Suns notebook: Johnson's victory applauded

INDIANAPOLIS -  Several ex-teammates of Suns Ring of Honor member Kevin Johnson were pleased to hear that he won a convincing victory in his bid to become mayor of Sacramento on Tuesday, defeating his incumbent opponent with nearly 58 percent of the vote.

"Kevin always wanted to be a politician, and now he's getting his chance," Suns color analyst Eddie Johnson said.

"He waited for the perfect time, he went home where everyone knows him and where he's comfortable. He ran a good campaign and he beat an incumbent mayor. That's impressive and hard to do."

Suns assistant coach Dan Majerle, who starred with KJ on the 1993 Western Conference championship team, was happy, but not surprised in the least.

"He's been successful in everything he's ever put his mind to, and this is no different," Majerle said. "I think it's a great thing for the city of Sacramento. They're in good hands."

PORTER LIKES FORD

T.J. Ford helped Suns coach Terry Porter get Milwaukee to the NBA playoffs when he was his point guard with the Bucks.

And Ford showed he's going to help the Pacers - who acquired him in the offseason from Toronto in the Jermaine O'Neal deal - with 23 points in Wednesday's loss to the Suns.

Porter said when the Suns were mulling choices for a veteran backup point guard this summer he was in management's ear expounding the virtues of Ford - who was well-known to be unhappy with the Raptors behind Jose Calderon.

"He was a name we tossed out because we weren't sure about Goran (Dragic, coming over from Europe) and we knew we had to get a backup point guard," Porter said.

"We knew (Toronto) was looking to move him and he was someone we talked about. Obviously with my history, it would have been really fine having him. I think he can help teams win."

Ford is in a good situation with the Pacers, playing huge minutes as the team looks for someone to take malcontent Jamaal Tinsley off its hands.

"It's nice he's in a situation where he feels he's really wanted and he gets a chance to play every night," Porter said. "I only had him for one year, but he really made us go."

DAD HELPs PACERS

Grant Hill will see his mother Janet in Chicago today, but he had a chance to spend time with his father, former Dallas Cowboys great Calvin Hill, in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

The elder Hill was hired by the Pacers as a special consultant for player development after several members of the team ran afoul of the law in recent years. He set up a similar program for the Cowboys.

"We're helping them deal with some of the issues that have come up and make sure the players are good representatives of the community," Hill said of the Pacers.

"Indiana is the hot bed of basketball and they want to be looked at the right way. I think the players have a good understanding of their responsibility and how important it is to have a positive impact on the area as role models."

BONUS SHOTS

Apparently, Amaré Stoudemire likes playing in Indiana. Last year, he had 42 points and 13 rebounds in a 121-117 Suns win, accounting for two of the 13 40-point efforts in his career. ...

The Suns have outrebounded their opponents in each of the first five games this season. Since acquiring Shaquille O'Neal last February, they have held the rebounding edge in 28 of 34 regular-season games. ...

Phoenix is now 4-1 for the first time since 2004-05, when it started the season 31-4 and tied a franchise record with 32 wins. The Suns also are 4-0 on the road ...

The organization will honor chairman Jerry Colangelo for USA Basketball's Olympic gold medal triumph during Monday's home game with Memphis. Highlights and videos featuring Team USA members will be shown during the first quarter, with a center-court presentation capping the festivities during the first-quarter break.