Posted March 4, 2008
The Phoenix Suns today signed guard Gordan Giricek (gor-DAHN GEAR-ah-check) for the remainder of the season, the team announced. Giricek became available when he was waived on Feb. 29 by the Philadelphia Sixers, who acquired him from the Utah Jazz on Dec. 29, 2007.
“We are excited to add a player of Gordan’s caliber,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr. “He is an excellent shooter, a solid defender and a proven playoff performer.”
The 6-6, 220-pound Giricek joins his fifth NBA team after playing parts of six seasons with Memphis (2002-03), Orlando (2003-04), Utah (2004-07) and Philadelphia (2007-08). Giricek, who scored a career-high 33 points at US Airways Center against the Suns on March 12, 2004, has established career averages of 9.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 23.2 minutes in 362 games.
The 30-year-old guard shot a career-best 42.6 percent from beyond the arc in 2006-07 with the Jazz and owns a 36.7-percent career three-point average. In 24 career postseason games, “Gira” is a 46.3-percent shooter from 3-point range after connecting on 53.8 percent (14-of-26) of his long range attempts in the 2007 NBA Playoffs during Utah’s run to the Western Conference Finals.
Born in Zagreb, Croatia, Giricek captained the Croatian National Team in the 2005 European Championships. Giricek played professionally in Croatia from 1999-2001 and in Russia in 2001-02 before coming to the NBA. During that span, he won five-straight championships with Cibona Zagreb (1997-2001) and played in four Croatian League All-Star Games, including All-Star MVP performances in 1999 and 2000. Originally selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft (41st overall), he was traded to San Antonio and then Memphis, where he began his NBA career.
The Suns roster now stands at 14. An updated roster is attached.
The Suns (39-20) sit just 2.5 games out of the top spot in the highly-competitive Western Conference and tonight kick-off their two-game road swing through Portland and Denver by taking on the Trail Blazers (31-29) at the Rose Garden. Slated to tip-off at 8 p.m. Phoenix time, the game can be seen on My45 or heard on Sports 620 KTAR.