Caught up with Bates in the locker room. He answered one of my questions talking about "bouncing back next season." So I asked him if the plan is to return or if that's something he still needs to think about.
Bates: "It's definitely something I'm gonna think a little bit more about. I mean, it's not that I'm -- like, I'm not going anywhere. But you know, just in terms of, what we do after the season, in this spring, whether that's testing the waters or whatever. But there's, like, no doubt that I'm coming back. Yeah, I would never leave, especially after, like I said, these relationships are real. And you know, we're gonna definitely have something to prove. So I'll 100% be back."
Bates: "It's definitely something I'm gonna think a little bit more about. I mean, it's not that I'm -- like, I'm not going anywhere. But you know, just in terms of, what we do after the season, in this spring, whether that's testing the waters or whatever. But there's, like, no doubt that I'm coming back. Yeah, I would never leave, especially after, like I said, these relationships are real. And you know, we're gonna definitely have something to prove. So I'll 100% be back."