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- Yesterday, Austin Rivers made an appearance on WPRK 91.5 out of Orlando. Here is a brief synopsis of the items he discussed:
- He was pleased with last season, especially his play in the 2nd half. It was important after having an up and down rookie season.
- Austin believes it is very important to set goals after each season, something many don't do and just settle for being in the NBA.
- Individually, his goals for next year are to get stronger, finish better with his left hand (which he claims is now much improved) and incorporating a mid-range game (something he feels is a lost art).
- His biggest lesson he's taken away after his first two years: never get too high or low. 82 games is a long season so you've got to put the work in both mentally and physically to handle the grind.
- Austin spent 1 and 1/2 weeks in Houston working under the watchful eye of John Lucas.
- Austin will work out soon with J.P. Clark (Clippers assistant players skill coach) and Tyronn Lue (Clippers assistant coach). Then about 3 weeks prior to training camp, he will go back to John Lucas for some final work before the start of the season.
- He also plans to play in some pro-Am's, especially in and around Los Angeles. From the sound of his schedule, he won't be participating in the Las Vegas Summer League.
- Despite no Rivers, the Pelicans Summer League team will still be worth watching. According to Nola.com, Jeff Withey, Luke Babbitt and Pierre Jackson. From the Advocate, here are the dates and times for the first three games:
- From Pelicans.com, there is a profile on assistant coach Fred Vinson. Here is an excerpt:
"When I came to New Orleans, I knew I needed wisdom on our staff from (an assistant coach) like Randy (Ayers), but also guys who could get out there on that practice floor with the players," Pelicans four-year head coach Monty Williams said. "Fred gets after it every day. His work with our guards has been tremendous. I’m really excited about what Fred brings to the table. When we got Fred (in 2010), he was a bit of an unknown, because he didn’t have a big name. But he’s been huge in helping our guards improve. He has a great deal of experience."