The Dribble

The Raps are expected to offer an invitation to Yuta Tabuse, a 5-foot-9 guard who last season became the first Japanese-born player to play in an NBA game. According to league sources, the Raptors are going to have Tabuse on hand when camp begins Oct. 4 at Brock University in St. Catharines. "I have talked to his representatives, he is someone we are considering," said Babcock. Tabuse spent most of last season on the roster of the Phoenix Suns but appeared in just four games. The 24-year-old has also played in the ABA with the Long Beach Jam and is a former rookie of the year in the Japan pro league.

When he arrived in Phoenix, Yasushi Kikuchi, who covers U.S. sports for the newspaper Hochi Shimbun said "He's going to be as big as when Ichiro came here," Kikuchi said. "He was a legend when he played for his high school team, because they never lost. He's the most famous basketball player in Japan."
Tabuse thought the Ichiro comparison went a bit too far.
"I'd say Ichiro is bigger than me," Tabuse said. "He's the most famous athlete in Japan. But I'm glad to be like Ichiro and [Hideo] Nomo for basketball in Japan."
The Suns have marveled at how well the soft-spoken Tabuse has handled the constant attention of the Japanese media.
"He's got a tremendous responsibility to his country to be a pioneer," Nash said. "It's tremendous, I think for everybody, to have that Japanese influence in our league.He's got to use that to his advantage," Nash said. "His quickness in the open court, where he can negate his size, it's very important for him, and he's very good at it. He's got to develop that and continue to use that to exploit his opponent."

With that kind of praise from MVP Steve Nash, and to have media attention from a nation of 130 million , it finally looks like Babcock will be able to make a good move.