April 8, 2008

Hornets.com chatted with Utah second-year player Paul Millsap, a Monroe, La., native and former star forward at Louisiana Tech. In college, Millsap became the only man in Division I history to lead the nation in rebounding three straight seasons:

Hornets.com: Your brother Elijah plays college basketball at nearby Louisiana-Lafayette. How many family members do you usually have come to watch you play when Utah visits New Orleans?
Millsap: I always have a few people who come down here. I also get to go back home during the summer every year for a little bit, before I go back to Utah.

Hornets.com: Having grown up in northern Louisiana, were you a Saints fan as a kid? Did you root for the Hornets after they moved to New Orleans in 2002?
Millsap: I was a Saints fan. I didn’t really root for the Hornets, but I was always just a big fan of basketball. I didn’t have a favorite team. But they’ve been pretty good since they got here, in my opinion.

What the Hornets have done here (this season) is great. It’s good for the city and good for the state. They are doing really well, to be leading the West. It’s great for the city to have something to look up to and look forward to.

Hornets.com: In two NBA seasons, you’ve proven that you should have been picked in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft. Did you go into that draft expecting to be picked higher than 47th overall?
Millsap: Of course. But I think everybody always thinks they should go higher.

Hornets.com: Did you think after leading the nation in rebounding three straight years that it would lead to more recognition?
Millsap: Well, you would think that it would, but none of that necessarily means anything. You just have to go play basketball and not worry about it. But I think (playing at a mid-major instead of a well-known college basketball program) had something to do with it.

Hornets.com: How do you explain the significant difference in the Jazz’s performance in home games compared to on the road this season?
Millsap: It’s been completely the opposite. We have the best record in the league at home, but our road record is not so good. It’s something where we’re going to need to turn it around (on the road) in the playoffs.

Hornets.com: What have been the biggest factors behind Utah playing so much better in the second half of the regular season compared to the first two months?
Millsap: We had a good addition to our team (perimeter shooter Kyle Korver). Plus, we started out January with a lot of home games and got some momentum. That helped us out and we started winning more.