paint in offense like good things happen we generate a lot of opportunities and points so I feel like just being aggressive and sharing the ball sometimes when we get into the pain we get a little stagnant with the ball we don’t really move it but it really

Like wears on defenses of like keep scrambling keep like pursuing keep like keep up with us cuz we’re like really athletic team young team and when we touch the pain and like share the ball it’s it’s really hard to keep up with us for tomorrow the aspect of getting more

Paint touches and not just entry passes to post players most positions but getting that drive and kick mentality what is that going to take to stay focus on that tomorrow um really just you know the repetition that we’ve been putting in this kind of like was one of the main

Factors that BK kind of told us today was how we he wanted us want the guys to get down here find different ways to get into the paint to where we can get out spray out threes or just get Buckets inside of the paint in general um at the

End of the day so that was kind of like the main factor and all I would say is just repetition and just the willingness just to go at the end of the day and defensively against the Cavs they’ve won 18 of their last 22 but in those four

Games that they’ve lost what have you seen as being disruption that they in those um I haven’t really I would say paid attention to it at the end of the day I’m more paid just attention to just like my match up with Jared so it’s just

Really just kind of like taking it day by day for sure just going to kind of lock in to it today you know cuz we got them tomorrow but being like prepared for just like the onslaught that’s going to come you know that was just like the

Main thing it’s just kind of like focusing on Jared at first for me what is a Brian ke practice feel like is it different from other coach been under at all oh it’s really I would say it’s really intense today it was really intense in general just like coming out

You know he set the tone with the energy and we just kind of like follow suit pretty much you know he he was out there he was being the point guard he was being the coach he was being you know a player he was being everything I would

Say at the end of the day today for sure so any type of practice like that is always a good practice and I love it for sure what has he been stressing just in the first couple times he’s had you um pretty much just our Pace um our transition defense rebounding and and

Pretty much like the main thing today was kind of you know getting inside the paint spray out threes and just having like that I would say non noncompacted flow with our offense what is it about the matchup with Jared it seems like it brings out a different level of your

Game um on both ends of the floor is it just going up against another big that is athletic as as you are what is it about for sure I mean it’s it’s another challenge that I have to step into most definitely because Jared he does pretty much everything on the floor that you

Know any big is like brought into this league to do you know DH set screens pick and rolls he has the ball in his hands most of the time playing with Donovan Darius all those guards and just really just kind of like locking into just like the things that he does great

Just trying to be in a position to where I can kind of you know take him off of his headge a little bit

Interim Head Coach Brian Keefe, Deni Avdija, and Daniel Gafford spoke to the media following practice on Tuesday afternoon.

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