Suns Continue to Bulk Up at Center with Addition of Burke
By Josh Greene, Suns.com
Posted: Aug. 18, 2005
For the second time this summer, the Suns have raised the bar at center – this time by 6 feet, 11 inches.
Phoenix introduced their newest middleman Pat Burke at Thursday’s press conference at America West Arena, which also announced the free-agent acquisition of forward Brian Grant. This marks Burke’s first stint in the NBA since suiting up for the Orlando Magic in 2002-03, averaging 4.3 ppg and 2.4 rpg in 62 games.
“Pat’s been in the NBA,” Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. “He’s played significant time in Europe. He’s had success everywhere he’s gone. He’s been a very productive player over there. Every time I’ve been in Europe and caught Pat playing, I’ve told him I can’t imagine why he isn’t playing in the NBA. He deserves to be here.”
The NBA’s first Irish-born player has played seven of his eight professional seasons in Europe. Last season, he played for Real Madrid, where his team won the 2004-05 ACB Spanish League Championship. He averaged 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds on .511 shooting from the field in a combined 41 regular season and 19 playoff games.
“The Suns were asking me if Real Madrid ran a lot,” the 31-year-old smiled. “And, no. That was the thing I loved to do – run the floor. Orlando was like that. The first couple of games I started with Grant Hill when he was healthy, I was getting some easy baskets, so since then it’s been something I’ve loved to do. After he got hurt, the team concept changed and they did something different. That’s why I’m excited about the way the Suns play. It’s exciting basketball to watch.”
While he admits he hasn’t been able to catch a lot of NBA games on TV what with playing half a world away and all, Burke credits league MVP Steve Nash and his playmaking abilities as one of the selling points in coming to Phoenix.
“Having a point guard that can surprise you with passes is exciting to me,” Burke said. “That was one of the reasons I wanted to come here. I love that style of play, and that was something I wasn’t doing overseas.”
In addition to now sporting a Suns uniform, the center has one other thing in common with his All-Star teammate.
“I used to play ice hockey just like Steve,” Burke added. “I had a growth spurt and my mom was like, ‘We aren’t buying you any more equipment. You’re growing out of things too quick.’ I said, `Well, what do I do?’ She said, ‘Pick up basketball.’”
Family’s just as important to the center now as it was when he was just a 16-year-old learning the game. Heading back to the United States affords the veteran big man a chance to officially “settle down,” at least as far as his family life is concerned.
“I told my wife there was a chance I was going back to the States and the NBA,” Burke said. “Raising kids in Europe is great but raising them close to where your family is is even better.”
Burke’s wife Peyton added, “Pat’s got a two-year deal, so it’s nice to know where we’re going to be for possibly two years. Going back and forth every year to a different city, it was nice and fun, and I’m sure we’re going to miss it, but it’s nice to be back in America and with some stability.”
Burke figures to make his presence known off the bench, and with the Suns’ up-tempo style, that means the 250-pounder should see his fair share of minutes this upcoming season.
“The NBA is so fast, and with this team being such an up-and-down team, it’s hard for guys to go more than 30 minutes,” he said. “You have guys like Amaré Stoudemire who are just super athletes, but I’m not worried about the rotation. I’m just going to play my hardest.”
Playing hard is exactly what the center did as a member of the three-time Greek League Champion Panathinaikos squad (1998-2000). He averaged 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 211 Euroleague career games. Prior to playing overseas, the Auburn alum led the Tigers in rebounding as a junior and senior. He finished his career ranked 10th all-time in school history with 715 rebounds and fifth with 133 blocked shots.
Following in the foreign footsteps of recent Suns like Scottish-born Robert Archibald and Japan’s Yuta Tabuse, Burke is another player to give his native land some first-time NBA representation. Being the first Irish-born NBA player, Burke said that there are plenty of diamonds in the hardwood rough, meaning NBA scouts, front offices and fans alike have just touched upon the vast untapped resources just waiting overseas.
“There was a big jump about five years ago with the growth of the international part of the NBA,” Burke explained. “It’s so positive because it lets NBA scouts and teams know there are lots of great basketball players out there. There are plenty athletes who can play at this level who are just waiting to be found.”
And much to Burke’s chagrin, their numbers have now dwindled by one.
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