About.com: When you first got to the University of Florida did you ever dream you’d be playing on back-to-back NCAA championship teams?
Green: That was one of my goals. One of my goals was just to win one national championship! We were fortunate enough to win two. That was a great experience and some of the best years of my life.
About.com: You’re on the court, the horn sounds, and you’ve just won it all... describe that feeling.
Green: You really can’t explain it. It’s the best feeling in life knowing that you’ve accomplished one of your dreams, one of your goals. Being able to win back-to-back national championships and do it with your best friends is just a great feeling.
About.com: Let’s fast-forward to this year’s NBA Draft. What was that night like for you?
Green: It was the longest night of my life. But I was fortunate enough to be one out of the sixty players chosen and I have an opportunity to come out and prove myself here. I’m going to live in the moment and try to seize every opportunity I get.
About.com: I’m sure you were happy to see Al, Corey, and Joakim go in the first round, but was there any frustration that you had to wait until the 52nd pick to hear your name called?
Green: I was a little bit anxious, but that’s how the draft is. You never know what’s going to happen on draft night so you just have to be prepared for anything. I’m just happy I was one of the players chosen and that I have an opportunity to prove myself.
About.com: Three months ago you were on top of the world winning a national championship. Right now you’re here in Vegas with a hundred other guys trying to win a job. What does it feel like to go from that spotlight and acclaim to fighting for your NBA life? Any whiplash?
Green: Not really. It’s back to how it was my freshman year in college. I had to earn my playing time. I had to earn my spot on that team. It’s the same now. I have to play hard out here, play well, and prove to the coaching staff and the general manager that I do belong with the Portland Trail Blazers. I’ve got to come out and play. The main thing that I want to do right now and that the team wants to do right now is win.
About.com: What adjustments do you have to make going from college to the pros?
Green: I don’t know yet. Obviously the speed of the game is faster but just being able to get guys in the place to run the offense, that’s all I really have to do. We have a great center in Greg Oden and a lot of the offense will be around him. Really all I have to do is throw it in to him and play off of that.
About.com: Let’s say every NBA General Manager is sitting here right now and you have a 30-second pitch to talk about why you belong in this league, what would you say?
Green: I’m a winner. That’s it. I’m a winner and I get it done. I’ll do whatever it takes to make the team better. I’m a proven floor general and I love to win.
About.com: What kind of feedback have you heard from the team as far as what they want to see from you?
Green: I’ve heard a lot of feedback from the coaching staff. They just tell me to go play, run the team, limit your turnovers, and just play ball.
About.com: What’s the first thing you’re going to do when somebody comes up to you and says, "Taurean, you’re signed... you are an NBA player"?
Green: I’m going to be excited, but at the same time that’s only part one. I’m still going to continue to work hard and try to get better.
About.com: What might the future hold for you if the Blazers decide they don’t need your services?
Green: You’ve got to move on. You’ve got to prove yourself again. You have to find an opportunity in the right situation and seize it. But I’m not thinking about that. I’m just concentrating on the "right now."
About.com: Your father, Sidney, played in the NBA and coached in college. Has he offered you any advice in handling this situation?
Green: Naw... he just told me to come out here and play. It’s basically what the Portland coaching staff is saying: just go out there and play, prove yourself, and go hard.
About.com: Do you still keep in touch with your teammates from Florida and do they offer you any perspective?
Green: I definitely keep in touch with all of those guys. All of them are playing in Summer League right now. We just tell each other to go out and play our game.
One scout assessing Summer League talent sees Green on the borderline of the NBA. He cites Green as a good shooter, an organizer on the floor, and a champion. At the same time Green needs a sterling Summer League showing followed by an equally impressive fall camp in order to beat out incumbent guards and free agents angling for a roster spot. Those odds are still long.
The man whose opinion matters most, however, is Trail Blazers’ General Manager Kevin Pritchard. His analysis is simple: Taurean Green has a chance to make it in this league because he played at a big-time program and found a way to succeed. He put up impressive numbers while playing alongside some of the best players in the business. He generates wins, and that’s the bottom line.
Whether those qualities will be enough is anyone’s guess. But at the end of the day, beyond the statistics, the contracts, and the highlight dunks, wins are the currency of the NBA. If Green can provide them in the pros the same way he delivered in college he will find a place on somebody’s team. If Taurean Green has his way, some NBA General Manager is going to find out that betting on the sure thing is the only way to go.
Addendum: About.com has learned from Oregonian Beat Writer Jason Quick that the Blazers have signed Taurean Green to a guaranteed one-year contract to run through the 2007-08 season.
