Q&A: Adonal Foyle

Courtesy of KNBR

Q: Are you shocked by what’s going on here with the Warriors?

A: I think jealous. But no, it’s extraordinary what the guys are doing. I think for the Bay Area, having been a player in the lean years, to have this kind of excitement around our team that is not baseball or football but basketball is really extraordinary.

Q: But what about the postseason? The postseason might be different because this team’s never been past the second round. You buy any of that?

A: No, I don’t. I think the one thing that this team went through during the course of the year is that they have been tested a number of times, and I think that (coach) Steve (Kerr) has done a very good job of putting them in stressful situations — they haven’t always won games by a lot but they’ve had to come back, they’ve had to play through injuries. I think they’ve been very well seasoned, very well prepared for the postseason. Now, look, the game slows down in the postseason. You’re going to have to push the pace a bit, and that’s going to be a big deal. To me, trying to get their brand of basketball in the postseason is going to be bigger.

Q: As far as rivals, not teams necessarily but individuals, you banged shoulders in the NBA for over a decade with any number of big men. Is there one who sticks out to you like, “Man we had some great battles,” or you consider him a rival or either some nastiness out there on the floor or some trash talk?

A: I was just happy to get off the court alive. I was just 6-10 playing guys 7 feet and above. The only way I could play the game was 100 miles an hour, full speed ahead and just really beat people up. I didn’t know how to play any other way. I literally was too tired to talk during the game. I don’t understand how people trash talk, I really don’t. I’m guarding (Shaquille O’Neal) and, what am I going to tell him? I mean, what exactly am I going to tell him?

Q: If I said, “DeAndre Jordan is the most physically talented center in the league,” would you argue?

A: No. I would say (Andre) Drummond in Detroit would be an interesting player for me as well. We don’t have a lot of big men, so DeAndre Jordan is the prototype right now.

Q: If the Warriors are fortunate enough to win it all this year and parade down Market Street or across the Bay Bridge or whatever, do you think of yourself as a Warrior, a Magic?

A: When you think of the formative years of your career — we were terrible, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I really love this community. I fell in love with this community while I was here, and I love the fans. I mean, there was no reason for them to come to our games. To see the excitement now and how much fun they are having, I am so, so happy for them.