BDG Exclusive: Smush Parker Interview

Smush Parker showed up at the Lakers-Grizzlies Summer Pro League game on Tuesday. I had the chance to sit down with him and talk about the past season and what to expect in the coming months.

BDG: After one year in the Triangle, how do you think you’ve developed and what should we expect different next year from you?

Smush Parker: Well the Triangle is a complicated offense to learn. Even Phil Jackson said it will take up to two years for one player to really understand the Triangle and be comfortable in it. So I think I did a pretty good job learning it the first year. I know I have a lot of adjustments to make as far as my game and learning the in’s and out’s about the Triangle but I look forward to next season and it’s just going to get better from here on out.

BDG: You guys had a tough series with the Phoenix Suns to close out the year. How do you think you’ve developed from that point on?

Parker: You know, everthing was a learning experience. This year for myself was definitely a learning expierience. I definitely got a chance to play. My first playoff expierience, going up against the MVP of the league, Steve Nash, was a tough task, but like I said everything was a learning experience. All of us as a team got better. We grew as a team this year and we’re going to make bigger moves next season.

BDG: What part of your game do you think needs most work at this point, because you still a young guy and there’s still always room for improvement?

Parker: Just being more consistent. A floor leader, you know, a floor general. A consistent shooter, a consistent ballhandler, consistent teammate. All around, just being consistent in all aspects of the game.

BDG: Do you think that comes with confidence or experience or is it a combination of both?

Parker: Well you know, confidence comes with experience. So I would have to say experience. Last season with the Lakers was pretty much the first season that I actually got a chance to play in the NBA. Phil Jackson let me play and I played all 82 games and it was a learning experience for me. I will definitely go into next season a little bit more confident than I did coming into last season.

BDG: You guys just signed Vladimir Radmanovic. Do you think that will open the floor and do you think that will make it easier for the rest of the team having such a deadly shooter like that on the starting line-up?

Parker: I look forward to playing with Radmanovic because he’s such a great outside threat. That will boost my assists up two [or] three assists a game, so I’m looking forward to setting him up for a couple jumpshots.

BDG: You had not one, but two big plays, hitting the three pointer and the steal on Steve Nash to end game four. How did it make you feel at the time?

Parker: Well at the time, it was exhilarating. Up until that point, I hadn’t made a field goal. When I made the three, I was like, “Jesus, finally.” And then when I got the steal, it just got overwhelming. It was a special moment for me, but I knew that the game wasn’t over and that we had to finish up in overtime. Kobe Bryant stepped up the way he’s supposed to, the way he does a lot of times and we came up with the victory.

BDG: From New York city, was it a big adjustment not just playing here in L.A. but living here last year?

Parker: Well the biggest adjustment was the traffic and how everything is spread out. L.A. in California is so spread out that you have to drive everywhere [and] you’ve got to sit 45 minutes in traffic just to get some place that should only take you 15 minutes. But that was the biggest adjustment for me. I’m used to being away from family, so that was pretty much it. Just adjusting to things not being open [for] 24 hours and just a spread out way of life here in L.A.

BDG: What do you think of Jordan Farmar and what you’ve seen of him so far?

Parker: I don’t know anything about him and I haven’t seen him play yet.

I told Smush it was good to see him at the Summer Pro League after he got his big break there last year.

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