10 Random Thoughts

March, 2004

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This is a new and unique way to get into Adonal's head. Read Adonal's answers to questions regarding anything from basketball to politics to the latest love affair on 'Friends,'asked on the fly by free-lance reporter Chris Navalta.

1. How often to you listen to color commentators on TV when they are trying to explain the things you are doing right and wrong?
[Adonal] I usually have no choice but to listen because Jim Barnett, our Warrior commentator, usually sits in the plane with the team. And whatever he says about me on TV, he's saying right next to me on the plane. So, I do listen to those guys a lot because I think we talk on so many different levels. And whether or not you follow everything they say, they don't really know all that is going on. But whatever they see on TV, we usually talk about it on the plane and I'll explain to them more of what was going on during that particular play. But I do pay attention to what they are saying, because you never know – they might be right at some point.

2. If you had to choose, do you think you'd be a better coach or General Manager?
[Adonal] I think I'd be a better GM because I think I would be very good at selecting people, using my ability to communicate and talk to people, getting a true psychological profile on a person, and building a consensus on how they would work as a team concept. Being a GM, gives you more opportunity to really craft a team and instill a good philosophy, and you don't have to worry about the everyday Xs and Os that a coach has to. I think the construction of a team would be a very, very fun thing to do. It would be very challenging, because it demands so much of your attention and your time. But bringing in good people, communicating between management and coaching and the organization as a whole, as well as selling your product, would be a fascinating thing to do.

3. When Alonzo Mourning needed a kidney, people lined up willing to donate a kidney. At the same time, we see other people with the same need for a kidney and it's more difficult for them to find a match. Any thoughts on that?
[Adonal] I have a few thoughts on that. One, they just truly love this man. He brought people out of the woodwork, willing to donate him a kidney because of who he is. Another thing is while most people are isolated, because they don't have the kind of publicity that he has, Zo brought a lot of media attention to this situation. In most cases, we don't know about these other people who need a kidney. A person who is asking for a kidney, but does not have any name recognition, is not going to have stories written about them. They're just another person. But when you look at someone like Alonzo, a person who has publicity, a history of community outreach, he has something to sell. Another thing was that people wanted to see how Alonzo was going to repay that person. I thought that certainly was part of it as well. Maybe some people didn't want to be paid back because they felt they knew him in a sense of seeing him play everyday. And others knew he was a good person and thought that maybe they would get something in return if they donated their kidney (maybe some money). So, I thought there was a whole array of reasons why they did what they did. The biggest part was, of course, that he was a celebrity.

4. Which teams would you consider the beasts of the Eastern Conference, Detroit, Indiana or New Jersey?
[Adonal] I like Detroit. I do think Indiana is going to be extremely competitive, especially if Ron Artest comes back 100 percent – that will change the way things unfold because he has a certain physicality to him that inspires the team. But I like Detroit because Rasheed is a good complementary player. They also have Ben Wallace, who is a good defensive presence, and a lot of good shooters. They have a lot of different weapons, which is good. So, I think they have a good chance of getting far in the playoffs. And right now, with Jason Kidd being down, the Nets may be in some trouble.

5. How much of an impact will Ralph Nader make in the presidential race?
[Adonal] One of the good things is that people have learned the consequences when votes that are split between Democratic candidates. It has serious repercussions. So, if they truly want George Bush in the White House, they should vote for Ralph Nader. If the Democratic party can't unite, then the consequences of fighting with each other are going to be a diluted pool of democrats. Thus, you will put George Bush back in office for a second term. But if you really want a Democrat to be there, you have to really pool your resources and have everyone vote for the party choice and not give Nader the same power he had back in 2000.

6. Do you believe in the possibility of time travel?
[Adonal] I think it's possible. We have enough of an idea on how to do it. The question is the creation of a machine to do it. I think people have the ability to, at least, theoretically conceptualize this. It's obviously a dangerous thing because so much could change. I think people's ability to theoretically think about it suggest that the practical application of it may not be too far off.

7. Do you have a favorite football team?
[Adonal] The Philadelphia Eagles. My first football game was an Eagles game when I first came to this country. That was 13 years ago.

8. How much of a big deal is a jersey number for a player?
[Adonal] When you are an athlete, a number becomes a part of you. I think when you first get to a team, it's not as important. Because when you're first start a sport, it's not on your mind. For me, I wanted No. 32 when I first started. But I didn't get it. Someone else did. And I decided to go with a number that nobody knew at the time. I think at the time, Reggie Miller and just a few other people had No. 31. And I thought to myself There's a number I could help re-create.' And then it followed me all they way through high school, and through college and became a part of myself. And I've worn it in all seven years I've been in the league. So now, for me, it has a lot more significance than when I first started. It grows on you. It becomes a part of you and it becomes a part of your identity of some sort.

9. Where are the “Weapons of Mass Destruction?”
[Adonal] What they're probably going to say that they're probably somewhere in Iran, or, in the desert, buried someplace. But a more-important question is: Don't you need them to be standing up, ready to be used in order to be considered an imminent danger? The word imminent' is a lot more significant to me than asking Where are they?' Imminent' means they can't be buried. They have to be armed and ready to shoot. Unless, of course, we are so corrupt with the English language that the word imminent' doesn't mean imminent' anymore.

10. In the movie Pulp Fiction, what do you think was in the briefcase?
[Adonal] His soul. I thought Pulp Fiction was about a man trying to find himself. If you think of the characters of the movie, they are all redefining themselves. You have the gang leader being raped. And he is trying to figure out what it was like to be raped and at the same time, figure out how to maintain his power as an authority figure. You had Bruce Willis trying to run away from his past and finding redemption at the end. Samuel L. Jackson found God and religion. And then, you have John Travolta, use the experience from where he's come from and then see the world in a different light. They were all trying to find salvation in their own way.

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