NEW YORK — Every so often in a game, but more likely in practice, the lefty-dealing Goran Dragic would do something freaky with the ball or reveal an unearthly move comparable to the inimitable Manu Ginobili and his Suns teammates would look at each other "Like, whoa!"
Though the second-round pick (No. 45, by the Spurs) looked lost for the most part his rookie season (4.5 points, 2.0 assists, 55 games, 728 minutes), Suns president Steve Kerr and GM David Griffin never lost the faith.
Staking a chunk of their insecure reputations on Dragic, they convinced the luxury-taxed Suns' owner to invest $500,000, second-round pick Malik Hairston and a 2009 No. 2 to acquire the relatively anonymous Slovenian (his father is Serbian) from San Antonio.