Severns spent a few minutes on the telephone with The Bee this week during the Bulls' stop in San Antonio.

Question: How did you find this job?

Answer: The Bulls hired a new coach, Vinny del Negro, and I heard he was going to hire a player development coach. He brought me in to work with some players. and I got the job. My interest in the past 10 years has been in player development.

What are your responsibilities?

The main thing right now is working with players during the season before and after practice, before games -- individual or small groups in any area they need improvement. We have such a great coaching staff, I don't do much more than observe during games. A huge part of the job is during the offseason, making sure the players develop as they should. I try to target what guys need to work on -- any skill, shooting, post game, ball handling. I'm on-call 24 hours a day in the offseason.

Can the Bulls contend this season?

Our goal is to make the playoffs. We have the youngest team in the league, with a 20-year-old point guard [Derrick Rose] who has only been in the league for 16 games. The playoffs are a definite possibility.

How good is Derrick Rose?

He is special. I don't think anyone thought he could be this good this quickly. There were two games -- against Golden State and against Utah -- where he took over in the fourth quarter. He's fearless, tough and takes good shots. The sky is the limit. He's already one of the two best point guards in the Eastern Conference.

Do you keep up with the Bulldogs?

I follow them every day, go on-line to see how they are doing. I was at practice one day in the fall. I know they are young and they'll struggle this year, but the next few years look good with the young guys they have.

Are you prepared for winter in Chicago?

That's not going to bother me. We're inside all the time and gyms are heated.