The Suns will sign Yuta Tabuse and will make him the first Japanese player in the NBA. Tabuse will be on the Suns opening roster and will be the first Japanese player in the league. Comments?
He's actually only signed a non-guaranteed contract, and could get waived after training camp. That's a bit different than being guarantted a spot on the opening night roster. He's a 5'9" guard, but I haven't seen much of him since college.
Isn't this the guy that never made the Nuggets and tried out like a million times? I'm almost positive that it is him. No big pickup in my eyes.
I saw an interview with him somewhere, and he seems like a very passionate player, really hard working (you have to be at 5'9") and from what the interviewer said later, he's got some skills. I just don't see why on earth the suns think we need another player at 1,2. Unless they're going to whip out some monster trade that will leave us needing him... scary thought.
I've seen him play some summer league on NBA tv. He's lightling quick and makes people fall down, more or less. One of those guys that the other team hates to see getting off the bench because he's so frikking fast. If he does in fact beat the odds and make the team, he'll be the third string pg I figure, so barring some big injuries he'll be lucky to see garbage time. If he does make the team, he's gonna learn alot from Nash and make the others better just by facing someone so quick. Oh yeah, for you guys that don't know much about him. He played in the ABA for a year and yes he has tried to make the Nuggets multiple times. He play NCAA division 2 for a couple of seasons too.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Need4Sheed:</div><div class="quote_post">Isn't this the guy that never made the Nuggets and tried out like a million times? I'm almost positive that it is him. No big pickup in my eyes.</div> Correct. There's reason why he only could sign non-guaranteed contract. He works hard but I dont see him getting more than 5-10 min even if he makes his away to play in NBA.
Yuta can atleast play a very reduced small man role on the Suns squad with Nash aging and that opening up oppurtunities for him to play, but unless Nash gets injured (God Forbid), he wont find much playing time other than in blowouts and be squeezed in when everyone else is dead tired.
Having Tabuse is a plus because if Nash needs rest, and the suns want to opt for a smaller, faster lineup they can go tabuse, (Barbosa or Eisley at the 2), JJ or Q or the Matrix at the 3, Stoudamire at the 4, and Zarko or Lampe at the 5 spot. So any of these guys can hit the outside J, handle the rock and shoot off the dribble and run the floor pretty well and you got at least one playmaker besides Nash/JJ because Barbosa and Eisley are more like 2 guards playing a one and they don't have great playmaking skills. The suns can be really creative in their lineups and draw lots of fouls because they're too fast.
Good financial move IMO this is a financial move. There are 127 million people living in Japan and they have a strong economy. Give Mr Tabute the No 1 jersey and lot of scoring opportunities in garbage time. There will be a lot of $$$ made in sold Suns uniforms... Smart move! /Mr B from Sweden
Another player in the NBA who gets 20 minutes of playing time in his first year,then he gets waived and we see him again like 8 years from now trying to make another shot at the NBA and then he dissapears again after the traioning camp,easy as that
I've seen this guy play this year and last year's summer league, and I'm actually a bit of a fan. I gotta admit that I am a bit biased, seeing as I am Japanese and would love to see him do well. Trying my best to be objective though, this guy is super lightening quick and is a great passer. His main problem is obviously his height. But look at Earl Boykens, he's only 6' 3". This is a guy that just needs to find the right team, and he could really help someone coming off the bench. Every time this guy was on the court during summer league, something good happened. I don't know if the Suns are the team for him though. It's true that there are long term health concers with Nash, so they might limit his minutes and play Barbosa at the 2 spot every once in a while to give Tabuse minutes. It'll be interesting to see. I wish the guy well.
BTW, check out this link - http://www.nba.com/suns/news/teleconference_040908.html From what i understand, he got a two-year, partially guarenteed contract, with a team option for the 2nd year. The whole thing is kinda confusing, as the CBA seems to be, but I think my understanding is that he will be on the Suns next year unless they cut him mid-way through the season. Whether he makes it on the active roster is dependent on his play in training camp. Teams are allowed 12 players on their active roster, and 3 on the injured list.
