Tabuse Signing Expands Suns’
International Flavor

Everyone knows you can only make one first impression, but the Suns are hoping Yuta Tabuse’s second one will be the one that matters most.

In an exhibition almost a year ago, the Suns got their first look at the guard from Yokohama, Japan when he collected seven points, three rebounds and three assists in 11 minutes as a preseason member of the Denver Nuggets.

Fast forward to the present and now Tabuse has a credible opportunity to become the first Japanese-born player to officially compete in the NBA. The fifth foreign-born player on the club's roster, he joins teammates Steve Nash (Canada), Leandro Barbosa (Brazil), Zarko Cabarkapa (Serbia-Montenegro) and Maciej Lampe (Poland) as current Suns who were born outside the United States.

Phoenix signed the 23-year-old guard Tuesday on the heels of the youngster’s impressive showing at the 2004 Reebok Vegas Summer League and the Rocky Mountain Revue for the Suns. The 5-9 playmaker averaged 5.0 points and 2.0 assists in Las Vegas and then 3.8 points and 2.5 assists in Utah.

“I like guys like that who play hard on the court yet they’re very humble about their success,” fellow Suns guard and summer leaguer Casey Jacobsen commented. “Yuta’s a great teammate. Everybody loved playing with him. He’s one of the best teammates you can have. He was always playing hard, making the hustle plays and he was always looking to pass. And who doesn’t like playing with guys who like to pass? (laughs). I know I do.”

Summer League Head Coach Marc Iavaroni switched off between Tabuse and Barbosa at the point, giving both youngsters a good amount of time running the offense. All in all, Iavaroni had a regular grocery list of Tabuse’s traits that he found encouraging.

“I liked his energy,” the Suns' assistant coach said. “I liked his courage. The kid isn’t the biggest kid in the world, but he doesn’t back down from anybody. He’s willing to put his body on the line. He’s very respectful, very cordial, wanting to do the right thing, very coachable player. Those are the things that stand out to not only me, but a lot of people.

“He is always going to push. He was always going to be up on the ball defensively. He was not afraid of situations. His body language and energy, what he was going to do effort-wise… it all stood out.”

Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni played interested bystander as he checked out Tabuse in Vegas and Utah. And while nothing is guaranteed, he thinks that if everything works out, there’s no reason why his new guard won’t be on the Suns' roster come Opening Night.

“We’re looking forward to him making camp and then seeing what he can do,” D’Antoni said Tuesday. “The guy has definite positive energy and quickness. He’s a competitor, so we’ll have to see what happens. We’re happy to have him. He knows how to play. We want to have an up-tempo game and he definitely leans toward that. It’ll be someone good to challenge Steve (Nash) in practice. He’ll get the ball pushed up and down when he runs the floor. It’ll be fun.”