The Suns’ big guns were friendly and open, starting with chairman and CEO Jerry Colangelo, one of the most important team execs in the history of the NBA. Managing partner Robert Sarver didn’t know me at all when I started hanging around, and he may have even gotten used to me, and my eyebrows, by June. I owe a considerable debt to Bryan Colangelo, who left his position as general manager in February and went to Toronto. Thanks also to five other members of the franchise hierarchy: Rick Welts, Dick Van Arsdale, Mark West, Jim Pittman, and Harvey Shank.
Every day I was with the team I saw four friendly faces in the training room: head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson, strength and conditioning coach Erik Phillips, assistant trainer Mike “Cowboy” Elliot, and assistant equipment manager Jay Gaspar, who, in an emergency, washed a couple of my shirts and gave me a couple pairs of logo-ed socks. Please forward bill. Another friendly face in the video room was that of Jason March, and a friendly face outside the locker room was that of Laurel D’Antoni. Thanks to all of them for their help and guidance.
The team’s ace doctors, Thomas Carter and Craig Phelps, were not only knowledgeable and helpful but also good traveling companions. I thank Doc Carter in particular for answering an early-morning call. Something about a kidney stone.
Dave Griffin, who got promoted to vice president of basketball operations during the season, had a steady supply of wry observations and seemingly unlimited knowledge about the league. Noel Gillespie, the team’s outstanding video coordinator, is young enough to be my son, so why does he know more about basketball than I do?
It is extremely difficult not to like this Suns team, and that is an opinion held not just by those who see it on a daily basis but by almost every reporter with whom I came into contact this season. For sharing their thoughts with me and being unfailingly friendly and cooperative, I thank, in alphabetical order: Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell, Pat Burke, Boris Diaw, Brian Grant, Eddie House, Jimmy Jackson, James Jones, Shawn Marion, Steve Nash, Amare’ Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas, Tim Thomas, Dijon Thompson, and Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
Finally, one of the nicest things you can do for someone is to make them feel at home, and, so, my loudest shout-out goes to the Phoenix Suns’ coaching staff: Mike D’Antoni, Alvin Gentry, Marc Iavaroni, Phil Weber, Dan D’Antoni, and Todd Quinter. Before hanging out with the Flying Geniuses (as Dan jokingly calls them), I wouldn’t have thought it possible to have this much fun doing a job. Writing about someone generally precludes having a friendship with them, and all I can say is that I hope I stayed on the correct side of that very thin line.
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