nope, not Tony! 
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/parker_050119.html
Point guard signs Suns 10-day contract
Smush Ready to Push
By Steven Koek, Suns.com
Posted: Jan. 19, 2005
Smush Parker has experienced the extremes this year in the up-and-down world of professional basketball. The 6-4 point guard began the season with the NBA Champion Pistons, but wound up playing for the Florida Flame of the National Basketball Development League, before being “called-up” by the Suns on Wednesday. Parker signed a 10-day contract with Phoenix after the Suns lost two playmakers in one freak accident in practice on Tuesday.
“It was an experience for me,” he said after participating in the Suns’ morning shootaround. “Playing with the World Champion Detroit Pistons, playing in front of 22,000 (fans) a night to traveling with the NBDL team, hoping we could get 20 people in the stands… it’s an experience you learn from.”
Parker, who began his pro career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2002-03, understands what his role with his third NBA team is going to be and is looking forward to the chance to play on a winning team at the sport’s highest level.
“I’m just here to push the ball,” he said. “This team is already exciting as it is. They already run. Steve Nash, Q, Amaré Stoudemire, guys like that, just run and gun. That’s their kind of offense.”
Having learned the game playing street ball in New York, Parker is perfectly suited to the Suns’ running style that has put them at the top of the league in scoring.
“He’s a New York point guard,” said Head Coach Mike D’Antoni. “He can distribute, he can pass and he can get up and down the floor. I’m pretty excited about it. I think he can help us.”
With backup playmaker Leandro Barbosa out with a Grade 2 ankle sprain and Nash listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Grizzlies with back spasms, D’Antoni said Parker had the most important asset to help the team immediately.
“He could get here today,” D’Antoni laughed. “He wasn’t in Mexico or someplace. And he can play. He plays our style. We’re pretty excited about it. He’s an NBA guy. He’s always been close and he’s had good numbers everywhere he’s been. It’s a good opportunity for him, but we’re lucky also to get him on short notice. We expect him to play tonight and hopefully he’ll play well.”
Following a brief one-year college career at Fordham University, Parker went unselected in the 2002 NBA Draft, but has taken advantage of his opportunities at the NBA level, as well as a quick stint in Greece, to hone his game.
“I didn’t have much experience coming out of college,” he said. “I only played one year of Division I basketball, one year of high school basketball, one year of junior college basketball. These (last) two, three years I’ve been playing basketball have definitely given me the experience I needed.
“It was a great experience for me overseas. It was a learning experience in two aspects, as a ball player and as a man. I played in Greece for four months. I was out there on my own, new people, new culture. I had to grow a little bit as a person and as a basketball player. Hopefully, I can show how much I’ve grown tonight when the Phoenix Suns put me in the game.”
This is actually not the first look the Suns have had at Parker. The 23-year-old made his way through Phoenix during the pre-draft workouts in the summer of 2002.
“I remember having a pretty good workout when I was here,” he recalled. “I was actually here with Casey Jacobsen and we went at it a little bit. It was an exciting workout.”
While Nash is listed as doubtful for tonight, head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson was hopeful the Suns’ leader would be able to make a return to the court on Friday when the Suns host the Spurs.
“Steve said he felt a little bit better this morning when he woke up,” Nelson said. “I guess you can compare it a little bit to being in a car accident. He took a pretty good jolt, so he expects to be a little stiff. He came in (today), did his therapy, his treatment and afterwards both of us were pretty excited about how he was feeling.
“Again, we’re just going to take it day-to-day. Barring any crazy thing that would happen in the next couple of days, he could possibly play on Friday. It depends on how he’s feeling. But, we want him to be 100 percent. We don’t want him to go out at 80 percent and take a good shot from somebody, and then he’s out for two weeks.”
Barbosa was put on the injured list while he recovers to make room for Parker on the roster. The second-year guard from Brazil is expected to miss up to two weeks.
Meanwhile, Parker will try to make the most of his chance to prove he belongs on an NBA roster.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for me,” he said. “I’m glad to be here. I just hope I can make an immediate impact and I will make an immediate impact.”
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/parker_050119.html
Point guard signs Suns 10-day contract
Smush Ready to Push
By Steven Koek, Suns.com
Posted: Jan. 19, 2005
Smush Parker has experienced the extremes this year in the up-and-down world of professional basketball. The 6-4 point guard began the season with the NBA Champion Pistons, but wound up playing for the Florida Flame of the National Basketball Development League, before being “called-up” by the Suns on Wednesday. Parker signed a 10-day contract with Phoenix after the Suns lost two playmakers in one freak accident in practice on Tuesday.
“It was an experience for me,” he said after participating in the Suns’ morning shootaround. “Playing with the World Champion Detroit Pistons, playing in front of 22,000 (fans) a night to traveling with the NBDL team, hoping we could get 20 people in the stands… it’s an experience you learn from.”
Parker, who began his pro career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2002-03, understands what his role with his third NBA team is going to be and is looking forward to the chance to play on a winning team at the sport’s highest level.
“I’m just here to push the ball,” he said. “This team is already exciting as it is. They already run. Steve Nash, Q, Amaré Stoudemire, guys like that, just run and gun. That’s their kind of offense.”
Having learned the game playing street ball in New York, Parker is perfectly suited to the Suns’ running style that has put them at the top of the league in scoring.
“He’s a New York point guard,” said Head Coach Mike D’Antoni. “He can distribute, he can pass and he can get up and down the floor. I’m pretty excited about it. I think he can help us.”
With backup playmaker Leandro Barbosa out with a Grade 2 ankle sprain and Nash listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Grizzlies with back spasms, D’Antoni said Parker had the most important asset to help the team immediately.
“He could get here today,” D’Antoni laughed. “He wasn’t in Mexico or someplace. And he can play. He plays our style. We’re pretty excited about it. He’s an NBA guy. He’s always been close and he’s had good numbers everywhere he’s been. It’s a good opportunity for him, but we’re lucky also to get him on short notice. We expect him to play tonight and hopefully he’ll play well.”
Following a brief one-year college career at Fordham University, Parker went unselected in the 2002 NBA Draft, but has taken advantage of his opportunities at the NBA level, as well as a quick stint in Greece, to hone his game.
“I didn’t have much experience coming out of college,” he said. “I only played one year of Division I basketball, one year of high school basketball, one year of junior college basketball. These (last) two, three years I’ve been playing basketball have definitely given me the experience I needed.
“It was a great experience for me overseas. It was a learning experience in two aspects, as a ball player and as a man. I played in Greece for four months. I was out there on my own, new people, new culture. I had to grow a little bit as a person and as a basketball player. Hopefully, I can show how much I’ve grown tonight when the Phoenix Suns put me in the game.”
This is actually not the first look the Suns have had at Parker. The 23-year-old made his way through Phoenix during the pre-draft workouts in the summer of 2002.
“I remember having a pretty good workout when I was here,” he recalled. “I was actually here with Casey Jacobsen and we went at it a little bit. It was an exciting workout.”
While Nash is listed as doubtful for tonight, head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson was hopeful the Suns’ leader would be able to make a return to the court on Friday when the Suns host the Spurs.
“Steve said he felt a little bit better this morning when he woke up,” Nelson said. “I guess you can compare it a little bit to being in a car accident. He took a pretty good jolt, so he expects to be a little stiff. He came in (today), did his therapy, his treatment and afterwards both of us were pretty excited about how he was feeling.
“Again, we’re just going to take it day-to-day. Barring any crazy thing that would happen in the next couple of days, he could possibly play on Friday. It depends on how he’s feeling. But, we want him to be 100 percent. We don’t want him to go out at 80 percent and take a good shot from somebody, and then he’s out for two weeks.”
Barbosa was put on the injured list while he recovers to make room for Parker on the roster. The second-year guard from Brazil is expected to miss up to two weeks.
Meanwhile, Parker will try to make the most of his chance to prove he belongs on an NBA roster.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for me,” he said. “I’m glad to be here. I just hope I can make an immediate impact and I will make an immediate impact.”
