Jeff Van Gundy Quotes

I'm a big-guy guy. I look at guys like Shaq, Ben Wallace, guys who play inside and play tough. I don't pay much attention to the little guys; I like the big guys who do the dirty work.

Any guard would love playing with a great big man, one who rebounds, blocks shots, and scores.

When you have a dominant big man, that changes the aspects of the game.

I'm kind of a dirty guy, a little Bill Laimbeer-ish. Those are the guys I used to watch growing up. I used to watch Karl Malone; now I watch Boozer and Elton Brand and try to emulate those guys as much as possible because those guys are about the same size as me.

I don't always match up with guys like Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum, but when I do, those guys are a challenge. Dwight, for example, is quick, explosive, and strong all in one.

There are a lot of guys who play in the NBA. There aren't a lot of guys who have a chance to win a gold medal, too.

I think that Paul Gasol is the most skilled big man in the NBA today with his ability to post on either block, the way he runs the floor, and the way he can shoot the mid-range jump shot.

I used to be a wait-at-the-rim big, more of a Rudy Gobert-type of player.

Kane is one of the best big men of all-time.

Joe Kleine is not a legitimate center in the sense that he is not a shot blocker and not an intimidator. He's not a force on the offensive end.

Demarcus Cousins, he can move. With his size, he can really use his size on the perimeter against anybody. That's what I want to do when I get to the league.

You've gotta play a head game; especially blocking shots, you've gotta make it hard. You're playing against the best of the best: they're not gonna go straight to the basket, do a layup. You've gotta lure them into some shots.

Whether I'm starting or coming off the bench, bigs have to protect the rim and can't give nothing easy to nobody.

With my size and length I can affect the game in a lot of ways.

I've wrestled some of the strongest, most athletic guys this business has ever seen. Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Mark Henry, Kane. These guys are phenomenal, phenomenal athletes and powerhouses.

In college I played power forward because I was one of the biggest guys on the team and my versatility allowed me to do that.

Teams are always hitting me in the gut, trying to grab me when I jump and stuff like that. But I expect it.

I'm too athletic to play the dunker role at center.

I think that's my job to be a little nasty - to bring that energy, protect the paint and really just protect our guys. That's the role of a big man. It's not cute; it's not pretty being a big. You have to come in and do the little things, do the dirty work.

Marc Gasol, he's one of the hardest people to guard. His ability to pass, shoot, and his size is something that can be a benefit to him a lot.

Of course the defenders are trying to be physical with me. They look at me, 7-3, skinny, they try to be physical.

Whenever you've got an inside presence, it makes the game extremely easy.

I feel the need to really get after a guy defensively and showing that.

I am one of the last true centers in the NBA, and it's a title that I enjoy to hold.

What we get paid to do is peak at the world championships and Olympics.