As the Suns opened training camp at the UA's McKale Center on Tuesday, general manager Steve Kerr, a former Wildcat, noticed all the familiar faces and sights — except for one.

JAMES GREGG / arizona daily star

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When former Arizona Wildcats basketball star Steve Kerr strolled into McKale Center on Tuesday, all the familiar faces and sights were there.

Except one thing.

"I didn't see my jersey up there," Kerr said, referring to the retired No. 25 uniform the UA hangs in the north end rafters alongside Sean Elliott's. "Maybe somebody didn't like the job I was doing."

Turns out, the jersey was removed temporarily because work is being done on the north end of McKale Center, and workers did not want to damage it. But having that self-deprecating humor has been an asset to Kerr, who was subject to intense scrutiny in his first year as Phoenix Suns general manager last season.

Among other things, the Suns added Shaquille O'Neal, changed coaches from the fast-paced Mike D'Antoni to the more defensive-minded Terry Porter, and infused the aging roster with youth.

Here are five key topics that Kerr put into his words as training camp began this week at McKale Center:

1. Yes, he really does want to come back for more.

"I think it's like anything. You take a new job, and there's a learning curve and a comfort level you have to reach, and I think I'm much more comfortable than I was a year ago. I'm excited about the team that we're going to field.

"There's all kinds of things you have to get a handle on. Relationships with players and coaches and sponsors, a lot of things on the business side that I wasn't aware of. You get into a job and pick things up constantly, but once you've done it for a while, you feel more comfortable and prepared. I feel more prepared now."

Critics "are going to scrutinize you, no matter what you're going to do. I feel very comfortable with the decisions that were made in the past year or two. And I'm confident going into this season that it will be competitive, and we'll have a chance to be really good."

2. Playing with former Spurs guard Porter gave him a reason to hire him as coach.

"I wouldn't have hired him if I didn't play with him. The sense of familiarity was critical. We interviewed some people that were very talented that I would have considered hiring, but my relationship with Terry trumped everything, because I've seen him up close as a teammate and a leader. I've seen him as somebody who's dealt with very high-pressure situations. Terry's a really good man and a very talented person. I just felt that he was the right guy for the job."

3. He says Porter will not throw away the Suns' offensive blueprint. Just slow it down a bit.

"One of the things we talked about in the interview is we're still going to run. I don't want to be something we're not. I don't think you can tell Steve Nash, Amare (Stoudemire) and L.B. (Leandro Barbosa) to stop running. Terry was adamant that he wants to run. But we may not be putting up the first shot available every possession, because that can compromise your defense. Terry and I both believe to be successful at the highest level in this league, you have to be very solid defensively. You can't have it all. You can't score 110 points and be much better defensively, because those things go hand-in-hand. But we're still gonna run. We'll get out and push the ball. But we'd like to be balanced."

4. Having an MMA-trained Shaquille O'Neal around for a full season will be good, he believes.

"It's great to have him in training camp, have a foundation with him, so he can learn the defensive system with his teammates, and to have him really grow as a unit rather than just tossing him in there in the middle of the season, as we did last year. He's in good shape, and his body fat is pretty low. He worked with ultimate fighting training."

I support that "as long as he's not actually fighting anybody. It's more the conditioning aspect of it. I wouldn't want to fight him. But whatever it takes to keep guys active and engaged. This is something he found that is beneficial for him."

5. He enjoys coming back to Tucson.

"I had a chance to visit with Coach (Lute) Olson (Tuesday) morning. It's just fun to be in this building.

"I've got my stomping grounds, to be sure. I've got to hit El Charro at some point this week. More than anything, it's visiting with friends, guys like (former teammate) Matt Muehlebach, Coach Olson, (former assistant coaches) Jim Rosborough, Scott Thompson. Some of the old gang.

"I couldn't have envisioned this, sitting here on the gym floor having a big role with the Suns. It's pretty amazing, and I owe it all to Coach Olson. When I arrived here, I was just hoping to make the team and get a little playing time. My experience here set the foundation for my career."

● Barbosa returned to his native Brazil on Tuesday to be with his ill mother, Kerr said.

"We're obviously going to give him as much time as he needs," Kerr said. "We're thinking about him and hoping for the best."

● Stoudemire worked out for about half of the Suns' morning workout, then rested his sprained ankle, and Porter said he was pleased with the first practice.

"We got a lot done," Porter said. "The guys came in really focused and looked good."