Suns narrowing first-round candidates
By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
June 26, 2005
Which way will they go?
Much like a wine connoisseur, the Suns have been sampling both foreign and domestic brands of basketball players the past few weeks in hopes of finding a winner at No. 21 in Round 1 of Tuesday’s draft.
"We’re going in completely open-minded," said Suns president Bryan Colangelo.
A foreign player could more easily be steered toward another year of development in Europe for the upcoming season. In that case, the Suns could use the money they save on him on signing free agents (including their own Joe Johnson, a restricted free agent).
And yet, "If we feel there’s a player out there who can help us now, we’ll take that player at 21," Colangelo said.
The Suns have been focusing on about 10 to 12 players, almost evenly split between foreign and domestic, but now are narrowing the list to a handful.
The general consensus coming into the draft was that the Suns likely would go for a big man.
But with the proposed trade of Quentin Richardson to New York for big man Kurt Thomas, the Suns — all else being equal— might be more inclined to go with a perimeter player.
"All of that is being factored in," Colangelo said.
The American players under consideration include:
• Ryan Gomes, a 6-foot-7, 250-pound forward from Providence.
He’s worked out twice for the Suns, including an impressive showing on Friday.
"He has a nice shooting touch, and he gets up and down the floor well," said Suns senior executive vice president Dick Van Arsdale.
Though he is considered a "tweener" — somebody in between a "three" and "four" player — "He can play (in the NBA) right now," said David Griffin, the Suns’ director of player personnel.
• Francisco Garcia, a 6-7, 195-pound guard-forward from Louisville.
"He knows how to play," said Van Arsdale, who believes Garcia could play both guard spots and small forward.
"He sees the game. He would fit in well. He will get the ball to his teammates in the right spot at the right time."
The only problem: The Suns expect he’ll be taken by the time they draft at No. 21.
• Nate Robinson, a 5-9, 180-pound guard from Washington.
He’s jumped up on the radar screen recently. Drafting Robinson, a slightly bigger version of the dynamic Earl Boykins, would give the Suns an instant fan favorite.
"He’s high energy, he’s tough," Van Arsdale said. "He’s small, which could be a problem. But he’s interesting."
Drafting him would make things difficult for incumbent backup Leandro Barbosa.
• Wayne Simien, a 6-9, 255-pound forward from Kansas.
"An incredibly high character guy," Griffin said. "And he produced big numbers in a very good conference."
Foreign players include:
• Johan Petro, a 7-0, 247-pound center from France.
"He can block shots, he can run and he can rebound," said Marco Crespi, the Suns’ director of international scouting.
Said Van Arsdale, "He’s a good athlete, he’s long, and he has decent moves around the basket.
"You would draft him on his potential."
• Roko Ukic, a 6-5, 180-pound guard from Croatia.
"He’s a good all-around player, a tough kid who needs to get stronger," Van Arsdale said.
Said Crespi, "He’s a real point guard who can play the pick-and-roll."
But he may be gone by No. 21.
As with Robinson, a decision to draft Ukic would be bad news for Barbosa.
• Mickael Gelabale, a 6-7, 215-pound forward from France.
"He’s a very athletic ‘three’ man, an active player who can defend," Van Arsdale said.
Crespi pointed out that Gelabale enjoyed a "great season" in Spain and is now playing in that country’s championship series.
• Ersan Ilyasova, a 6-9, 235-pound small forward from Turkey.
"He’s thin and light, but his basketball IQ is very high," Crespi said. "He understands how to play."
Others possibilities include:
• Ike Diogu, the star forward from Arizona State.
He stands 6-8 in shoes, making some wonder whether he’s tall enough to play the power forward position. But this is negated somewhat by his remarkable 73-inch wingspan.
On the plus side, "I don’t think I’ve seen a guy of his size and girth shoot the ball better," Van Arsdale said.
Also, he’s smart and coachable.
"I don’t think anybody is going to make a mistake by having Ike on their team."
Maybe the main question is how he fits into the Suns’ preferred fast pace.
Said Van Arsdale, "Can he play the transition game the way we play it? He’s not that kind of player."
• David Lee, a 6-9, 250-pound forward from Florida.
• Sean May, a 6-9, 265-pound forward from North Carolina.
Most project him to go much higher than No. 21, but he could slip.
• Chris Taft, an athletic 6-10, 260-pound power forward from Pittsburgh.
Taft once was projected as a lottery pick but has slid in recent months.
He impressed the Suns with his workout on Friday. Griffin called him the best of the "bigs" to work out for the Suns.
But Taft’s work ethic has been questioned, and the Suns tend to stay away from such players.
