“Who Don’t Want To Be A Part Of Something Like That?” | Monte Morris & Tim Connelly Press Conference

“Who Don’t Want To Be A Part Of Something Like That?” | Monte Morris & Tim Connelly Press Conference

Yeah thanks Chase um yeah I want to welcome Monte Morris to the team super excited um obviously we have history together he’s he’s uh helped me look way smarter than I am um just a a conman pro um it’s been through a lot seen a lot of

Big games um so we feel super fortunate to add him to a strong core um want to thank Shake Milton and Troy Brown who could not be better people and really really good basketball players you know unfort to get something good you have to give up something good so those two guys

Are completely um first class guys and they’ll be missed um you know obviously Monte his time in Denver um started in DC he’s coming off an injury recently got back to the court um he’s super excited to kind of uh be back in the playoff mix he’s pretty well known in

These parts in Iowa state is pretty uh is a pretty popular Alum group in in the Twin Cities um so we just talking about that but you’re not here to talk to me here to talk to Tay and um again thanks for coming out and I’m excited to have you

Today Monte John krinski from the athletic just can you just take us through your feeling of uh how the trade went down and then coming into the situation that you’re in here with the Timberwolves yeah um you know for me I mean I thank God every day um just I was

Able to fight through this long process with my injury um being hurt before the season um not really knowing you know when I would be back on this season and everything so when the trade went down um I was just happy my family was happy

Just to you know come to this culture um it’s been already going well since the beginning of the year you know I’m just here to add on to it and help and you know get the playoffs and make a deep run you know that’s my main focus just

Come here and um just add on you know to what’s already good so appreciate you know Tim for making a deal and putting me in a position um to get back to play basketball and doing what I know how are you feeling physically just youve played six seven games since since youve come

Back just what what’s your state kind of as you try to get going here yeah I mean physically I feel good um I was able to do a lot a lot of practice like three days ago we had a lot of practice in Detroit um got up and down felt good um

I think my biggest thing is just um ramping up and getting back to um just getting back to mate um I just got to trust everything cuz I’m fully here I just got to you know do what I do and I think that should be nothing hard to do

I just got to keep getting the Reps and um I should be a to get back to that in no time whenever a player gets traded there’s uncertainty and unfamiliarity what what does it mean to have Tim here the guy who who drafted you and have that kind of you know relationship

Already established as you come to a new place I mean it’s it’s pretty good um for me just to be comfortable good and bad you know he’s going to tell me you know if I’m slacking he’s going to tell me when I’m doing well and things that

He’s going to be looking for that I can help the group so um you know it’s kind of it’s kind of surreal um to have a relationship you know from a guy that drafted drafted me back in 2017 and still able to do you know business the

Business side with him now so it’s my goal to just get him back everything and um know kind of make him make the trade look good I just got to play good so that’s my goal Timmy as viously Scout everybody across the league but is it easier to

Have a lot of confidence when executing a deal when you know somebody as well as you know Monte yeah certainly I mean we can all watch video and see who’s good and bad at basketball but it’s it’s a very delicate balanced chemistry and the success we’ve had is not just because of

The talent and we have you know the best coach staff in the league and we have um these players who really got to know each other so continuity is extremely important so uh when we’re having a year like we’re having you don’t want to upset the apple cart and to know a guy

Guy like Tay who’s always we joke um I joke with him quite a bit when we first interviewed him back he had about 66 cousins I realized that not a cousin he’s a pretty popular guy um he’s just a a seamless teammate a super positive teammate um a communicator a guy that

Brings people together and we knew his personality not just his game would fit in well with a group that we’re really proud of Monte what do you think the main role of a point guard is on a team um I would say uh one of my biggest

Traits you know him just you know hit hit that was just bringing guys together I think for me um learning everybody’s personality on and off the court I feel like that’ll make my transition better just to know where guys like the basketball you know what they like doing

You know off the court their family situation and things like that that’s the type guy I am and um it helps the transition on the court as a point guard once you kind of know you know guys on and off the court you had a long career in in Denver

That culminated in a year starting and then what was it going to Washington new franchise and everything but also getting over 60 games as a starter did that kind of ratify some things within you in terms of being able to handle a second team different team

Um I would say yes um just the opportunity you know it’s a blessing to have a job in his League you know anywhere really um in life to have a job so I’m always thankful but um the DC switch up from Denver definitely um showed me that I’m able to

Adapt in different environments um and I was able to um have a year there um with some great guys who um are high level in the league so I know I can adapt anywhere you know it just take time and I’m excited Beyond excited to be here your Marquee virtue

Is probably that you don’t turn the ball over and yet you still rack up assists what does that require in I mean what what are the things that how can you be active and and enable your teammates and and still really keep a lid on the

Turnovers um I don’t go into a game like know just like I’m not going to turn the ball over I just I just kind of like play the game how it’s supposed to be played if I draw two guys you know get off the ball not really try to force

Things but also just being aggressive enough to the defense can respect me um so also it’s a lot of film going into in most games I get with our video guys so I kind of know what Defender going to be on me how they going to guard me so I’m

Kind of usually a step ahead of you know the game instead of just going into the game and trying to figure it out there VY recently has put a couple of ball handlers on the floor and with the back Tob backs and everything you may be starting some not starting others is

That kind of Versatility something that you’ve you know dealt with most of your career and is that something you’re also looking forward to yes you know I’m looking forward to any situation um that I can help the group you know with me coming in in the middle of the season I

Have to you know hit the ground running and um you know be a great addition to it so whatever role that is for me to keep this train rolling you know in the way it’s going you know I got to be um 110% in that role and um I’m willing to

Do that and U also you know I’m not a guy who just needs to be on the ball I can space and shoot the ball as well and make plays off the bounce so um whatever role whoever I’m out there with you I just got to make the best of it Monte on

Getting back to the old Monte like where are you at shapewise how far away are you from being the old Monte uh I mean I I was out for a long a long period of time so I mean realistically um I would say I just need to you know ramp up my

Strength and condition and stuff as far as running I’m I’ve played in games um I’m not dead tired but I know it’s another notch I can get to and I I’ll be able to get to that real real soon so Monte you mentioned that uh you

Played with some guys pretty high in the league in Denver but what are your thoughts on playing with some of these guys here on this team right now what kind of runs are your mind seeing the talent around you um you know it’s fun especially watching um and playing

Against the guys over the years you know special talent and um I’m just excited to get out there you know they play my style of basketball share the ball um making shots but the biggest thing is just if you watching a team from afar and know much about them you can tell

That everybody linked together um everybody got handshakes together I see they choking smiling you know somebody dunk on somebody they pointing at them you know that’s just stuff I’m seeing so who don’t want to be a part of you know something like that and um I tilt my hat

On that being around good guys and um It’s Just Energy I feel like you know once one person got good energy it trinkles down the line so I think that’s how I feel about it and I don’t know if you can answer this maybe Tim can this

Uh do you expect expect to be in the lineup on Monday with the team hope so I hope so yeah I hope so no limitations for you to be in the light okay mon you touched on it a little bit but to go from a team that was headed to

The lottery to a team that wants to go deep into the playoffs what is that like just from a competitive standpoint to know you’re jumping into real high level high uh High leverage games right now uh I mean I I’ve got a lot of experience you know playoff games and just been on

Team before um that had high expectations as well so it’s not really going to change my focus I mean when I was in Detroit no matter what the record was you know I would show up to work every day and compete at a high level um

I never lost that edge I mean I don’t go off how perform based on the results whether I’m winning or losing so important to me here is it’s just another step I’m not I don’t need to change my mindset because I never really changed it it’s just unfortunate you

Know the position you know with the record and things like that so we were uh talking to Rudy last night in Milwaukee and he said he’s watched film of you and noticed that you like to throw lobs is that something that you’re looking forward to that pairing working

With him in that pick and roll yeah you know he’s been playing against Roy you know me being on ball he sets really good good screens and uh I always had to look over my shoulder cuz he will always nail me so I’m excited to uh get a

Chance of playing a pick and roll with him a l threat um a guy with great experience you know a guy that blocked shots and alter the game you know um so I’m excited and uh hopefully we can get our chemistry down packed um quickly Tim would you say it was a goal

Of yours to add some playoff experience to the second unit at this deadline yeah I think you know certainly we have not enjoyed playoffs success for a couple decades and it’s often times um you know hard to learn that until you’ve done it so we we was a focus of ours the last

Couple weeks trying to find guys who have been there uh Monte alluded to it he’s playing a lot of big games so he won’t be in all of the moment he’s had success um both individually and as a team so and we thought it would be um

Could be beneficial to our group if we add it I guy like Tay who was seing a lot of big games how many connections do you still have to Iowa State I got I got a lot of connections I mean even when I got traded here it was a

Bunch of cyclone alley fans they was just like welome we going to be at a lot of games I mean when whenever I would come play in Minnesota it would be a bunch of Iowa State fans so I’m excited to play in front of you know the fans

That’s still around um this area um as well so I’m excited for that you see a lot of similarities between your game and Mike Conley’s yeah for sure I mean Mike um his pace you know he can get in the paint he can shoot the three ball and his experience

You know um I had a chance to play against Mike a few times well a lot in Denver rather and we would match up against each other we would just talk during the games and we play playoff series against each other a lot um so I’m still here to keep learning from him

You know it’s a great guy great player to learn from um I just like the way he uses to pick and roll he can finish with both hands in the paint and get his team involved and he bring guys together um and I feel I can keep learning from a

Guy like that Jim you guys managed to hold on to your second round picks in the upcoming years here is that important just given where this roster is and maybe where it looks like it’s going yeah it’s always good to have picks and not have picks so you know

We the last couple weeks is a really awkward time because the whole idea of like trading you know people is kind of weird and gross um but the pcks were pretty covered uh we had a lot of conversations that you know we could have done additional things but we

Didn’t think the price kind of merited the return so it’s it’ll be fun this offseason to have some of those things at our disposal um we’re going to have a first round pick we have you know a second they can be pretty good um and you’re always trying to add you know any

Team regardless of where they on the cycle you got to replenish with young players I mean his first year in Denver he played one NBA game and now he became one of the elite backups in the league now he’s you know he’s a sted last couple years so I think it shows the

Value that you can potentially find in second round picks Why are a

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