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A Conversation with Paul Millsap

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January 16th, 2011 @ 10:27pm

29 NBA teams passed on Paul Millsap in the 2006 NBA Draft. Fans in Utah are glad the Jazz weren't one of those 29 teams. Now in his 5th season in the league Paul has the starting job he's long coveted and continues to prove his doubters wrong. Jeremiah Jensen sat down with the power forward to relive his magic in Miami and Houston and the maturity and confidence that has helped him develop into one of the best power forwards in the league.

JJ: How much do you enjoy playing for this organization and playing here in Salt Lake City? It seems like a match made in heaven.

Paul: I think it is. Since the first year I got here I felt like I was going to be here a long time. I felt like I could help this team and I felt, like, vice versa, that they was going to help me so everything's working' out.

JJ: For four years you waited for this opportunity to be become a starter. How difficult was it to wait for this opportunity and be patient? You handled it so well.

Paul: It's very difficult, you know, but for me it was just being patient. Just sitting back while my opportunity came and eventually I knew it was going to come and I had to be ready for it. That's why I worked as hard as I did during the off-season to get myself physically and mentally ready for it.

JJ: Are there ways that helped you become a better player?

Paul: Absolutely, because I was ready for it, you know. You got to be ready; ready to play 82 games, be ready for the criticism, and be ready for everything that is going to happen through the course of a season.

JJ: Two years ago you could have left here. Portland made that offer and the Jazz matched. Is it crazy to think what might have happened if they had not matched? How grateful are you for the way things have worked out?

Paul: I'm very grateful. I don't really look at what could've happened. A lot of things could've happened had whatever…happened you know, but I just sit back and I'm very grateful that they matched the offer and I'm here.

JJ: When you came out of college a lot of teams didn't think you could play in the NBA because they didn't draft you. What has been your motivation? What drives you to this point where you are one of the best power forwards in the NBA?

Paul: Just my love for the game. The love and respect I have for the game drives me to try and become the best player I can be.

JJ: The competitive drive where does that come from?

Paul: It could be a family trait. My whole family is pretty competitive. We compete in pretty much everything we do.

JJ: Do you play with a chip on your shoulder and do you still feel like you have to prove people wrong?

Paul: I don't feel like that anymore. Now I'm just out there trying to win, you know, playing my game. My first few years I tried to prove everyone wrong, you know, I tried to show everybody that I could play at this level. But now I'm more calm, I guess, I'm more stable so I feel another level of confidence that I can just get out there and play my game.

JJ: And how satisfying is it to reach that point in your career?

Paul: It feels great man. It feels great to go out there and just play. Just play to win.

JJ: Can you describe for me what it's like to go into "beast mode" and you take over an NBA game.

Paul: It's hard to explain. You just put your best foot forward and see what happens. Shots start falling for you and you start getting really confident. I just felt real confident that every shot I put up was going to go in.

JJ: How exciting is it to have that kind of an effort, especially when the team needs a comeback like that.

Paul: to know that you've got your team, you know, you're carrying your team; to know that you are helping your team win is a great feeling. ‘The Zone' is just another level of confidence you have for yourself and you feel like you can do anything out there.

JJ: Playing with Al Jefferson now in the frontcourt. Talk about that dynamic, how it can make you a better team and how that is coming along?

Paul: It's coming along. We still got a lot to work on. He still has a lot to learn in this offense. As of now we're progressing, maybe at the rate we didn't expect at the beginning of the season but it's coming along. Like I said, me and him is a great tandem, you know, we read each other well and it's going to help us out in the long run.

JJ: And you've become friends with Big Al off the court as well?
Paul: Yeah, from day one. You know, both coming from, I guess, the same background, you know, the southern part. Just knowing each other, having a feel for each other.

JJ: There are always the ups and downs of the NBA season but as you look at this team where you are right now, how good can this team be and what needs to happen to take things to the next level?
Paul: I think our level of focus needs to remain high. We've got to keep the same focus as we do on the road at home. We had a few struggles at home and a few breakdowns I guess. That's just due to focus. We've got to keep our focus and try to get better.

E-mail: jjensen@ksl.com
 
yeah, thanks, nice find. Gotta love this question/comment though:

J: When you came out of college a lot of teams didn't think you could play in the NBA because they didn't draft you.
 
Paul should spend more time practicing basketball and less time chatting with Jeremiah Jensen.
 
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