Between playing in his first NBA game, being the first Japanese-born player to see minutes in a regular season contest and having his parents in the crowd, backup point guard Yuta Tabuse had his choice of things to fixate on when he officially checked into Wednesday night’s game against the Hawks.

But in the end, all he could do was think about a pesky wardrobe malfunction.

“Going in, I was trying to tie the drawstrings on my shorts,” Tabuse laughed. “So I wasn’t nervous about going in, I was thinking about those.”

The popular playmaker came in at the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter, going 1-3 from the field. But that one basket was his first-ever three-pointer. Throw in a few free throws and an assist, and Tabuse didn’t disappoint.

“Seven points in 10 minutes?” Head Coach Mike D’Antoni asked. “That’s not too bad. He’s a great story and we’re happy for him. That’s why we like him. He’s a gutsy guy.”

With the Suns in full control in the fourth quarter, starting point guard Steve Nash took a seat and was also impressed by his backup’s overall play.

“I thought Yuta was great,” Nash said. “He was aggressive and bold, and he needs to be that way. That’s the way you learn in this league. Go out there and make things happen. I’m proud of Yuta and the way he played tonight.”

Two more people in attendance were just as proud, if not more. In the packed America West Arena crowd were Tabuse’s parents, Naoto and Setsuko, who were marking their first trip to the Valley with a front-row seat to their son’s NBA debut.

“He doesn’t express his feelings too much,” Tabuse’s father Naoto said through a translator, “but you can sense how happy he is. And we are really happy for him. We really appreciate the support from everybody for Yuta. He’s done his best to make this happen, so we are really proud of him.

“We are really excited to be here to watch him and watch the team, because we are basketball fans.”

While most rookies would be basking in the glow of their first professional minutes, a reserved Tabuse was more relieved to see the Suns begin the 2004-05 season with a 112-82 victory than he was with showing off his skills in NBA competition.

“The coach gave me the chance to play tonight and I appreciated that,” he admitted. “It felt good and we won the game. That was the biggest thing. I wasn’t thinking so much of myself, but of the team. I’m happy we won the game tonight.”

This One’s for Cotton

Prior to the game, the Suns announced they were dedicating their season to the late Cotton Fitzsimmons. The former Suns head coach and front office fixture, who passed away last July, will also be inducted into the Ring of Honor during halftime of the Suns-Warriors game on March 18, 2005.

Atlanta Hawks Head Coach Mike Woodson, who made his NBA coaching debut against Fitzsimmons’ old team Wednesday night, credits his new career path to his former mentor. After playing two years for Cotton with the Kansas City Kings in the 1980s, the 11-year NBA veteran eventually moved on to the other side of the bench thanks to the Suns' icon.

“The reason I’m coaching is because of Cotton Fitzsimmons,” Woodson said. “He was the gentleman who started me coaching back in 1993 with the Desert Classic. He was one of the greatest coaches in our league and at any level. We’re all going to miss him. He was like a father figure, and he was like that with all his players. He touched a lot of people’s lives and he definitely touched mine.

“There are a lot of stories that you tell about Cotton, but one thing meant more to me than anything -- his friendship. I just wish he was here to see this. He was the one who got me into all this crazy stuff.”