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You are kidding right? The Suns signed him already.
I havenīt heard anythingh about him for a while now... does anyone have any information?
What is the chance of him getting to suns? 100%? 50%?...?
You are kidding right? The Suns signed him already.
Suns hope Nash can save energy with Dragic aboard
Jerry Brown, Tribune
The buzzwords for the Suns this season have been energy conservation - whether it entails bringing solar power to US Airways Center or resting their aging starting lineup.
Suns guard Steve Nash threw his support behind the latest "green" effort by the Suns, who are spending $1.5 million to put atop the parking garage solar panels that will produce enough energy to power the center's pavilion area for 26 home games beginning next year.
Nash is also all for the idea of conserving the two-time NBA MVP's energy this season by cutting his minutes and having him sit out selected back-to-back games - even if he's somewhat skeptical about the postulate in practice.
"It's a great idea. Everyone would love to go into the playoffs rested, and it makes a lot of sense," said Nash. "But compe ion being what it is, especially in the West, we'll have to see if it's plausible."
Nash admitted he was worn out at the end of last season, more than he had been in past seasons. But rather than blaming age, he said it was a matter of cir stance.
"I handled the ball a lot, probably abnormally compared to other guards," he said. "It was a grind, and I was a little tired and yeah, there is a lot of mileage. But there was no time to rest. Either we were behind or adding Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) or fighting to get into the playoffs or fighting for seeding ... it's tough.
"If we can avoid those situations, that's great. But you can't plan for everything."
Nash said he likes what he's seen of his new understudy, rookie Goran Dragic, in drills and offseason pickup games. The plan is for Dragic to play 18-plus minutes and give Nash more rest time.
"From what I see, I think he's got a great game and great potential," Nash said. "The difficult thing for him is that this is quite a change. The (NBA) game is different than Europe. The rules are different. The referees don't care who you are or where you're from, and the rookies have to get up to speed on that stuff.
"Hopefully it takes two weeks, but it could take him two months or a year. Hopefully his experience and intelligence and feel for the game will allow him to adapt quickly, but we shouldn't put too much pressure on him."
Dragic said he wants to soak up everything he can from the two-time MVP, and Nash - who hasn't always had a close relationship with his backups - is willing to be a teacher.
"If I can help him as a player, I'm here if he wants my help. I'd love to share with him," Nash said. "He's a great kid and a talent and, for me, such a huge component of any player is their hunger, desire and willingness to learn. If he has those things, which it appears he does, he'll have a great career."
Nash, who said he trained more than normal this summer and is in "great shape," was pleased with the Suns' offseason additions (Dragic, Matt Barnes, Robin Lopez and Louis Amundson) and that the team's top seven players will return intact.
"We didn't have a lot of cap space or ability to do much, from what I know, so to get what we got is pretty impressive under the cir stances," he said. "It could really help us."
BONUS SHOTS:
The Suns will bring 16 players to Tucson for training camp. In addition to the 13 players under contract, Phoenix will invite three nonroster players, all long shots to make the club.
Robert Hite, a 6-foot-2 combo guard from the University of Miami who played 12 games with the Miami Heat in 2006-07. He started last season the New Jersey but didn't see any time and wound up playing in Europe.
Jiri Hubalek, a 6-11 forward/center from Iowa State who averaged six points and two rebounds while playing four games with the Suns in the Vegas Summer League. Hubalek, a 25-year-old native of the Czech Republic, averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds at Iowa State last season but went undrafted.
Trey Johnson, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Jackson State who played five preseason games for New Orleans last season before being released.
not really....You are kidding right? The Suns signed him already.
i was away from computer/internet several times this summer for days together and somehow missed the news of his signing alltogether
thanks for the article duncan228
Is he for real?
When you are a rookie.... they dont.
If you become a superstar/veteran u might get away with a lot of things that others cant.
Duuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Dragic Still Hasn't Signed With Suns
Goran Dragic still hasn't signed a contract with the Suns after negotiating a buyout that would allow him to leave Tau Ceramica, according to Arizona Republic.
The negotiated buyout reportedly took place last month.
Dragic was granted an exemption to participate this month in the NBA's Rookie Transition Program, despite being unsigned.
link
Good deal, i was hoping he'd get a couple years under nash before being traded to Dallas then coming back in 5 years to help us take on the spurs.
Phoenix Suns sign young European point guard Goran Dragic
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns have signed Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic to a multi-year contract and say he will play for the team this season.
The Suns acquired rights to the quick, sharpshooting 22-year-old lefthander in a draft-day trade with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Suns see the six-foot-three, 190-pound European as a backup and eventual replacement for 34-year-old Steve Nash.
The NBA team reached a buyout agreement with Dragic's Spanish team TAU Ceramica.
"It's been a lengthy process," Phoenix general manager Steve Kerr said Monday in a Suns news release announcing the signing.
Although Dragic was the 45th overall pick overall, the Suns considered him second only to No. 1 pick Derrick Rose among point guards in the draft.
In a video shown on YouTube of the Suns headquarters during the draft, Kerr clenched his fist in triumph, then exchanged high-fives with everyone in the room after completing the trade that nabbed Dragic in the second round. The video also shows Dragic in a pre-draft workout for Phoenix. He did not work out for any other NBA team.
The Suns sent San Antonio their second-round pick - the 48th overall - along with a 2009 second-round choice and cash. The Spurs used that pick to select forward-guard Malik Hairston of Oregon.
Dragic had been part of the Slovenian national team since 2006. During the 2007 European championships, he played 28 minutes in Slovenia's upset of Tony Parker-led France.
Dragic spent last season with Union Olimpija, helping the team win the Slovenia League championship and the Slovenian Cup. He averaged 9.7 points, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 13 games. He also averaged 12 points, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals in 28 Adriatic League games.
"When I was a kid, it was my dream to play in the NBA," Dragic told the Arizona Republic after he was drafted. "It was my wish that the Suns pick me."
The Suns, in their first season under coach Terry Porter, hold their media day next Monday, then begin a five-day training camp in Tucson on Tuesday.
Oh well...
Imagine growing up as a young boy dreaming of making it to the NBA, imitating players like Michael Jordan and Steve Nash, while working day and night to become just like them. It’s the American dream. Yet, it was also a Slovenian one.
When Goran Dragic was growing up in former Yugoslavia, he was hoping to become a member of his national team and a professional basketball player. But he was dreaming of playing in the NBA. He used to wake up at 3 a.m. just so he could watch whatever NBA games were being broadcast on TV.
So in June, when despite being a member of the Slovenian National Team and one of the best club teams in Europe, Tau Ceramica, he dropped everything to climb aboard the next flight to Phoenix and work out for the Suns. Although he slept very little and was on the court just a few hours after arriving in town, Dragic left no doubts to on-lookers during the secret workout that he was ready for the primetime.
In fact, it did not take Dragic long to move up the ladder as one of Europe’s best prospects. After being recognized as the All-Slovenian Newcomer of the Year in 2005 and making the Slovenian All-Star Game in 2006, Dragic was asked to become a member of the its national team. Then, after performing well in the 2007 European Championships against the likes of players like France’s Tony Parker, Dragic became a focus of the Suns’ scouting department.
For a country that only boasts only a little over 2 million people, it has produced a bevy of NBA players that include Sasha Vujacic, Primoz Brezec, Bostjan Nachbar, Rasho Nesterovic and Uros Slokar. But for the young point guard, it was Sasha Danilovic that first inspired him to play in the NBA. The former Heat, Raptor and Maverick guard was one of the first Europeans to make an impact in the league, averaging 12.8 points a game in his short stint in the mid-1990s.
Although Danilovic may be the player that he has modeled himself after, his Slovenian teammates that have played in the league have been offering him tips on making the adjustment from Europe to the NBA. Nesterovic, a 10-year veteran for the Raptors, has been in frequent contact with him.
“Before my first workout I talked with Rasho and he gave me a lot of advice,” Dragic said. “He said that I must work hard, listen to the coaches and my time will come when I will get to play.”
Although Dragic has played all throughout Europe, Dragic has only been to the United States three times. The first time he came was for the Global Games in Dallas four years ago, which was followed by his pre-draft workout for the Suns two months ago. His third trip was the one that brought him here for good.
The most memorable of those visits, at least to the Suns’ front office, would have to be the second one. To get an idea of the type of determination that Dragic possesses, think about the voyage he underwent just to partipate in a tryout that presented him no guarantees.
He boarded a flight at approximately 1 a.m. Phoenix time in Slovenia on Saturday, June 21. After arriving close to around midnight here in Phoenix, he headed to his hotel to get some rest. At 7:45 a.m. he was picked up by Suns personnel and taken to the arena for his pre-draft workout that included three other players. After running through basketball drills for just over an hour and a half, he showered and hopped on a plane back to his country.
For the weekend, Dragic spent 42 hours in transit, just so he could spend an hour and a half impressing the Suns' front office. From all accounts of the workout, Dragic didn’t complain once about the travel schedule he endured or how tired his body felt.
The Suns took notice of all of that on June 26, when they swapped picks with the Spurs and had San Antonio choose Dragic for them with the 45th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Once President of Basketball Operations and GM Steve Kerr hung up the phone with the Spurs, the draft room erupted as members of the front office bounded around the room high-fiving each other.
If Suns management was that ecstatic, imagine the emotions running through the 22-year-old guard when Suns Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin woke him up at around 4 a.m. Slovenian time to tell him that he was coming to Phoenix.
"When Griff called me I had fallen asleep because it was so late," Dragic said. "But when he woke me and told me the news, I was so excited. I couldn't believe it."
And why wouldn't he be elated? Dragic had been waiting his whole life for this moment. Not only to play in the NBA, but to be tutored by his boyhood idol in an up-tempo offense that features players that he’s always admired.
“Amaré, Shaq, Steve Nash are some of the best players in the NBA,” Dragic said. “These were players I watched as a kid and it was my dream to play with them. I like to play fast-break basketball like they do here in Phoenix, play defense and pass the ball to my open teammates."
And his teammates should enjoy playing with him as well. Listed at 6-4. Dragic possesses a 6-7 wingspan to go along with his wiry frame that allows him to defend taller players. A southpaw, he's crafty with the ball and can slice through the lane in a manner that is similar to Manu Ginobili. He looks a little like fellow countryman and Sacramento King guard Beno Udrih on the floor, but he is much more athletic.
As he showed in his performance with the national team, Dragic is capable of dunking off the dribble and in traffic, while also displaying a littany of moves around the basket that allow him to finish in a myriad of ways. Although he displays a nice touch on his jumper and is consistent in shooting it from mid-range, Dragic is still developing his consistency from the NBA's 3-point arc.
And although the rookie guard is thrilled to be in the US, sample American food and visit cities like New York and Washington D.C., he has his priorities in order.
“I want to see how the games go; that is my first wish,” Dragic said. “I’m going to give it all of my strength to help the team.”
Based on what he did just get to Phoenix, Suns fans should take his word for it.
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/dragic_feature_080827.html
Very nice!
Nice signing by the Suns, but then again Zarko Cabarkapa was a few years ago and what happened there?
I think that he could be okay (maybe), but it's just a different speed in the NBA to some players. Players find their way into this leage because they appear quick but sometimes it's deceptive, especially on the defensive end. He has an absurdly slow release and seems to get in position very slowly to release it. So even if he hits every shot, he's gotta get it off first. He's lefty so that's good. I just think he needs to bulk up a bit.
I have watched Goran stay in front of Tony Parker on more than one occasion.
Yeah i have one he sucks...
Dragic Thread!
(At this rate, he may give Scola a run for the le.)
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