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Chris Gay answers your Questions Part 2

gsuteke

By gsuteke
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gsuteke

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Here are the rest of the questions Chris Gay of the Augusta Chronicle answered on Garret Siler. The other responses I've previously posted can be viewed here:

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php/topic/339036-chris-gay-of-augusta-chronicle-on-garret-siler/

Chris Gay covers Garret Siler with blogs and stories at Augusta Chronicle.com

I ask each of you to email Chris Gay himself with any "thank you's" if you so desire. His email address is chris.gay@augustachronicle.com

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

"The main one I've heard everyone calling him is -- and this sounds quite obvious -- "Big G."

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

"He entered Augusta State as a shy/bashful guy maybe lacking a little bit of confidence. As he matured and progressed as a player, he became more vocal. He's still kind of breaking out of his shell (Last year, he and three teammates cheered on the volleyball team with their bare chests painted). Everybody around Augusta thinks of him as a gentle giant. He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet."

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

"I'll have to leave this question up to someone else smarter than I am. I don't watch a lot of NBA these days; I cover a full slate of Division II games around Augusta (Augusta State, Paine and USC Aiken). Garret is 7-foot, 276 pounds. So he's about 100 pounds heavier than former Hawks center Dikembe Mutumbo.

As far as his game, it's hard to tell you because he's continuing to develop it. He was unstoppable around the basket at Augusta State (He shot 79 percent from the floor this past season and set the NCAA career field-goal percentage record). Since April, Garret has been occasionally working with former Augusta State assistant coach Lenny Carlson on extending his offensive and defensive range out to 10-, 12-feet. Also, Garret, for his size, shoots free throws pretty well. So he's no Shaq at the foul line."

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

"The one thing Garret needs to work on is extending his defensive range away from the basket. He can man up against anyone close to the basket, but he needs to be able to defend in that mid-range area.

"Three things he's really good at (Sorry, I couldn't choose just one): He has great floor vision, he has unbelievable hands (especially for his size) and he finishes extremely well around the basket."

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?

"Garret's work ethic has gotten better over the years. He's really busted his tail since finishing up his collegiate career in late March. He understands that because he didn't come from a big-name school, he's going to have to work extra hard. And because he's not someone who's spoiled, he's going to go the extra mile.

"I don't know if we've ever discussed football (but I get the feeling he pulls for the big home state teams like the Bulldogs and Falcons, but I could be wrong). I know he enjoys video games like "Rock Band" and he's big into music. He either has a 60g or 80g mp3 player (his original one got stolen out of his car last summer). He listens to all kinds of music and even has a fondness for country (he likes the Rascal Flatts and Toby Keith)."

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)

"If you told me I had a shot at playing for the Atlanta Braves in three months, I'd start running as much as possible, doing push-ups, sit-ups, whatever. Sure, the NBA was the proverbial carrot dangling in front of him. Making millions by losing weight and continuing to do something he loved was easy motivation for Garret.

"Now it's not like he was unmotivated in college. Garret weighed more than 360 pounds when he came in as a freshman. He busted his bust every year. But after this past season, he had extra incentive to continue to work even harder.

"If he were to make the Hawks roster I don't believe he'd let up. He's got so much potential. He comes from a great family. He'll continue to work hard wherever he plays in the coming months and years."

-- 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

"Man, that's a loaded question. You sound like my wife. The biggest weakness he will overcome is the feeling he belongs. His former coach at Augusta State, Dip Metress, once said he's like clay you can mold. He's got so much potential, but he's not a "project" like the Hawks have had in the past (i.e. that 7-foot-7 guy from South America who never worked out).

"As far as biggest weakness he may not overcome, I think he will continually have a time with trying to be meaner on the court, developing that killer instinct. He's such a nice guy, to a fault some times. I don't know if that's something you necessarily overcome. Nor do I think it's a bad thing. Take having that killer instinct to an extreme and you've got something like that fight between Detroit and Indiana a few years ago."

-- 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.

"Some people who know Garret very well believe he could be a backup center in the NBA for 10 to 12 years. That may not sound impressive, but if he were to play 20 minutes a game he'd still have some sort of impact. I'm not going to put a ceiling on how far I think he can go. Like Garret, Ben Wallace was a Division II player at Virginia Union. He worked his tail off and became one of the premier centers in the league. Why can't Garret?"

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

"Garret is a smart guy. At his draft party, he mentioned being in the chess club in high school. He needs a coach with a little of both attributes, but he can adapt if need be. When he's in Augusta, he has 1-on-1 sessions with former Augusta State assistant coach Lenny Carlson, who led UConn in scoring at least one season back in the 1960s. Lenny is one of the brightest basketball minds in the state. I'll put him up against anybody. He is teaching Garret to use his mind on defensive drills and he's also working with him on a mid-range jumper.

"Garret's still developing that mean streak. He got in some physical battles on the court during his playing days, but he never came close to fighting with anyone. I don't remember him ever picking up a technical foul in his collegiate career. So you don't ever have to worry about him ever going Rasheed Wallace/Latrell Sprewell crazy.

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?

"I think of his college career as two segments: underclassmen years and upperclassmen years. I remember going to Augusta State's opening practice his junior season. I looked at him and then looked back at him. Garret had developed muscles, biceps with veins popping out (and none of that steroid stuff). I remember thinking, "Garret's all grown up."

"Garret has improved vastly with his offensive game. He's done a better job of just catching the ball and shooting - or taking one dribble and shooting. Sometimes, he'd take that extra drill and get the ball stolen. He's worked more with his left hand this past year and can shoot with either. His free-throw shooting has improved quite a bit. He shot 66 percent from the line, and that's not bad for a 7-footer."

"He's got plenty of room to improve his entire game. He only started playing seriously about five years ago. But again, he's not a project. Garret brings his talent to Atlanta. Now, it's just a matter of him continuing to develop it."

-How agressive is Siler at attacking the basket?

"Augusta State played an inside-out game where a guard usually dumped the ball inside to Garret. If he had a 1-on-1 matchup, Garret wasn't going to be stopped. But if he was double-teamed, Garret would scan the floor before making a decision to attack the basket or not."

-Does he have a goto post move?

"I don't know if Garret has any one move (he had a good spin move in college). It all depends on the situation. He's got a hook shot he can use. He can shoot with both hands. It's hard to say because I haven't seen him play live since March and he's gotten so much better since then.

-How do you rate his overall basketball IQ?

"His basketball IQ has improved over the years. He's probably in that above-average range but he can still get better. And this comes with game experience. He's smart kid. As he plays better competition, his basketball IQ will continue to climb.

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?

"Yeah, you don't see many Dennis Rodmans or Charles Barkleys anymore. Garret's good at boxing out. He could be better. He's not afraid to put that big body on anyone. So he's not going to play matador defense when it comes to rebounding. You'll see him working against other guys. Could he be better at boxing out? Sure. But like I said, he's continuing to work on his entire game."

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What is the joke? I think I am missing the humor. Garrett does outweight Mutombo by about 30-40 pounds so I would better understand exaggeration as an explanation but I just don't see either fitting the tone of the response. I guess I'll read this as a way of saying that he is shorter than Mutombo but a lot heavier and attribute the 100 pounds to be an exaggeration akin to saying that Mutombo is half a foot taller than Garrett.

"I'll have to leave this question up to someone else smarter than I am. I don't watch a lot of NBA these days; I cover a full slate of Division II games around Augusta (Augusta State, Paine and USC Aiken). Garret is 7-foot, 276 pounds. So he's about 100 pounds heavier than former Hawks center Dikembe Mutumbo.

As far as his game, it's hard to tell you because he's continuing to develop it. He was unstoppable around the basket at Augusta State (He shot 79 percent from the floor this past season and set the NCAA career field-goal percentage record). Since April, Garret has been occasionally working with former Augusta State assistant coach Lenny Carlson on extending his offensive and defensive range out to 10-, 12-feet. Also, Garret, for his size, shoots free throws pretty well. So he's no Shaq at the foul line."

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