Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 29, 2006 22:18:08 GMT -5
One on One with Ryan Gomes. NBA.com says he just may be the steal of the draft.
aol.nba.com/rookies/gomes_060329.html
One-on-One With Ryan Gomes
By John Schuhmann
Ryan Gomes played four years at Providence College and was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 50th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. Through early February, Gomes was averaging just 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game. With injuries to Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins, he was then inserted into the starting lineup and has flourished ever since. In 22 games as a starter, Gomes is averaging 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, while shooting .523 from the field.
T-Mobile Rookie Report: Were you a Celtics fan growing up?
Ryan Gomes: I was a Bulls fan. In my era, it was Jordan and the Bulls. That was my favorite team and he was my favorite player. I did watch enough of the Celtics on local TV though.
RR: What did it mean to be able to stay close to home, being drafted by the Celtics?
RG: Coming into the draft, I was just hoping to be a first-round pick. I wasn't really concerned about where I would end up. I just wanted to be a first-round pick because it's a guaranteed contract. Then when it comes to the second round, that's when you start to think, "What's best suited for me? Where can I go in and play some minutes?"
With the Celtics, it was close to home. I went to college at Providence, which is 45 minutes away. My family and friends were around. To get that support from the people that have been behind me the whole way feels great now. But my whole goal at first was to be a first-round pick. The Celtics are a great organization and they probably saw me more than anybody in the draft, because I was right down the road and they came out to see a lot of college games. So, they had a good feel for me and I'm happy that I'm there now.
Gomes hoped to go in Round 1.
Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images
RR: So did you feel that you had something to prove, not being selected until pick No. 50?
RG: There were no contract negotiations right after the draft, so I knew I had to go out and prove myself in summer league. After summer league, the next step is training camp. After that, every game that you play in, you want to show that you belong out there.
It kind of got weary, because I wasn't playing a lot of minutes in the beginning of the season. Then I went to not playing at all and then to not even dressing. Now, I got the chance to go out there and play, so I want to just show the league and the Celtics that I can play at this level.
RR: Do you feel extra pressure when your minutes aren't guaranteed?
RG: Yeah, there was that sense of pressure, because you get that call and you just feel that you want to do everything right. You want to be perfect. You don't want to turn it over, you want to make the perfect pass ... You do that even when you get a lot of minutes, but being a rookie, being out there with those guys for the first time, you get the goosebumps and your adrenaline is pumping so much that you're really not thinking as much as you need to.
I think it happens with every player in the league. The first game they're out there, they get those little jitters, but you relax after you're out there for more minutes. In some cases though, when you're out there for 20 seconds, and you do something that you know you're not supposed to do because your adrenaline is pumping so much, that might be the only chance you get.
RR: So, for a rookie, is confidence just as important as your basketball skills?
RG: It's very important. I think that starts in practice, showing the veteran players and the coaches that you know had to play this game and you can play within the system and do different things. So confidence is a major factor, but you have to establish that early, because you want them to have the confidence to throw you in the game in a situation or for a certain play that they're running. It comes from within yourself, that determination to want to be out there and want to compete.
Confidence is key.
Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images
RR: Tell us a little about fellow Celtic rookie, Orien Greene.
RG: He and Tony Allen are our best perimeter defenders. When the point guard throws it in the post and they're still standing there, he can react so quickly that he can get a steal on a big guy and still be able to react if they kick it back out. He's 6-4, athletic, he controls our team, he's one of our best passers and his defense is pretty incredible.
He has had some great games this year. It might not show up on the stat sheet, but the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet are more important. I think the coaches recognize that more than the fans.
RR: How about Gerald Green, who came straight out of high-school and hasn't seen much playing time this year?
RG: I think he was put in a tough situation this year. At first, we had Ricky Davis. Backing up Paul and Ricky is tough because they both play 42 or 43 minutes a game, and we have Tony Allen who plays that position. When Justin Reed was here, he played that position and now we have Wally. He has been getting five or seven minutes here and there of late, so I think the coaches have noticed what he's doing and they know he can help this team. I think his time is gonna come.
RR: Do you keep in contact with any of the other rookies around the league?
RG: We did the RTP (Rookie Transition Program) during the summer. That was the time where I really got to bond with the other rookies, but during the season, I really don't stay in contact with any of the other guys, except when we play their team. I'm pretty cool with a lot of them because of the time we spent at RTP. You're there for seven days, you can't leave the campus and you see the same faces all the time.
The only way I really keep in contact with them is when we see each other on the court, but maybe in the offseason, I'll work out with some of them. Last year, when I was working out at IMG, there were a lot of guys there preparing for the draft, so maybe it will be the same this year.
RR: Do you pay attention to what they're doing on the court?
RG: I'm a basketball junkie, so anytime a game is on NBA TV, TNT, ESPN or whatever, I'm watching. Chris Paul has been holding his own this year. He has been a great point guard and he's probably going to be the Rookie of the Year. Danny Granger has been a great rookie this year, especially the last two or three months. And Charlie Villanueva, the other night, he scored 48 points. Bosh went down and he let us know that he can step up also.
We played each other last year at Providence. We matched up pretty well together. He had a good game and we went to double overtime. He probably won the game for them in that double overtime. He's 6-11, can shoot the three and he can also go in there and bang with the big guys. There was a lot of questions about him being picked that high, but everybody's game is not suited for the college level. He's turning out to be a better NBA player right now then he was in two years of college.
aol.nba.com/rookies/gomes_060329.html
One-on-One With Ryan Gomes
By John Schuhmann
Ryan Gomes played four years at Providence College and was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 50th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. Through early February, Gomes was averaging just 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game. With injuries to Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins, he was then inserted into the starting lineup and has flourished ever since. In 22 games as a starter, Gomes is averaging 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, while shooting .523 from the field.
T-Mobile Rookie Report: Were you a Celtics fan growing up?
Ryan Gomes: I was a Bulls fan. In my era, it was Jordan and the Bulls. That was my favorite team and he was my favorite player. I did watch enough of the Celtics on local TV though.
RR: What did it mean to be able to stay close to home, being drafted by the Celtics?
RG: Coming into the draft, I was just hoping to be a first-round pick. I wasn't really concerned about where I would end up. I just wanted to be a first-round pick because it's a guaranteed contract. Then when it comes to the second round, that's when you start to think, "What's best suited for me? Where can I go in and play some minutes?"
With the Celtics, it was close to home. I went to college at Providence, which is 45 minutes away. My family and friends were around. To get that support from the people that have been behind me the whole way feels great now. But my whole goal at first was to be a first-round pick. The Celtics are a great organization and they probably saw me more than anybody in the draft, because I was right down the road and they came out to see a lot of college games. So, they had a good feel for me and I'm happy that I'm there now.
Gomes hoped to go in Round 1.
Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images
RR: So did you feel that you had something to prove, not being selected until pick No. 50?
RG: There were no contract negotiations right after the draft, so I knew I had to go out and prove myself in summer league. After summer league, the next step is training camp. After that, every game that you play in, you want to show that you belong out there.
It kind of got weary, because I wasn't playing a lot of minutes in the beginning of the season. Then I went to not playing at all and then to not even dressing. Now, I got the chance to go out there and play, so I want to just show the league and the Celtics that I can play at this level.
RR: Do you feel extra pressure when your minutes aren't guaranteed?
RG: Yeah, there was that sense of pressure, because you get that call and you just feel that you want to do everything right. You want to be perfect. You don't want to turn it over, you want to make the perfect pass ... You do that even when you get a lot of minutes, but being a rookie, being out there with those guys for the first time, you get the goosebumps and your adrenaline is pumping so much that you're really not thinking as much as you need to.
I think it happens with every player in the league. The first game they're out there, they get those little jitters, but you relax after you're out there for more minutes. In some cases though, when you're out there for 20 seconds, and you do something that you know you're not supposed to do because your adrenaline is pumping so much, that might be the only chance you get.
RR: So, for a rookie, is confidence just as important as your basketball skills?
RG: It's very important. I think that starts in practice, showing the veteran players and the coaches that you know had to play this game and you can play within the system and do different things. So confidence is a major factor, but you have to establish that early, because you want them to have the confidence to throw you in the game in a situation or for a certain play that they're running. It comes from within yourself, that determination to want to be out there and want to compete.
Confidence is key.
Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images
RR: Tell us a little about fellow Celtic rookie, Orien Greene.
RG: He and Tony Allen are our best perimeter defenders. When the point guard throws it in the post and they're still standing there, he can react so quickly that he can get a steal on a big guy and still be able to react if they kick it back out. He's 6-4, athletic, he controls our team, he's one of our best passers and his defense is pretty incredible.
He has had some great games this year. It might not show up on the stat sheet, but the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet are more important. I think the coaches recognize that more than the fans.
RR: How about Gerald Green, who came straight out of high-school and hasn't seen much playing time this year?
RG: I think he was put in a tough situation this year. At first, we had Ricky Davis. Backing up Paul and Ricky is tough because they both play 42 or 43 minutes a game, and we have Tony Allen who plays that position. When Justin Reed was here, he played that position and now we have Wally. He has been getting five or seven minutes here and there of late, so I think the coaches have noticed what he's doing and they know he can help this team. I think his time is gonna come.
RR: Do you keep in contact with any of the other rookies around the league?
RG: We did the RTP (Rookie Transition Program) during the summer. That was the time where I really got to bond with the other rookies, but during the season, I really don't stay in contact with any of the other guys, except when we play their team. I'm pretty cool with a lot of them because of the time we spent at RTP. You're there for seven days, you can't leave the campus and you see the same faces all the time.
The only way I really keep in contact with them is when we see each other on the court, but maybe in the offseason, I'll work out with some of them. Last year, when I was working out at IMG, there were a lot of guys there preparing for the draft, so maybe it will be the same this year.
RR: Do you pay attention to what they're doing on the court?
RG: I'm a basketball junkie, so anytime a game is on NBA TV, TNT, ESPN or whatever, I'm watching. Chris Paul has been holding his own this year. He has been a great point guard and he's probably going to be the Rookie of the Year. Danny Granger has been a great rookie this year, especially the last two or three months. And Charlie Villanueva, the other night, he scored 48 points. Bosh went down and he let us know that he can step up also.
We played each other last year at Providence. We matched up pretty well together. He had a good game and we went to double overtime. He probably won the game for them in that double overtime. He's 6-11, can shoot the three and he can also go in there and bang with the big guys. There was a lot of questions about him being picked that high, but everybody's game is not suited for the college level. He's turning out to be a better NBA player right now then he was in two years of college.