Chat Transcript: Pat Garrity
Pat Garrity is in his eighth season in the NBA, with all but one of
those seasons having been spent with the Orlando Magic. Known for his
outside shooting, Pat has shot better than 40 percent from three-point
range during his career and is close to that mark this season with 39.5
percent from beyond the arc while averaging 5.1 ppg in 17 minutes per
game.An interesting note on Pat is that he was drafted as the 19th overall selection by Milwaukee in 1998 and traded on draft night along with the Bucks other first round pick - Dirk Nowitzki - to the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks then turned around and sent Pat to Phoenix - also on draft night -in a package that put future MVP Steve Nash in the Dallas backcourt. And after his first season as a Sun, Garrity came to Orlando as part of the packaged deal for Penny Hardaway.
After two trades on draft night and another after his rookie season, Pat was able to find a home in Orlando. This week, the former Notre Dame standout took some time to chat with fans on orlandomagic.com.
Check out what Pat had to say about the recent trades and much more.
kris(chi): how do you feel about francis being traded?
Pat Garrity: First, Steve was having a tough time this year, and with all our injuries our team lacked the continuity needed to be successful. As the star player on a team, alot of that comes down on you, publicly and I think that happened to Steve and now he is moving to a better situation for him. With Ariza I think we as a team are moving in the right direction in getting a good, young athletic player.
Brian (Edison,NJ): hey Pay, how do you feel about the addition of Darko?
Pat Garrity: My first impression is that he's a great athlete. He's way more athletic than I thought. I think now that he may get some playing time, it will give him a shot to show what he can do. There had been some negativity around him in his previous situation and I think this is a great chance for him, and us as a team, to have a fresh start.
Elliot(Minnesota): Where do you think your role is on this team?
Pat Garrity: My role is to be a floor-spacer who can knock down open shots when teams collapse on Dwight or any of our other scores. I'm basically a pick and roll player and I can make the defense respect my outside shooting ability to the benefit of my teammates.
Kerem Celiker(Turkey/Istanbul): Hi Pat...I was wondering how are old you were when you started playing basketball? Keep up the good work!
Pat Garrity: I was probably around 13 when I first started playing seriously, right when I was entering high school. My family moved to South Carolina and I went to a school which didn't have football, my first love. Plus I went from 6-foot to 6-6 in my freshman year when I go there, so that kind of led me to the basketball court.
Will Stingley (Monument, CO): Hey Pat,
A fellow Lewis Palmer Ranger here! When did you realize you could make it to the NBA and what/who do you most contribute your success? You should come home this summer to play in the LP alumni game!
Pat Garrity: Alright! Ha-ha I think I may recognize that last game. My freshman year in college I had a career night against Duke and at that point I thought maybe professional basketball was possible. But it wasn't until I was around a junior in college that I thought that I really could play in the NBA. As far as my success...I think going to a school where I could play right away and improve right away..and where my coaches and teammates really helped me improve, was a key factor in my success.
brandon (new york): Who is your idol basktball player when you were growing up?
Pat Garrity: Like every other kid in the late 80s and early 90s it was Michael Jordan. I can't really say I modeled my game after his. Ha-ha (Laughing). But still, he was the biggest star in the game and a real inspiration to me.
Matt (Milwaukee): Hey Pat I love your game! I was wondering whether you have any pre-game rituals and how this helps you to play well? cheers
Pat Garrity: First at about 1 o'clock I take a nap on gameday. About a two-hour nap. Generally the same meal, pasta and fruit at home and a club sandwhich and fruit on the road. Also in warmups I take the same number of shots and the same routine. It just helps me focus and concentrate. It keeps me in a consistent frame of mind going into every game.
North Arlington: Pat, it is soon the 6th year anniversary of the best game of your history when on 2/27/00 you had 32 points and 7 three pointers, do you think you'll ever break you're career high in your season?
Pat Garrity: It's possible, but it would be difficult without playing starter-type minutes. If you get a heavy dose of minutes, it's possible. But with me playing around 15-25 minutes a night, there would have to be some pretty lousy defense out there for me to hit seven three-pointers!
Jacob (llesburg, FL): Pat, Is it true that you would like to work in the front office of an organization?
Pat Garrity: Yes. It's an intriguing possibility, probably moreso than coaching. Being a GM or in the front office allows you to be part of the business side, as opposed to just the basketball side. And the business side of the NBA is something I have great interest in.
kevin(annandale: who would you say is the toughest person for you to guard in the nba?
Pat Garrity: Hmmm. At the power forward position, probably Tim Duncan. He's such a skilled lowpost player, and he's so long. He can make shots with either hand, take you down low, or make the medium range shot, so it's very, very difficult to defend.
Deltona: Pat, will this team be able to gel?
Pat Garrity: I think we're gonna keep it simple, as far as what we run on offense for the rest of the season. If we do that and move the ball, I think we can learn to share the ball, which helps a team gel more than anything.
Pat Garrity: Thanks to everyone who logged on today to chat with me. I'm sorry I didn't get to all the questions, but I appreciate the ones that I did answer and all the interest from the fans of the NBA and the Orlando Magic.
