Larry Bird Quotes

"I'm a firm believer you have to be patient in this league. The teams that are patient in trades (have more success). We'd like to get this done, but we've got a job to do and we have to make sure our fans are happy with what we get. They're our paying customers and we're trying to do our best for them."

"My best friend missed three one-and-ones. I still get mad at him for that."

"Like me, he plays the game to win, ... Because of his intensity and desire to win, Ronnie's a guy I would pay money to watch play."

"When it gets down to it, basketball is basketball,"

"Won't be much golf this off-season. It's going to be a working summer."

"Some guys can lead and some guys can't. I have a lot of trust in Jermaine and I know he wants to be a good leader. But to just throw him in there and say, 'OK, you're our leader,' that's tough, especially when you're injured a lot. You lead by example and not with words, and when you're not out there every day in practice and games, it's hard to lead."

"About all our good high school players are going out of state. ...That's something that probably hurts more than anything. It's very important to try to keep our kids in-state. That's how you have an identity."

"When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro."

"Leadership is getting players to believe in you. If you tell a teammate you're ready to play as tough as you're able to, you'd better go out there and do it. Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you're not giving it all you've got. Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It's being able to take it as well as dish it out. That's the only way you're going to get respect from the players."