Chris Gay of Augusta Chronicle takes your questions on Garret Siler

[gsuteke]

Squawkers,

Chris Gay of the Augusta Chronicle has been kind enough to field some questions from us about Garret Siler. Chris is a Sports writer that covered Siler's 4 year career at Augusta State. You'll also remember Chris as the person who broke the story posted here on the Squawk that Siler agreed to attend Hawks Vet Camp

As everyone here knows the Hawks have had trouble landing that elusive "Big" over the years. Garret Siler has caught the attention of HS, yet very little is known about him. Chris has told me that he can answer pretty much anything on Garret's game, Garret the person, etc.

You guys know how this works. This thread is only for questions for Chris Gay. Please do not post any comments in this thread about Siler or about any of the questions posted here. Sometime around August 12th I'll close the thread and forward the questions to Chris and I'll post the answers here on the Squawk.

Please feel free to ask more than one question....

Edited August 7, 2009 by gsuteke

[gsuteke]

One of the knocks on Siler is he hasn't faced much competition at the D2 level in the paint. What level of Big men have you seen Siler compete against and do you think he'll be able to match up physically on the next level?

Edited August 7, 2009 by gsuteke

[Diesel]

For many years, the knock on Siler has been that he's too overweight to play good defense. With his recent loss of weight, do you think that he can be a NBA quality defender or does he not have the fundamentals to be a good defender.

[coachx]

First, let me thank gsuteke for puting this together and Chris Gay for taking time out to enlighten us on Siler.

1.) What is Siler's demeanor like on the court ? Is he a gentle giant or is he rough and tough ? Does he shy away from contact or invite contact ?

2.) Why were his rebound numbers so low at a D-2 college ? I assume it was a lack a of quickness and mobility to get to the looses balls that did not fall in his lap............If that is the case, does he at least box other guys out well enough to keep them from getting to loose balls ?

3.) What is his personlaity / locker room presence like ? Is he a comedian, out spoken, a tough guy, or shy ?

Edited August 7, 2009 by coachx

[DrReality]

Is there someone who is or has been in the league that you could compare him to?

[Brotha2ThaNite]

What is the one thing Siler needs to work on the most and the one thing he is best at?

[APE]

How is his work ethic? Should there be any character concerns? And I read that his other favorite sport is football so what are his favorite College & Pro football teams?

[ATLNY7]

Why do you think Garret Siler didn't get drafted?

[TheDude]

first off, thank you

-- Do you feel that his recent trend of losing weight and hard work is a product of realizing he has a chance to get to the NBA and get a contract or do you feel it is in his nature to continue to work hard and be actually the best he can physically and mentally be (aka be driven to fulfill/maximize potential)

-- What do you feel is his biggest weakness that he WILL overcome and what do you feel is a weakness that most likely he will NOT overcome

-- Lastly, in your opinion where you actually see him ending up as a player in the NBA when its all said and done. I mean as far as skill level where do you think he'll realistically max out at.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

1) When looking at Siler last year, how was he able to grab a high number of offensive rebounds ( compared to his overall number of rebounds )? Is he putting himself in great position to grab an offensive rebound from other guys missed shots . .. or does he grab offensive rebounds simply because he was so much bigger than everyone else?

http://www.aug.edu/athletics/sports/mbasketball/08stats/teamcume.htm#TEAM.CMB

2) And just for a lighter question . . . did Siler have a nickname at Augusta State?

Edited August 9, 2009 by northcyde

[PaceRam]

Chris, Thanks for taking your time to answer these questions!

I am very excited about Garrett Siler agreeing to participate in the Hawks September camp and I personally think with his size and attitude he could help the Hawks. But, since you know a LOT more about Siler than I do can you tell me if you think he will eventually sign a contract with the Hawks and if he does do you think he has a good chance of making the final roster and contributing to the team? I hope he makes the team and ends up being an Atlanta Hawk for many years!

[AnakinJoe]

Chris, thanks for answering questions. Siler seems like a cerebral type, smart and witty. Do you think that the best basketball teacher would be one who could appeal to his intellect or one that would challenge him physically? Also, does he have a mean-streak (in a basketball sense)? Thanks again.

[gsuteke]

Garret started playing basketball 4 years ago as a Freshman at ASU. Please walk us through his development in respect to his skill-set. Also how much room does Garret have to improve and is he still making improvements to his game?

[xhawk]

-How agressive is Siler at attacking the basket?

-Does he have a goto post move?

-How do you rate his overall basketball IQ?

[AHF]

One of the most basic and important skills for a big man is simply putting a body on your opponent and boxing out on rebounds, yet many big men in the NBA don't do this. At this stage in his career, does Siler do a good job boxing out opponents or is this an area where he will need to develop?

[gsuteke]

This thread will be closed Wednesday evening and forwarded to Chris Gay.

If you have anything you want to ask about Siler speak now or forever hold your peace.