When Suns coach Scott Skiles sat down at the end of last season with team chairman Jerry Colangelo and president Bryan Colangelo, one thing was clear to them.

Despite a 13th straight trip to the playoffs, something had to change.

What, exactly, needed to change wasn't so clear.

The Suns learned Friday that they will not have center Dan McClintock, a former star at Northern Arizona, on their roster for training camp after all.

The team had expected McClintock, a 7-foot center, to take part in camp. But according to David Griffin, the team's assistant player personnel director, McClintock agreed to a contract with Skipper Bologna of the Italian League and informed the Suns he would not be available.

Forwards Chris Andersen and Derek Hood, and point guard Kendrick Johnson were added to bring the team's camp roster to 18.

The Phoenix Suns have added center Dan McClintock, point guard Kendrick Johnson, forward Chris Andersen and forward Derek Hood to the camp roster.

The Suns added four players, including former Northern Arizona star Dan McClintock, to their training camp roster for the start of camp next week.

McClintock should feel right at home, with the Suns holding four days of workouts and their annual camp scrimmage at NAU's Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.

McClintock, a 7-1 center, was a second-round pick of the Denver Nuggets a year ago, going 53rd overall in the draft. He played in only six games as a rookie. But Suns assistant director of player personnel David Griffin said McClintock "does some intriguing things for a guy his size."

During last season's playoffs, the NBA seemed to finally be moving beyond its Michael Jordan dependency problem.

Young stars such as Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady finally were playing up to their star billing. Fan interest, fueled by a Finals matchup of Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers and Iverson's Philadelphia 76ers, surged.

Then Tuesday, Jordan made official what long has been expected. He's back, wearing a No. 23 Washington Wizards jersey.

Is that a good thing for a league just getting over him?

"I think it's great for the game," Suns guard Stephon Marbury said. "It's going to make the game a lot more exciting to watch. I'm happy he's coming back. I'm excited about playing against him."

The AP reports:  Luc Longley, a 10-year NBA veteran who won three NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, announced his retirement Tuesday.

Longley, who played in 25 games for the New York Knicks last season, has an arthritic condition in his left ankle that forced his retirement.