20 Questions With Your Boy — Chris Taft

On June 23, the Nuggets worked out Linas Kleiza of Missouri, Luther Head of Illinois, Matt Nelson of Colorado State, Josh Pace of Syracuse and Chris Taft of Pittsburgh. Kleiza is a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 16.1 ppg and 7.6 rpg as a sophomore in 2004-05. Head is a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 15.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 3.8 apg as a senior last season. Nelson is a 7-foot-1 center who averaged 15.8 ppg and 5.9 rpg for the Rams in 2004-05. Pace is a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 10.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 3.8 apg in his senior season. Finally, Taft is a 6-foot-10 forward who averaged 13.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg as a sophomore at Pitt.

Chris Taft

1. Q: How did your workout go today?

A: My workout went good today. I competed real well, hit some shots, played real hard. Hustling, diving on the floor, my workout went real well today.

2. Q: What was the best part of your workout today?

A: I’d just say I was just playing hard. I liked that dunk with the rebound I caught. Other than that I was just playing real hard and being real competitive.

3. Q: What do you look to prove to each organization that you workout for, and how do you prepare yourself?

A: That I’m a guy that is going to come in and give 150% and work as hard as I can and play as hard as I can and do everything they ask me and tell me to do.

4. Q: What is your game’s biggest strength?

A: I’m aggressive, I’m unselfish and I’m a great back to the basket player. At the same time, I am getting better and better at my face up game, my back to the basket game is real good and a lot of guys in the draft don’t have that.

5. Q: What is your biggest weakness?

A: One of my weaknesses is my 15-17 foot jump shot that I’m working on every single day and it’s getting better. That’s my weakness right now. In the future, the way I’m working on it, it won’t be a weakness no more.

6. Q: With the Draft a little more than a week away are you getting nervous or anxious at all?

A: Yeah a bit of both. Of course you are going to be real nervous because you’re not really sure where you’re going to fall at. At the same time, you’re real excited because you know you are stepping into a whole new world, somewhere that you dreamed of being when you started playing basketball.

7. Q: How many workouts have you done since this process began?

A: I think this was my 12th.

8. Q: What was your best game in college?

A: My best games in college were at Notre Dame and when we played Providence.

9. Q: What are you looking forward to the most about being in the NBA?

A: I’m looking forward to the competition. When you step to the NBA you are a different man, a grown man and you just have to compete. I know that at the next level, the way I’m going to work on my game and the way they’re going to help me work on my game, I’m going to be able to play in the future.

10. Q: What is your biggest fear about it?

A: I don’t have no fears about the next level.

11. Q: Do you have a favorite player or role model that you looked up to the most growing up?

A: Kevin Garnett.

12. Q: When did you start playing basketball?

A: I started playing when I was about 12. I was playing football a lot and then when I got 12, I started playing basketball.

13. Q: What do you think your biggest challenge is going to be at the next level?

A: How you are going to handle certain things on and off the court.

14. Q: What will be the first thing that you buy if you get drafted into the NBA?

A: I’m going to buy my grandmother and mother a house.

15. Q: What was your favorite subject in school?

A: Algebra was all right. I always liked math.

16. Q: Who is the biggest influence in your life?

A: The most important ladies in my life, my mother, my grandmother and my aunt.

17. Q: Who is your favorite musical artist?

A: Jay Z.

18. Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: I’ve got to go with “White Man Can’t Jump” and “He Got Game.”

19. Q: Did you follow the Nuggets at all this past season?

A: I definitely followed the Nuggets. They had a great two years and they’re a real good team with a lot of great players, so I followed them a lot.

20. Q: Finally, how do you think you’d fit in with this team and what do you feel you could add to the roster?

A: I think I’d fit in real well because I’m a guy who’s going to come in who can play the five or the four and play real hard, block a lot of shots, hustle, be real aggressive and finish a lot of plays.