Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 19, 2005 12:00 AM
Brian Grant went from a Bulls contingent of Antonio Davis, Scott Skiles and John Paxson nearly convincing him to come to Chicago last week to holding up a No. 55 jersey in Phoenix on Thursday.
He said it was a "no-brainer" to do so. The same held true for Phoenix, which was able to sign Grant for the $1.67 million biannual exception because he still will be paid $29.8 million by the Lakers over the next two years as an amnesty waiver.
After 10 years of stellar board and defensive work, Grant is coming off a career-worst season because of his knees' chronic tendinitis. advertisement
Grant was optimistic how the Suns athletic training staff could help him after learning about its unique approach that worked wonders for many players, including Antonio McDyess and Jim Jackson.
"It's no more challenge for me than it is any player my age (33)," he said. "I'm going to get out there and work hard."
He picked Phoenix for the chance to win a title.
"After playing them and getting beat by them, you realize that this team's for real," said Grant, whose Lakers went 0-4 against Phoenix. "I'm just happy to be a part of it."
Irish luck
Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo saw Pat Burke, a 6-foot-11 center, play in Spain in recent years and often told him that he did not understand why he was not in the NBA. Burke was an attractive fit, to his financial benefit, for Greek and Spanish teams because he was born in Ireland. European teams can carry only two Americans.
With 3-year-old twins he hoped to raise stateside, Burke jumped on Phoenix's offer for a second NBA spin. He played for Orlando in 2002-03.
Burke's outside touch gives him a chance to earn time by hitting shots Steven Hunter and Jake Voskuhl did not take.
"I look forward to running the floor and having a point guard that will surprise you with passes," Burke said. "That's exciting to me."
Free throw
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni on his new big men: "We really are trying to get away from who's a four and who's a five. We're going to have five guys on the floor who can pick and pop and run the floor and play defense. They fit the mold."
