 Pat Garrity: Will not sign your arm
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Straight Shooter| Who is the funniest teammate you've ever had? | Keyon Dooling is by far the funniest teammate I’ve ever had. I’ve had to move away from him on the bench because he would have me cracking up instead of focusing on the game. One of my favorite Keyon quotes: “I look so good I should have theme music.” |
| Do you socialize with players from the opposing team after a game, especially after a tough loss? | If I have a friend on an opposing team, I usually do try to catch up with him after the game even in the case of a tough loss and even if it is for a brief minute before he or I board the bus. One thing I’ve learned in the NBA is that with as many ups and downs as there are throughout a season, relationships can be a quite powerful balancing force. |
| What do you do when the player you’re guarding is lighting you up? | If I’m getting lit up, there not much else to do except play harder and try to make it as tough as possible for my opponent to catch the ball. A lot of coaches will tell you to take a hard foul to try to knock the guy off rhythm but I’ve always found that letting the guy add to his points total by going to the line tends to fuel the fire. The best idea is to try to go right back at him. Most likely, if the guy’s having a career night on the offensive end, he’s saving himself on defense, so making him work on that end is one way to try to wear him down. |
| Do you ever talk junk when you’re lighting someone up? | If I happen to be having a good game, I’ve learned that keeping my mouth shut and just playing the game works best. The players in the League are too good and the season too long to give your opponent any extra motivation to go at you the next time you square off… |
| What have been some weird things that fans have asked you to autograph? | I haven’t had too many weird autograph requests although I will have kids ask me, on occasion, to sign their hand or arm, which I’ve always found strange. I always tell them no and that their mom will get mad at me if I do, then try to find something else I can sign. |
| Do sneaker companies select which models players wear in games? How are shoes actually delivered? | I don’t know how it works for other players, but in my case Nike sends a bunch of the new models to our equipment guy in the preseason and I try a few and pick the ones I like best. Nike will send a year’s supply in bulk to our equipment manager before the season. I usually go through three or four pairs a month. When we need a new pair, we just ask him, and voila, the shoes appear. |
| Gilbert Arenas recently had a hyperbaric oxygen chamber installed in his home. Is this the new must-have item for NBA players? | I had heard about Gilbert and the oxygen chamber, but as far as I know, it hasn’t become the must-have item for NBA players. To my knowledge, the Bentley Continental GT still has that distinction. |
From the Jan/Feb 2007 issue
