Quotes of the week in the NBA

Minnesota rookie Derrick Williams, on whether he was bothered by being the No. 2 pick in the draft and not No. 1:

“Sometimes I think being the No. 2 pick is a blessing in disguise. I think it was better overall for me to come to Minnesota. I can learn from some of the players at my position, like from Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. I learn a lot from those guys every single day.�

Dallas’ Jason Kidd, on Lamar Odom:

“Odom is on a team that wants to win, so he couldn’t be in a better situation.�

Sasha Vujacic, now playing in Turkey, on his time with the Lakers:

“I was fortunate that I had the best players and the best coaches, learning from them. Also winning a couple of championships. . . . They’re my family and they treated me like family when I went to New Jersey, so L.A. is home for me.�

Washington’s Andray Blatche, criticizing his role on the team after a season-opening loss to New Jersey:

“You can’t keep having me pick-and-pop and shooting jump shots. Give me the ball in the paint. That’s where I’m most effective at. I’ve been saying that since training camp: I need the ball in the paint. I don’t want to be the pick-and-pop guy that I used to be. It’s not working for me.�

Blatche, on Twitter, after being criticized for his remarks:

“Everybody needs to shut up.�

— Houston Mitchell