Ready for his Shot

On a scale of one to 10, the Clippers’ final informal workout session Friday was less than a two because only two players bothered to show up and shoot around at the team’s Carson practice site.

Lamond Murray, a no-show the previous four days, and Eric Piatkowski, the only player not to miss a workout all week, made appearances.

With training camp scheduled to begin this week, it wasn’t shocking to see so many players absent because the practices were not mandatory. The lack of bodies, however, didn’t stop Piatkowski, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard, from making the most of his practice time.

“He’s very professional about his workouts. Even in-season, he’s always consistent with his workouts,” said Johnny Doyle, the Clippers’ strength and conditioning coach. “It’s no surprise that he’s the [only Clipper] not to miss a workout. If he wasn’t here, then I would worry.”

Dressed in blue Clipper gear, Piatkowski practiced what he does best--shoot. One shot after another, the same thing. Swish. Swish. Swish.

Piatkowski is not dumb. He knows that his shooting touch got him to the NBA and that it’s the reason why he’s been in the league for four seasons.

“I understand that shooting is my bread and butter, so I know that I need to spend an awful lot of time in the gym just shooting,” Piatkowski said. “My goal is to come back every year a better shooter. And, I’ve done that [the last three seasons].”

Piatkowski is tired of the negative perception regarding the franchise.

“It’s been frustrating because no matter what you do, the jokes continue to come,” said Piatkowski, who was acquired in a 1994 draft-day trade from the Indiana Pacers (who made him the 15th overall pick) after averaging 21.5 points as a senior at Nebraska.

“Two years ago we made the playoffs but you could still watch Jay Leno at night and they still find reasons to make jokes about the Clippers. It makes you want to work that much harder to go ahead and be successful so it all stops.”

Entering the final season of his contract, Piatkowski is excited about some recent changes in the organization.

There’s a new coach with Chris Ford replacing Bill Fitch, who was fired after reportedly losing control of his players last season. There’s a new center in No. 1 pick Michael Olowokandi, drafted out of Pacific last year. And, maybe most important of all, the Clippers will play their last season at the Sports Arena before moving to the Staples Center, joining the Lakers and Kings, for the 1999-2000 season.

“Hopefully this year we’ll start to draw more fans and have more of a positive following,” Piatkowski said. “We have a chance to start off on new ground.”

Piatkowski is coming off somewhat of a breakout season. After laboring on the bench for much of his first three seasons, he put up solid numbers when given more playing time.

For the first time in his career, Piatkowski averaged double figures in scoring at 11.3 points per game and tied for 17th in the league in three-point field-goal percentage (.409). He set a franchise record with seven three-pointers in a loss to Phoenix and twice made five in a game.

Piatkowski became the Clippers’ all-time three-point leader when he surpassed Terry Dehere late in the season. He missed the final 13 games because of a strained abdominal muscle and finished with 269.

Piatkowski, who had stomach surgery during the off-season, returned to his home in Omaha when the NBA began its labor war. At first, he was glad to be away from Los Angeles and the derogatory comments made about the Clippers. He worked out on his own--he added nearly 15 pounds of muscle in the weight room--and also spent time with his wife, Kristin, and their daughter, Paige, who was born last March.

But as the lockout continued and the winter cold arrived in Nebraska, Piatkowski began to miss Southern California weather and the NBA. He didn’t complain when the lockout was settled.

“It helped tremendously to have him around for the first nine months of our daughter’s life, so as far as that goes, the time off was a positive,” Kristin Piatkowski said. “But, he was just working out not knowing if it mattered because there was so much uncertainty. It was very stressful at times.”

Piatkowski intends to build on last season’s performance when he shed his reputation as a spot shooter by driving aggressively to the rim.

In college, Piatkowski did it all. He finished his career with school records for three-pointers made (202) and attempted (564) and was the first Cornhusker to finish with at least 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 300 assists.

Piatkowski’s game picked up late season after the Clippers traded Brent Barry to Miami for center Ike Austin. He got more minutes and also got a chance to play with a big man for the first time in his NBA career. As teams focused on Austin inside, Piatkowski took advantage of the extra room outside.

But with Austin all but gone as a highly sought after free agent, Piatkowski can only hope that Olowokandi emerges as a dominant center once he returns Feb. 15 from playing with Kinder Bologna in Italy.

“If [Olowokandi] was here right now, we would have an idea how he stacks up against the other big guys. We’d know how much he’s going to be able to help us,” Piatkowski said. “But right now, I don’t have an idea on that. There are a lot of things that are iffy right now.

“What is going to be important is that with the shortened season, everyone has to come into camp in shape. Hopefully, everyone worked hard this summer and is going to go into the season better than they were last year.”

Something that would be a given if all of the Clippers spent their time like Piatkowski.