Gortat Wants a Larger Role in the Offence

[WallabyPie]

via AZcentral:

Suns center Marcin Gortat always has preferred his original national-team nickname, “Polish Machine,” over the catchier “Polish Hammer” moniker that stuck publicly.

It might be more of who he is — more methodical than overpowering. When his tap finish came up short to tie the score at Toronto or when he puts up any shot near the rim with touch rather than force, it can draw the ire of many for him to finish stronger. He opened Friday’s game with a dunk but then missed his other four first-quarter shots.

“We have a lot of people, even on our staff, that are yelling, ‘Finish hard! Dunk the ball!’” Gortat said after Friday’s shootaround. “You’ve got fans screaming, ‘Dunk the ball!’

“Well, it’s not always about dunking. It’s not always possible to dunk the ball from every possible position. (Suns assistant player development coordinator) Ralph (Sampson) told me, ‘Listen, just play the game the way you play and the way you feel comfortable.’ If there’s a situation where I can dunk the ball, yeah, I’m going to do that. But if there’s a situation where I can make a layup or a sky hook, I’m going to do that.”

Suns coach Alvin Gentry’s recent message to Gortat has been to play his style with confidence and within the system’s flow.

“What has happened is he’s thinking too much,” Gentry said. “Whatever he has to do to play well, he has to do that. I don’t want him thinking he has to be this real physical player if that’s not what he is. I just want him to play the way he feels comfortable. If it’s jump shots, he’s a really good jump shooter.”

Gortat stays after practice regularly to get in extra work with Sampson and player-development coach Sean Rooks.

“Quite honestly, we all see that I’m not playing the best basketball right now,” Gortat said. “From the defensive standpoint, I’m not getting enough rebounds. I want to be as defensive-minded as I was at the beginning of the year when I was blocking a lot of shots and getting steals. I’m trying to come back to being me. I’m working hard every day.

“I’m going to perform better, because that’s what the team needs.”

Gortat still makes mention of how few shot opportunities he gets but is more accepting of his portion of the offense.

“I’ve just got to push for that and fight and work for that,” Gortat said. “I’ve got to make sure in the first quarter when I’m sitting down, that I’m dead. I’m exhausted because I left everything on the court.”

[garrick]

It would be fine if he were making his soft jump hooks and layups but the thing is he is missing or getting those blocked too often.
Then again earlier on in the season he was trying to dunk versus the Jazz but kept getting stuffed by Al Jefferson and Cousins so I don't know.
I think we just have to accept that he will always be a subpar finisher near the rim throughout his career.

[carey]

It would be fine if he were making his soft jump hooks and layups but the thing is he is missing or getting those blocked too often.
Then again earlier on in the season he was trying to dunk versus the Jazz but kept getting stuffed by Al Jefferson and Cousins so I don't know.
I think we just have to accept that he will always be a subpar finisher near the rim throughout his career.

Right. Combine that with the fact that he isn't a dominate rebounder and you have the exact reasons I don't want to pay him a salary starting at $10M in 2014.

[EB2]

It would be fine if he were making his soft jump hooks and layups but the thing is he is missing or getting those blocked too often.
Then again earlier on in the season he was trying to dunk versus the Jazz but kept getting stuffed by Al Jefferson and Cousins so I don't know.
I think we just have to accept that he will always be a subpar finisher near the rim throughout his career.

Right. Combine that with the fact that he isn't a dominate rebounder and you have the exact reasons I don't want to pay him a salary starting at $10M in 2014.

The thing is though, will we ever have a trade where we get fair value for Gortat?

[Sundreamer]

Hello, I’m a basketball fan from Poland, I’ve been following this board for some time so I figured I might as well register and post my translation of theGortat interview for Poland’s news agency that surfaced today.

The translation is not word-by-word obviously, but it’s accurate enough.
Tidbit: Gortat wants to remain a Sun until the end of the season.
I apologize in advance for any awkward phrasing.

Does the latest winning streak mean that the team is back in form?

Gortat: I don't know if we have stepped into winning streak for good, but the latest wins surely helped us to gain more confidence, improved the team chemistry, regulated how many minutes each player should be given. We're on a higher level now than in the recent, difficult period.

What was happening to the team in the initial part of the season? First, a swing of good and bad results and then a long losing streak.

The coach was experimenting a bit, and each of us was trying to find himself in the new playing style, with the new teammates. On top of that nobody played their best basketball. Everybody wanted to be a hero, carry the game on his own. Often it resulted in the team's loss. We didn't have enough time for training to hone our form. Our schedule was very tight - many games within a short period of time. Only now it can be said that we've shifted the gear. We have more time to practice our plays and exercise a good rotation system.

You too have been through ups and downs. Starting from five double-doubles in the first half of November, through subpar performances in the following weeks where you happened to score few points and grab just 3-4 rebounds. What was the reason of that?

My great frustration, mainly. To me it was a big mental swing. I have to say that only a few people knew how to talk to me then, how to work together to help me. It sure wasn’t easy for me to play 25-30 minutes, having 3 rebounds and scoring 4 points. That whole month was one of the most important experiences in my career. I think that I won't have more such games. I believe that from now on I'll start to show a better level of play. Now I'm focusing solely on how to help the team. I realize that I'm followed by many people and it can have a bearing on my future.

As nobody else in the team, you have recorded more than 100 games as a starter, but there was a moment when you couldn't be sure whether you would make it to the starting line-up. (Literally: your position as a starter was “threatened” – Sundreamer)

I never felt this way. I didn’t have any signals from the coach, or from any member of the coaching staff, that I'd be replaced. My position was such because I didn't have a possibility to show my skills. I was just ignored in many plays on the court. It seems to me that the role of centers in the team is clear. I'm impressed by Jermaine's professionalism and approach to the game. Each of us knows our tasks and tries to help the team within the time we spend on the court.

Did the refusal to extend your contract past-2013/14 season affect your situation?

No, I had a casual talk with the team manager and my agent, we made a business decision. Extending my contract was the last thing I was interested in at that time. It was the most important to start playing on a higher level, as I did last year. I want to carry out this contract and we'll see what happens next.

In the last games we saw the old good Gortat again, but still not too effective when it comes to offensive rebounding. You finished as many as 12 games without or with just 1 offensive rebound. As if you didn't fight for them. Can this be fixed?

True. There were games in which I didn't fight for a rebound, but there were also games where I was the only one trying to get one. But when you are alone under the basket against 3 or 4 opponents it's really difficult to cover the whole paint. And in that case, no matter how strong and big you are, you are not able to grab the basketball. Besides, often I didn't have luck and timing to reach the ball. I think it will improve soon.

What was the last play in the 82:80 win against the Grizzlies supposed to look like? Were you going to take the decisive shot? After Goran's winner, you didn't congratulate him too warmly...

They said that, apparently, I was the only person who hadn't congratulated Goran. Meanwhile, it was me who came to him first and expressed my gratitude for making that last shot. The truth is, he had ball in his hands and attacked the rim. I was doing my job - I was absorbing the defenders, moved toward the basket and if he'd passed the ball to me, I would have obviously tried to finish. There's no way it was a selfish play though - Goran made a great play and scored the winning points. Of course, each of us was happy we had just won the game. We were also tired; perhaps that's why congratulations were not so "explosive".

Isn't cooperation with Dragic, who likes making plays for himself, the biggest issue for you and the team?

Playing with Goran isn't like playing with Steve Nash. We still "learn" each other, try to understand each other on the floor and I think it’s getting better and better with each game. Goran knows that he also needs me to be effective at pick-and-roll. We polish it up every day.

NBA trading period has started. Is it possible for you to be traded this year?

I don't think so. I'd like to play for Phoenix and finish the season here. I want to show the best side of me, return to my highest level. The team only now starts to click and show a better playing style. At the moment it cannot be said whether we're a play-off team. Obviously, this is our objective.

[Moochthemonkey]

Playing with Goran isn't like playing with Steve Nash. We still "learn" each other, try to understand each other on the floor and I think it’s getting better and better with each game. Goran knows that he also needs me to be effective at pick-and-roll. We polish it up every day.

I IRL lol'd