10 Random Thoughts

February, 2005

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1. Terrell Owens put together a valiant effort in the Super Bowl against the Patriots despite having surgery on his ankle less than two months ago. Leading up to that game, he had the difficult task of having to decide if the Super Bowl is worth risking his career or if he should take advantage of the Once-In-A-Lifetime opportunity. As a pro athlete, if you were in that situation, what would you have done?
[Adonal] That's a hard one. With Terrell, he might not have been medically ok to play, but with most athletes, especially in football, we've seen an displays of amazing thresholds for pain. I do think the considerations are very legit. Do you want to put him out there, when he's convincing himself that he is ready - even though he's not? If you don't use him, you're missing an opportunity to use an amazing athlete. But at the end of the day it was Terrell's call. Of everyone that surrounded him during those last two weeks, all they could have done for him was state the risks as plainly as they possibly could. But ultimately it was going to come down to his decision. From the team's perspective, they had to be concerned about him and if he were to mess up the chemistry. Throughout the playoffs, the team was playing very well without him. Hypothetically, Terrell could have not only hurt himself but also the team that had been rebuilt in the last three or four weeks without him. That probably wasn't a very easy thing for him. But clearly, if he felt he could play, he should certainly play.

2. As an Eagles fan, not as a pro athlete, did you want him to play going in?
[Adonal] Are you kidding me? Of course I wanted him to play.

3. Would you ever consider having your own reality show?
[Adonal] No. Having a reality show of putting together a camp and do something for charity is one thing. But having a reality show about your life, how you live and the kind of person you are, well I'm just not sure if that equals television. At the same time, I think there are some values that can be gleamed from writing a book (like an autobiography). Something like that, but presented clearly - an edited version of your life. The idea of having your own reality show is just too broad and too soap opera-ish. It's almost selfish to air all your garbage out on television. It's lazy, it's ghetto and it's not cool. Clearly, a lot of people do it because there is a market for it. I feel that there should be parts of a person's life that should stay sacred and guarded - especially when you're dealing with your family. That's just my selfish opinion.

4. Can you recall the best high school team you ever played with or against?
[Adonal] In high school, I played in plenty of camps where i played with the best players around the country. I traveled with AAU teams so I was exposed to a lot of really good competition. I don't, however, remember any names that stood out in my mind. I played with a lot of good players like Stephon Marbury, Filipe Lopez and other people.

5. What are your thoughts regarding President Bush and his request for $80 Billion more to fund the war in Iraq?
[Adonal]I just think the whole precedent of this war is wrong. And I think they continue to lie and underestimate what the cost of this war is. Clearly, this war is costing us a lot as far as human suffering as well as financially. And this will not be the end of it. They will continue to keep asking for more money because once you make a commitment to go into a country, it's yours. And it's your mess to clean it up until it's done. And I don't think this $80 Billion is going to clean it up either. This is going to go on for a very long time. And I wish we could have thought about this before going into the country. We could have made the decision based on how much we want to give to a cause like this. Regardless I still believe that this war began under false pretense, I still believe that this is a tragedy. And unfortunately, the people who get hurt in all this are the poor soliders and their families. I've always been sad about this. Now that the election is over, people aren't as outraged about soldiers coming home in bodybags. I wanted that rage to continue - not just before an election - because a lot of people are losing their lives. The question has to continually be asked: Why did we go in there in the first place? And when are we getting out?

6. What is one place in the world everyone should make a point to visit?
[Adonal]I think everyone, at one point in their life, should visit Africa. I recently watched Hotel Rwanda. And when you look at the extent of human suffering that goes on there - as well as the wealth - I think Africa is a continent of contradiction. It's a continent of wealth, it's a continent of poverty, it's a continent of genocide, it's a continent of history, it has so much tragedy there. It teaches us how to struggle. It teaches us so much that I will say, at some point or the other, all of us should visit Africa. Generally speaking, I think everyone should visit a third-world country. But if I had to pick one specific area, it would be Africa.

7. What gives you more of a rush when you're on the court, a fast-break dunk, or a block that sends the ball to the third row?
[Adonal] It would have to depend on the moment of the game. For me, I've always enjoyed blocking a guy, preventing a guy from making a dunk. Clearly, the fans like the idea of a fast break dunk. To me, the esthetics to really believe in good defense is a lost art. And I'm constantly trying to reclaim that and make it fun. That's my dream - to make a blocked shot just as impressive as a dunk.

8. Other than listening to your coach, what goes on during a huddle during a timeout?
[Adonal] We watch the fat guys (the “Weekend Warriors” dance team). They're wonderful. There's a little bit of looking around. Certainly, we like to watch Thunder (The Warriors mascot) dunk and make sure he doesn't hurt himself. We like to watch and make sure the fat guys are doing their thing on the court. We like to watch the cheerleaders and make sure they have a good show. We pay attention to the game, but we see a lot of the peripheral events too. I think athletes have an amazing way of having double-focus - especially when you're not playing as much.

9. Any thoughts on the recent split between Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston?
[Adonal] They were such a great couple. Why them? Clearly, as they say, you never know what goes on in someone else's kitchen. It's always sad when a friendship or a love relationship is broken up. But it's safe to just say that this is what's best for them and not judge how their lives should be run.

10. Best actor at the Academy Awards. Who do you want to win?
[Adonal] Like I said, I just watched Hotel Rwanda. And I just watched Ray. I still have a few more to watch. But just from those two movies, I thought they were very compelling performances. When you look at a great movie and you see how great the actors are, it's hard to pick. To me, the selections are already victories. Someone has to win. But when you watch someone like Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda or Jamie Foxx in Ray, it's incredible. Once I watch Finding Neverland and Sideways, those performances are going to be amazing as well. How do judge from something like Hotel Rwanda, a story about genocide, to Ray, a story on the life of Ray Charles, to the mysticism of Finding Neverland to the incredibleness of “The Aviator”? How do you differentiate the genius that are in all these movies? So to me, I just feel that all of them deserve such great gratitude. Because I am totally in trance from all these movies. To me, that says something. I would probably love Don Cheadle to win. Because he has been an amazing actor. And he continues to be an amazing actor.

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