More or less, I think we have it. There is great interest on his part. His wife is having a baby and, if there's a player or two who might get a pass (for 2006), he would. . . . I like him. I feel that he has a great role for this team from 2006 through 2008.
I think Kobe Bryant is a player with enough moxie to go along with his talent that he'll adjust to whatever his role is. In fact, that's exactly what he said today.
When it came time to make the decision of who would be sitting right next to me, it was obvious, ... This is going to be a three-year commitment and I will talk one-on-one with every player before any invitations are extended.
Things like that happen. A player gets traded and, somewhere down the road, he re-emerges. We've had that happen the other way for us. His game against the Celtics provided a glimpse of the expectations people had of him.
I've spoken with Shawn some time ago and he certainly indicated he wanted to be a part of this thing. He's the kind of individual and player who personifies what you want to represent you.
I've indicated that Mike brings an awful lot of consideration to the table for this staff because of his international experience as a player and coach.