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nevetsov wrote:He's leading all Suns players in pts, Rebs, assts, stls, blks, games, and starts so far this season

Gani Lawal will keep November, the 7th in his memory as one of the happiest days in his life. He was not only celebrating his 23rd birthday, but have might also read an article about him in the biggest Polish newspaper, where he was named the best player in the 2011-2012 season in the Polish League. Lawal, who now is the biggest basketball star in Poland, got minutes in the last NBA season but was known in this country only by a limited number of fans, who were following Marcin Gortat with the Phoenix Suns. So how did it happen that Lawal found his new home in Poland and is convinced that this will be his breakthrough season?

After three successful years in college with a Georgia Tech uniform, Lawal, whose family is originally from Nigeria, decided to declare to the 2010 NBA Draft. He was selected by the Phoenix Suns with 46th overall. Although he signed a three-year contract, after not playing in any of the Suns preseason games prior to the regular season, Lawal was assigned to the Iowa Energy of the NBA’s Developmental League in November.

At 23 years-old, Lawal finally had one of his dreams come true, debuting in the NBA on December, 31st against the Detroit Pistons. It wasn’t a lucky day for him, because the really athletic big injured his knee. The effects? He missed the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL and a partially torn MCL in his right knee. Many players a situation like this would break down, but not Lawal.

“It was a blessing for me. First, it seemed awful, because it took eight months to cure the ligament tears. Now I see the positives. I gained in terms of mental. I learned to enjoy the game and make use of every minute on the court. I learned that I have to be more active and brave” - says Lawal. He also adds that he used the time of rehab to strengthen his body. “I am stronger and can jump higher than before the injury.”

Lawal decided to play for Polish club Zastal Zielona Góra because of only one reason – the head-coach promised that he would get many minutes on the court and would be the main figure in the new team. “Gani came to us to rebuild his condition. Even at the first practices and friendly games, we were able to see he was afraid of putting pressure on the leg. Now he is the top big in the league” - explain his coach, Tomasz Jankowski.

It seems that Zastal is a great fit for Lawal. He has made an impressive duo with Walter Hodge, who was an NCAA champion in 2006 and 2007 with the Florida Gators. Hodge, who prefers the up-tempo style of play can find Lawal open on the low-post. This cooperation is really successful for both leaders as for the team. Zastal, with a single loss, is atop the league standings and Lawal is averaging 16.9 points as well as 11.7 rebounds.

But Lawal doesn’t seem to be a true star. He is very modest and taciturn. Despite the appearance of the muscular terminator, Lawal is really calm and in his free time, he reads the Bible. What’s important is that Lawal is still improving his game. His biggest disadvantages? The Phoenix Suns’ big doesn’t feel comfortable in typical action with his back-to-the-basket, is not efficient with his midrange shot and is miserable from the free-throw line. “Gani is a very coachable player, who likes hearing to his coach. I’m very glad that I have him in my team. He always stays after practice and is trying to improve all of his drawbacks” - says Jankowski.

There is no doubt that Lawal has only one goal - come back to the NBA and get a serious role on Phoenix’s rotation. This is what Zastal’s fans are afraid of. Lawal has in his contract an NBA-out clause, so when the lockout ends, he will leave Poland and return to Arizona.

“Right now I’m not thinking about this. I only want to win as many game as possible with Zastal and play my best here” - said Lawal. So Polish fans should fascinate Lawal’s play really carefully, because maybe soon, there will be no more. “Only God knows it” - ends Lawal.