The Official Site of Jermaine O'Neal

Question:

What did you do to train during the lockout?

Answer:

I worked out all over the place during the offseason, in Houston with T-Mac, in Chicago, in Vegas and L.A., and even in China. I really wanted to focus on my legs, and get the legs strong, get the quads strong so I can control the knee.

Question:

Why did you not re sign with the Miami Heat during the off-season?

Answer:

I knew what the Heat were trying to do, and I could have re-signed back with those guys,. But it comes down to fit. It comes down to personalities and style of play, and I thought Boston has all that for me. It came down to winning now, and not worrying about chemistry.

Question:

Does it matter to you if you're starting with the Celtics or not?

Answer:

Not at all. As a competitor I want to be in there contributing and helping my team out, but at the end of the day all that matters is that we win. Whether I am in the starting line up or coming off the bench, the only thing I'm concerned with is doing whatever I can to help the team.

Question:

I saw you hurt your hamstring in camp. Is that a serious injury? Something we should be concerned about?

Answer:

I'm not really concerned about it. I'm more concerned about being in with the guys and getting that chemistry up. The first four days were really good. Wednedsay, Thursday, and Friday, I was just starting to get comfortable with the system, the philosophies that Doc wanted and also playing with those guys. It's very difficult to learn areas of an offense and defense when you're not in there. That's probably the most frustrating part about it, but I don't have any doubt in my mind that I'll be back in there soon.

Question:

Do you feel like you have to carry the load for the Heat?

Answer:

We have a lot of guys on this team who play very, very well. Obviously, having D-Wade is definitely a bonus, but we have a lot of guys who can really put the ball in the hoop and on any given night guys can go for big nights. It makes it easier. It has been a while since the knee surgery and I’ve been struggling with it, trying to get back. All in all it’s not really about me scoring 20-plus points a game, it’s about me helping the team get to the next level and that’s really where my focus is.