Overseas Call For Help Paul Coro The Arizona Republic April 29, 2004 Phoenix has issued a decree to improve the Suns. Improved point guard play is one summer wish with a tangible solution. The upgrade could be Milos Vujanic (ME-los VOO-yawn-itch), a 23-year-old Serbian who led his Italian team to today's Euroleague Final Four in Israel. Only the Suns can sign Vujanic, who stands 6 feet 2 with a toned, 190-pound build and a game some say is NBA ready. "He's the best point guard in Europe," said Sacramento Kings center Vlade Divac, a Serbian who owns the Belgrade team for which Vujanic played in two previous seasons. "It's not even close." Divac raves about Vujanic's quick first step, teardrop runner reminiscent of Stephon Marbury's and skills that resemble Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spurs guard from France. "He's better than Tony Parker," said Suns forward Zarko Cabarkapa, Vujanic's friend. Vujanic could change the scope of the Jan. 5 Marbury trade if he becomes the Suns' first European-bred star. Approaching the level of Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki or Sacramento's Peja Stojakovic would suffice. New York took Vujanic 36th overall in the 2002 draft, a pick behind Cleveland standout Carlos Boozer, but Vujanic elected to play in Belgrade another year, then signed a three-year deal with Skipper Bologna in Italy to hone his game. Phoenix acquired Vujanic's rights, along with Antonio McDyess, Maciej Lampe and Howard Eisley, when it sent Marbury and Penny Hardaway to New York. "I heard it first from my friend (Cabarkapa) in Phoenix," Vujanic said this week from Bologna. "He said everything about the trade. It was fine. For me, maybe it's better. It's a young team. I don't know. I feel very well at this stage." Vujanic speaks some English, but his talent could translate in a hurry. He is a bit of a combo guard, only because Bologna asks him to score. He averaged 16.5 points in 29.4 minutes per game this season. His textbook jump shot produced 45 percent shooting, including 39.5 percent from the three-point line, which in international play is at 20 feet, 6 inches. The NBA's three-point line is at 22 feet in the corners and 23 feet, 9 inches elsewhere. "Milos is definitely a scoring point guard," said teammate A.J. Guyton, a former University of Indiana star who has played with the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors. "He can put up a lot of points in a hurry. An underrated part of his game is his ability to penetrate and dish to teammates. I don't think he does it as much as he will or should.... "It's a perfect time for him to go. They don't have any pure shooters and scorers anymore in the NBA. Phoenix will like that about him." Simone Sandri has watched Vujanic's development as co-host of Basketball International on NBA TV, which is showing Skipper Bologna's game at 9 a.m. today. "I think he would've started this year for the Suns," Sandri said. "He's that good. He could've come in two days and started for an NBA team. He's a playmaker with fantastic ability and great court sense. I have no question, unless Phoenix gets (free agent) Steve Nash or a great point guard, that he will start if he comes. "He plays in an environment now that is as close as you can get to the NBA. The town (of Bologna) is basketball crazy, and they expect a lot." Moving away from home and playing in the Euroleague likely made Vujanic more ready for the NBA than Suns late-season starter Leandro Barbosa, whose Brazilian league operated on a lower level. "The acclimation to the NBA is unpredictable," said Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo, who visited Vujanic in Italy this spring. "He has proven he can score at a very high level of competition. More or less, he's the primary offensive outlet for his team. He seems to have a very good feel for both guard positions. At 6-2, you worry a little about him being able to defend the two in this league. If he comes, he's going to have to play a Steve Nash kind of game, which is obviously of the playmaking variety." Now the trick is to get Vujanic here. First, agent David Bauman must negotiate a buyout with Skipper Bologna, which Vujanic said he expects will happen. The Suns can pay only $350,000 of a buyout, which could wind up being anywhere from $1 million to $2 million. The rest must be paid by Vujanic, who can get a loan on the collateral of his NBA deal. Negotiations will be aided by the fact that Bauman has represented Skipper's general manager, Zoran Savic, since 1997. "We're closer than close," Bauman said. If Vujanic commits to play for the Suns, he still won't be available for the team's entry in the July 16-24 Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. He will report to his national team workouts June 27 for three weeks. At the Olympics, he could play through the Aug. 29 gold-medal game. "The contract negotiation is going to involve some timing issues," Bauman said. "(Colangelo) is going to be looking at top-notch free agents, and a contract with us is going to adversely affect his cap number. The situation looks much, much better for Milos than (it did with) the Knicks. We just have to make the deal work." Does Vujanic see himself in Phoenix this fall? "I don't know yet," he said. "We will see. It's still early for this." -- 贴个文章可以断线这麽多次.... --

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