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game. As a sixth man, you're waiting for the game to start, then you're waiting at halftime, and you might not come in until close to the fourth quarter. It's like if you went to go play somewhere in the summer, you might play for 45 minutes or an hour straight, then you have to sit for half-an-hour. You might be like, "Man, I don't feel like playing anymore." So you have to stay locked in. Dime: Could you have handled a sixth man role when you were 20, 21 years old? JC: Nah, I don't think so. I mean, I would've done it if I'd been asked, but it would've been harder to accept. When you're young you're still trying to establish yourself, so you might have a hard time accepting those things. But as you get older you get comfortable with who you are and you'll do what's asked of you. Dime: Before this season began, it was reported that you worked on your jumper for the frst time during an offseason. JC: When people frst heard that, they acted like it was the frst time I'd gotten in the gym. The truth is, I'm in the gym all the time -- probably too much. But my thing was, I was playing all the time. I worked on things in the course of playing, like against competition. So this summer, since I didn't like how last season (with the Portland Trail Blazers) went, I said I'll do everything possible to change it up. So I did the cone drills, the shooting drills, which I hadn't really done before. And I think it's all paid off. I'm having a better season. Dime: It seems like you're getting better as you get older. JC: (Laughing) I think part of it was not playing a lot earlier in my career. I only played two years of high school, then half-a-year of college, and then I was in the NBA. And I didn't start getting steady minutes in the NBA until my fourth year. I also think it helps that my game is not built on athleticism. Guys like Chauncey Billups, guys like Steve Nash, they can play forever because their game isn't built on athleticism. I'll be the frst to tell you if I've lost a step, but I feel like I'm in my prime right now. That sounds weird to say at 32, but I think I'm in my prime. Dime: Does it feel like you've been in the league for 13 years? JC: Nah man, it doesn't. That's crazy, right? (Laughing) It doesn't feel like it whatsoever. But I feel great – I feel like I'm still getting better. I'm on the best team I've ever been on, playing better than ever before. It's like I'm moving like I'm 22 years old, but I have the wisdom and knowledge of somebody older, so it's the best of both worlds. Dime: What's the biggest difference being on a good team versus being on a Lottery team? JC: It's the opposite end of the spectrum. Every night we're on everybody's list. We're gonna get everybody's best shot because we're one of the top teams in the NBA. And that's a credit to the organization and the players for being true professionals. This is a golden opportunity. You don't see this collection of talent all at once, let alone being healthy. Dime: What's your role on the Clippers? JC: I'm a scorer and a playmaker. Just a guy that makes things happen. That was the good thing about coming to the Clippers – they wanted me to be who I am, and who I've been my whole career. They wanted me to come in and be a creator. It's been the perfect marriage. AS YOU GET OLDER YOU GET COMFORTABLE WITH WHO YOU ARE AND YOU'LL DO WHAT'S ASKED OF YOU. Dime: As far as guys in the NBA who are from Seattle, you're almost like the ambassador. You're probably associated with the city more than anybody else. What's your thought on the possibility of the Sonics coming back if the Sacramento Kings move? JC: I think it'd be huge for the city. For the kids now, the closest thing they've had to having an NBA team was guys like myself and Brandon (Roy) and everybody coming back for pro-ams and charity games. But for us who grew up earlier, we had the Sonics. We had Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins. I wouldn't wanna see anybody lose their team, but it's a good time for Seattle to have a team. Dime: The Kings have two Seattle-area guys on their roster in Aaron Brooks and Isaiah Thomas [Editor's Note: Brooks was waived and picked up by Houston right before press time]. What do you think that would be like, playing for the pro team in your home city? JC: That'd be one of the coolest things I can imagine. And for a guy like Isaiah, he didn't even get the chance to go play against Seattle on the road, because the Sonics moved before he got to the NBA. So he's never had his family going to even the road games like some of the rest of us had 36 before the team moved. Dime: Is there a potential downside to playing for the hometown team? JC: There could be a downside, but for a guy like Isaiah, he already went to (University of Washington). So he's used to that hometown pressure or distraction or whatever you want to call it. And he's a guy that's driven and focused, so I don't think that would be a problem. And with Aaron, he's a pro – he's been in the league for a while – so he'll be OK. I think there's more upside to it than anything. Dime: When you played against the Clippers the last couple years, did you see their potential to be a title contender like they are now? JC: Yeah, defnitely. I think when they drafted Blake (Griffn) and DeAndre (Jordan), it was like, "Oh the Clippers are interesting now." Then they bring in Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups, and it's like "OK, they're serious now." Then adding the pieces we added this year, I mean, we're trying to win. Everybody who was brought in here understands the big picture, that we're playing for something. Dime: It does seem like the Clippers went from lottery to a contender in a short amount of time. Usually it takes a while for teams to build the chemistry necessary to contend, but it seems like you guys had it right away. JC: I think that's how the team was put together. You can have the best of everything talent-wise, but if it doesn't ft, it doesn't matter. When we had everybody come in in September you could tell we had some chemistry, then we went to China for a week of just us, and I think we really got to know each other off the court. And I think that chemistry is the main reason why we're successful. Dime: Is the rivalry with the Lakers real, or is that a media creation? JC: I'm not gonna lie – the frst time we played them in the preseason, I was driving to the arena and I saw so many Lakers jerseys and Clippers jerseys, it was like, "This is like a high school rivalry times 1,000." It's the fans that make it fun. There's so much history with the Lakers, and we're trying to create our own history. It's always been a Lakers town, but we're just gonna do what we do and try to win. Dime: Your team got off to a hot start, but how do you maintain it? JC: Just keep being professional. Our coaches keep us on our toes, giving us different goals and talking about seeing the bigger picture. Even during the 17game win streak, it was about the bigger picture. We understand that there may be some slippage along the way, but you gotta stay focused on your goals.