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Oct 11 2013, 07:41 AM
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PHOENIX -- Goran Dragic is back with the Suns, pronouncing himself a far more confident, vocal player than the one Phoenix traded to Houston not too long ago. As evidence, he displayed his new jersey bearing No. 1, not the No. 2 he wore as Steve Nashs understudy in his first two-plus seasons in the NBA. "Im a new guy now," Dragic said at a news conference Thursday. "Im a different player, a different person from when I was here and I want to have a fresh start here. Thats why I take a different number, No. 1. I think thats a good number for me." The popular point guard signed a four-year, $30 million contract, which can rise to $34 million with incentives, to come back to Phoenix, bolstered by his play as a starter for 28 games with the Houston Rockets last season. With Nash gone to the Los Angeles Lakers, Dragic will be at the controls, reunited with an obviously elated coach Alvin Gentry. The Suns had pretty much given up on Dragic when they traded him and a draft pick to the Rockets for point guard Aaron Brooks. But they were more than willing to bring him back, and he was happy to return. "When I went to Houston I got a lot of opportunity, I was playing 30-35 minutes as a starter," Dragic said. "My confidence went way up. I was not rushing my shots. I was just patient to try and run the team. I think that is the main reason that I am a different player than I was before, because I got opportunity. I dont have any hard feelings for this organization because I left. I think that was good for me to show a lot of people what I can do and Im really happy to be back." Still just 25, Dragic said he has grown a lot from that shy youngster from Slovenia who joined the Suns as a second-round draft pick four seasons ago. "I was a lost kid from Europe," he said. "I didnt speak English so well. It was a lot of things. But now everythings different." Lon Babby, the Suns president of basketball operations, said the move to Houston "was good for Goran." "He grew as a player," Babby said, "and then when we assess now we have to do whats best for ourselves going forward and whats best for ourselves is bringing him back. We actually had no hesitation. He left here on the greatest of terms. He returns on the greatest of terms." Dragic was the backup in Houston, too, until starter Kevin Lowry was injured. The lanky Slovenian took over and never relinquished the role. In those 28 games he started, Dragic averaged 18 points, 8.4 assists and 1.82 steals per contest. "I think I improved a lot of things, especially how I run the team," he said. "I became more vocal on the court. I think in the past, Alvin knows this best, I was shy on the court. I didnt talk much, but now its different. Ive got that huge confidence. I know I can be a leader. Im always talking to my players in Houston and coach Kevin (McHale). I think Ive improved that communication. I think thats the biggest improvement." Gentry said its not surprising for a point guard to take a few years to mature in the pro game. "Youve got to understand that it is the most difficult position in the league to play, so the maturation process takes a little longer sometimes for that position," Gentry said. "You look around the league, some of the guys it takes two, three, four years before the confidence is there and just the ability to verbally run a team. I think Goran has made a tremendous jump in that area." After learning from Nash, Dragic gets his turn to be the teacher, mentoring first-round draft pick Kendall Marshall, the point guard Phoenix chose out of North Carolina in the first round. Hes already had a chance at the Las Vegas Summer League to let the rookie know that bad games happen, and its important to shrug them off and look to the next one. Dragic also is happy to be reunited with his former Houston teammate Luis Scola, headed to Phoenix after the Suns were the winning bidder for his services under the leagues new amnesty rule. The lone area the Suns have not addressed is shooting guard. Phoenix signed restricted free agent Eric Gordon, but the New Orleans Hornets matched the offer. Expect some movement in that area over the next week. Dragic said Nash always told him, "Kid, just wait for your opportunity. Youre going to have one or two opportunities and you have to take advantage of that." He seems to be poised to do just that in his return to the desert. "Before, I was lost," he said. "It was tough for me, the language, the culture, everything. Now it is much easier. Now I feel like this is my home." cheap nfl jerseys from china . The right-hander who spent five years in the minors before reaching the majors allowed two hits for his second straight strong outing and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-0 on Thursday night. nfl Jerseys wholesale . -- After four years of futility, the Jacksonville Jaguars are heading in a different direction. http://www.nflcheapwholesalejerseyschina.com/ . -- The Texas Rangers figure theyll be just fine if they keep focusing on themselves. wholesale nfl jerseys . Poland led 3-0 by halftime. Ludovic Obraniak scored in the 13th minute, then striker Robert Lewandowski and midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski scored in a two-minute span just before halftime. Marcin Wasilewski made it 4-0 in the 77th. cheap jerseys from china . -- The Chiefs put centre Rodney Hudson on injured reserve Wednesday with a broken bone in his left leg and signed offensive linemen Russ Hochstein and Bryan Mattison to provide depth.Following two stellar starting pitching performances in the first two games of their series against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, Matt Rusch turned in possibly the Winnipeg Goldeyes best pitching performance of the series Sunday afternoon. Rusch went eight innings and led the Goldeyes (16-6) to a 4-3 win over the RedHawks (9-14) and a sweep in the three-game series before 2,822 cool and, at times, soggy customers at Newman Outdoor Field. Rusch set a new season-high for the Goldeyes with nine strikeouts in the game and allowed just three hits. "It was a good start and I really got into a tempo with (catcher Kyle) Day back there," Rusch said. "It was an all-round good effort. When they did hit it hard, our defence was there to make the play." Winnipegs starters combined for 23.1 of the 27 innings that were played against Fargo during the weekend and allowed just three earned runs. "We have a lot of pride on this pitching staff," Rusch said. "Coming into the weekend, we sat down and really went over the game plan. One thing we wanted to do was pitch a little bit better and I think we accomplished that the last three days." The Goldeyes scored singles in the first and fourth innings to give Rusch a little run support and he kept the RedHawks off balance for the entire afternoon.dddddddddddd. Josh Mazzola added insurance for Winnipeg in the top of the ninth inning when he smoked a Tom Boleksa offering over the centre field wall for a two-run home run, which is his fourth of the season. After the home run, Boleksa was called for an illegal pitch after David Narodowski called time. Fargos closer then promptly threw the following pitch behind Narodowski and was ejected from the game by home plate umpire Steve Linton. That homer from Mazzola turned out to be the winning run, as the RedHawks tagged Goldeyes closer Nick Carr for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Carr, however, was able to get a fly out from Todd Jennings to end the game with the tying run on base. Its the first time the Goldeyes have swept the RedHawks in Fargo since May of 2009 and Winnipeg now has an eight-game winning streak against Fargo dating back to last season. The Goldeyes return home for a three-game set against the Lincoln Saltdogs, which begins tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. Lefty Fabian Williamson (1-3, 4.84) will start for Winnipeg against Lincolns Justin Edwards (2-0, 7.23). The pre-game show on TSN 1290 with Paul Edmonds begins at 6:30 p.m. ' ' '
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