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NBA DRAFTJune 25, 2015Sam DekkerBROOKLYN, NEW YORK SAM DEKKER: I'm completely grateful, blessed. God is good. To be a part of the Houston Rockets is a dream come true. I didn't know where I was going to end up. You know, at that range you just kind of sit there and hope for the best. And looks like the best‑case scenario did happen to me. Going 18 to a great team, a great organization, a place I'll be able to fit in very well. I couldn't be more happy, more blessed. Very excited to get going. Excited to get down there tomorrow and meet everybody, and with that I'll open it up to questions. Q. I know yesterday talking to you, you felt you could have gone in any range, from the lottery maybe all the way to the early 20s. How did you feel like just sitting there kind of as the picks were going by and you kind of fell out of the lottery? How did that feel? SAM DEKKER: Well, I mean, I'm not going to say it felt good because you feel like you deserve to be there. The body of work I did, the way I performed in the workouts, I feel like I definitely deserved to be a high pick. But like I said, like my dad always says before I do everything, he says, trust in God's plan and that it's all going to work out for us in the end. I don't know if you missed (inaudible), but me getting placed and picked by Houston is the biggest blessing to me and it's something that was the best‑case scenario. It's a very good fit like I said, and a great team. Q. It couldn't have worked out really better for you. You won a lot of games at Wisconsin. How does it feel to go to a team that made actually a pretty deep run in the playoffs? SAM DEKKER: Yeah, that's exactly what you said, going to a team with a good foundation, a solid roster, front office, all the places are there for a great team. They had teams that went wire to wire with the Warriors, the champions this past year, and you could see the challenge there and the will to win. When you have that winning culture around, that's what you want to be a part of. I've always been part of winning as well. So hopefully I can come in, be a solid teammate and be a guy that can be a face of winning and help out in that regard. Q. You played with a big man in Frank that could draw a lot of attention.  Now you get Dwight Howard and James. Are you prepared for all the daylight you're going to see on the perimeter? SAM DEKKER: Yeah, that'll be the most daylight I've ever gotten. When you said Dwight, it got me excited, I'm watching my team (looking at the Rockets on a monitor). It got me excited because if I get in the paint, I can just throw it up in the air and Dwight will go get it, or if I pass it to James, I'll get an assist automatically. You're excited to play with the greats. Those are two guys, especially Dwight being more veteran, guys you watched growing up and you want to be in their shoes, and I call them teammates hopefully for a long time. It's pretty surreal, but once I get down there, I'm sure it'll sink in a little more. Q. You were selected by the Houston Rockets, a team that made a deep playoff run to the Western Conference Finals. How can a Sam Dekker build on that? SAM DEKKER: Well, I think I'm a piece that can come in and be ready to play. You know, playing three years at Wisconsin, being young for my class but having those three strong years and playing in a bunch of different venues, playing in two Final Fours, that stuff doesn't faze me. I've played at the best competition at my level, which was college, and now going up into the NBA, I think I can make that step a little smoother than most. So I think I'll be able to add to any organization, but Houston made a good pick, and I'm excited to just be a part of that culture and go out there. I think I can step in and be a key contributor right away. Q. Have you gotten a chance to talk to Frank yet? What did you guys say to each other and what do you feel about his situation? SAM DEKKER: Yeah, I didn't get a chance to talk to him since we were back here, but I was happy his table was right next to mine so I could give him a hug and tell him how proud I was of him. He's one of those guys he's seen what I've gone through and we know each other's story, we know each other's work ethic and everything. And to share this night with a guy like him says a lot about us but says a lot about Wisconsin basketball and the coaching staff there and the things they're doing over there, as well. This is a winning night for not only my family but Wisconsin basketball family, Badger Nation, and just proud of Frank and how far he's come, and really great to have him as a friend. Q. Can you take me through the conversation going on at your table as the picks were going by, right up until I imagine your agent tells you you're going to be picked before you hear the Commissioner say your name. Is that accurate? SAM DEKKER: Yeah, it was weird because we thought there was literally like six or seven picks before that where I could have landed. We're like, okay, this could be us. It's either you or this guy. It's either you or this guy, and it was always not me. I'm like, am I going to get picked tonight? What's going on? I wasn't fretting because I knew I was going to end up somewhere, somewhere good, and look at the fit that I landed in. No, it was weird because my agent was like, I don't know if Houston is in play here, and then I looked up and it was like a minute left on that clock, and he's like, this might be us. And my brother goes, "You're going to be a Rocket." I go, "Really?" He's like, "Yeah, you're going to be a Rocket." That's when it kind of hit me. Then Adam Silver walked out and he looked at my table and I knew it was real. That's a moment I'll always remember, and I'm forever grateful for that. Q. What comes next now that you've achieved this lifelong goal? What's next? SAM DEKKER: Get back in the gym and start working as an official member of the Houston Rockets and get better. That's what I always say, basketball is the greatest sport because you can put, good or bad, the last day behind you and wake up in the morning and get better. That's something I want to do, can't wait to get down there and work with the coaching staff, the training staff and my new teammates and show them what I can do for the organization and hopefully make a long career there. Q. In terms of the style you want to play, I'm guessing there couldn't have been a better fit than Houston in the league. SAM DEKKER: You're completely right. You've been watching me since I was in high school, and you've seen I can get up and move and shoot from the outside and attack from the perimeter. That's something I love to do. If you watch Houston, that's something they love to do. They're not afraid of taking shots. They're not afraid of making quick decisions. Just playing on feel but playing under control and playing smart, and Coach McHale has them doing that very well. So that's something I can do and I'm comfortable with, and yeah, I think I'll be able to mesh in very well with that way of play. Q. You've been kind of a Wisconsin guy your whole life. What is it going to be like to be in Houston with no winter? SAM DEKKER: Yeah, I literally thought of that right away. I was like, I can throw away some of those big coats that I've got. It's pretty cool, I've never lived outside of Wisconsin, so it's going to be fun to get down to a warmer climate, see what January is like in Texas. Maybe I'll have to ask J.J. how he handled the transition. Q. How do you think that your game translates right now, and how do you think it fits next to James Harden? SAM DEKKER: I think my game translates well because I'm pretty versatile. I can play 2 through 4 on both ends of the court, can space the floor, knock down a shot and drive, and make those quick decisions. Whenever you have an all‑pro, MVP‑caliber player like James Harden next to you, it makes the game that much easier and opens it up for you. No team wins with just one guy. You've got to have more than one guy. So James being that guy, they look for pieces to build around that, and I think Houston has done a great job of putting their team and having that foundation in a position to win games, and that's what they're doing and that's what we're going to continue to do. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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