Millsap climbing over 'rookie wall'

[RonnieBrewer (Ronnie Brewer)]

Millsap climbing over 'rookie wall'
After starting hot, the rookie surprise has fought through his first slump
By Lya Wodraska
The Salt Lake Tribune 
Article Last Updated: 01/01/2007 02:25:30 AM MST

Imagine Jazz rookie Paul Millsap as a cartoon character. He is trucking along
doing just fine, then suddenly, out of nowhere, a wall appears and he runs
right into it with a big heavy thud.

    It's a little embarrassing, to be splayed as some form of road kill, but
Millsap can take heart in knowing he isn't the first player whose zeal, or
will, for the NBA, comes to a screeching halt.

    Nearly every player goes through it at some point, usually in his rookie
year, when the rigorous NBA schedule and the demands of going up against the
best players in the world take their toll and suddenly flatten players.

    Millsap can't pinpoint exactly when he hit the proverbial wall. He only
knows he did, and the good news is he thinks he has finally climbed over it.

    Millsap had 11 points and six rebounds in 15 minutes of work in
Saturday's 96-86 win over Portland. The game was preceded by a 10-point,
five-rebound effort in San Antonio, giving him his first back-to-back outings
of double-figure points since the end of November.

    "I had to pick my level back up," Millsap said. "I can't say for sure
when I hit the wall, but I did. I just got a little weaker and felt tired and
drained. I know that isn't supposed to happen, and hopefully I'm over it."

    Millsap looked anything but weak or drained early in the season for the
Jazz, as he provided the kind of lift off the bench Utah has lacked the last
two seasons. He hauled in rebounds, made good passes and was a decent scorer
for a rookie playing his first minutes of pro ball.

    Granted, he was inconsistent, going through a five-game stretch where he
averaged 13.6 points followed by another where he averaged just three points
a game. However, he always played hard, which gave Jazz coach Jerry Sloan a
reason to keep giving him minutes.

   However, his play dropped off in mid-December, along with Utah's success,
as it endured a disappointing 3-2 eastern road swing. Instead of putting
Millsap on the floor, Sloan took him under his arm and gave him a talk. The
message - take better care of yourself.

    "He told me to work on my conditioning," Millsap said. "I was strong
coming in, but I started to lose it even though I felt like I was hustling.
You have more time in college than you do as a pro to keep yourself fit.
Here, you're playing a lot more."

    Millsap took Sloan's advice to heart and has been spending more time on
his conditioning. The results have been a return to the energetic play that
he brought to the court early in the season.

    "He takes coaching better than most players," Sloan said. "A lot of guys
come in and they don't really listen. They do it to be funny or they don't
think it's important. He isn't like that. I told him in order to play this
game, you have to be in great shape, and he listened."

    Millsap's work is paying off, if his performance against Portland is an
indication of things to come. He didn't miss a shot and was the leader in a
pivotal second quarter. However, he's also aware he hasn't even reached the
midpoint of the season yet, and may have a few more of those walls to overcome.

    He is right, said veteran Matt Harpring.

    "He hasn't hit the big one yet," Harpring said. "Wait until March."

  [e-mail] 

                                        http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_4931531 

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