If I were king… err, I mean coach, I would definitely give as much PT as possible to Koturovic and Trybanski in the next 3 games. Sheppard could be worth his six fouls against Shaq so I would give him a couple of minuets. Googs’ would be on the bench & come in to give Amare a break. Jake can rest and finish healing his heal. If I see a repeat of the game three fiasco, I’ll go nuts.
Oct 6 –Reporters Notebook on Suns.com
With instability at the center position due to personnel moves and injuries, Frank Johnson is looking to the preseason games as a way to sort out his “center by committee” issues by experimenting with different lineups in an effort to find the most effective combinations. Cezary Trybanski, acquired in last week’s trade with Memphis, doesn’t have the strength yet to be productive posting up in the paint, but the head coach overall likes what he has seen from the 7-2 second-year center.
“He’s a long drink of water, I’ll tell you that,” said Johnson. “He’s working very hard. There’s a lot of teaching going on with him. I think right now his strength is being able to block shots. We’re not going to give it to him on the post quite yet to look and see if he can score because he doesn’t have the strength to keep his balance on the box. I don’t mind his jump shot. He has a nice shot. Sometimes he’s just now aware of when he’s open to take that shot. When you look at a kid like that, you want to give him every opportunity to see what he can do even in exhibition games and then wait and see."
Oct. 10, 2003: Yugoslavian center Dejan Koturovic practiced for the first time with his new Suns teammates Friday at America West Arena, and although it will take time to adjust to his new surroundings, the former teammate of Suns rookie Zarko Cabarkapa is looking forward to the challenge.
“This is really an adventure for me and I’ll grow as a person,” the seven-footer said. “This is my last chance for the NBA probably. I know that some people will think I’m crazy wanting to be a 31-year-old rookie in the NBA, but maybe I’m a little crazy. There’s a lot of stars here and around the NBA. I think I can be better after playing with them and against them.”
Oct 6 –Reporters Notebook on Suns.com
With instability at the center position due to personnel moves and injuries, Frank Johnson is looking to the preseason games as a way to sort out his “center by committee” issues by experimenting with different lineups in an effort to find the most effective combinations. Cezary Trybanski, acquired in last week’s trade with Memphis, doesn’t have the strength yet to be productive posting up in the paint, but the head coach overall likes what he has seen from the 7-2 second-year center.
“He’s a long drink of water, I’ll tell you that,” said Johnson. “He’s working very hard. There’s a lot of teaching going on with him. I think right now his strength is being able to block shots. We’re not going to give it to him on the post quite yet to look and see if he can score because he doesn’t have the strength to keep his balance on the box. I don’t mind his jump shot. He has a nice shot. Sometimes he’s just now aware of when he’s open to take that shot. When you look at a kid like that, you want to give him every opportunity to see what he can do even in exhibition games and then wait and see."
Oct. 10, 2003: Yugoslavian center Dejan Koturovic practiced for the first time with his new Suns teammates Friday at America West Arena, and although it will take time to adjust to his new surroundings, the former teammate of Suns rookie Zarko Cabarkapa is looking forward to the challenge.
“This is really an adventure for me and I’ll grow as a person,” the seven-footer said. “This is my last chance for the NBA probably. I know that some people will think I’m crazy wanting to be a 31-year-old rookie in the NBA, but maybe I’m a little crazy. There’s a lot of stars here and around the NBA. I think I can be better after playing with them and against them.”
