Boris Diaw interview

[mathbzh]

Here is a Diaw interview in French.

http://fr.sports.yahoo.com/21062007/70/nba-playoffs-diaw-une-bonne-saison.html

I don't have much time to translate but I will try.
My english is not very good. Tell me if something is not clear in my translation. I will try to do better.


BORIS DIAW, what do you think of your season?



B.D. : "It is a good season. We had a better regular season. We played well in playof and lose against the eventual champion. All the games were closed except the one we won by 20 (laugh). We just needed a bit more maturity and consistancy."


Personally you were criticised a lot.


B.D. : "I heard what is said, but I think I had a good season. I just scored less and for some people it means I had a bad season. Not for me. The team was still scoring 100+ ppg, so we should stop kidding. If I had 30 ppg we would have score what... 140 ppg? It is not possible. You must share. I don't care who is scoring. I just want to bring something to my team."


But do you understand people saying you have regressed?


B.D. : "I understand because people look at stats"
Stats are misleading?



B.D. : "Judge a player on stats only is meaningless. Ok if someone have

50pts/17rbds/20ast... you can make yuor idea. But you still don't know if he has defended (laugh). Collective stats are important. Exemple : the battle for rebounds. Maybe I will have no rebounds. But if I block 15 time my man and allow my teammates to grab these 15 rebounds I am happy with it. I don't need to bring back my stats sheet in the press room to say "look, I took 15 rbds."

Are you upset with the stats tyranny?

B.D. : "No because it has always been like that. You must just understand that stats must be coupled with what is going on on the floor.

They are the consequences of systems. You don't take assists out of your hat. If the PG anounce a system in wich you are not supposed to make an assist, you will not make it. The same goes for shooting.


Does it make critics harder to swallow?

B.D. : "you learn how to relativize fast. By the way, you know if you had a good game. Sometime everybody says you had a good game becouse you had 20 points. But you know you didn't, because you were passed through 3 times on defense, you forgot to lock an important rebound. The more important is autocritics.

Did you improve this season.

B.D. : "Yes. I improved my maturity and progressed in all the aspects of the game. Playing a hundred of games so live a hundred of new experience make you improve. Every game you progress on small things.
In one month, you will be with the French team. What do you think about Bergeaud decision not to select 3 NBA players (Pietrus, Petro, Gelabale)?



B.D. : "Soon, we will have 15 French NBA players they will not be all selected (laugh). Claude didn't select them not because they are not good enough, but because he wants to build a complimentary team. I think he wants to avoid the trap the USA fall in the last years. We saw that pick the best players may not be the best way to win. French team has reach that stage."

 

[mathbzh]

I believe Diaw should question himself more after that season. Maybe the "I had a good season" thing is just a politicaly correct answer for the media. I hope it is.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Wow, Diaw brushing off criticism because "stats are misleading"

He needs to admit he needs to improve. What a coward.

Amare has said and done nothing short of improving as much as he can this offseason.

Negative points for Diaw. I have changed my mind and say trade him now. Freakin frenchie wuss cant account for his shortcomings the year before he gets an insane boost in salary.

Put him on the block.

 

[jandaman]

but Diaw is right to a point..

a lot of suns fans expect a lot from him, they expected him to "explode" further after his first season as a sun.

but forgetting, that Amare coming back obviously meant less responsibilities and regressed role for Diaw.


Also, I agree with him about stats a bit overrated.... to a certain extent.
Boxing out to help team mates grab rebound is well and good.. but it would of been more impactful... if he prevented a player like Duncan to grab 15 rebounds... team motto is.. if you can't grab the rebound make sure the opponent can't either....


Duncan's impact to his team scoring 22 ppg > Kobe's impact to his team scoring 32 ppg... thats another reason why stats are misleading...

Marion would be considered the best player overall judging by his stats.. and I too think Amare's 25/12 stat line in the playoffs is not as good as it looked... its good.. but that 25/12 was not very dominating... mainly because his opponent averaged the same or close to or even more... (Duncan)..

I seriously think, Amare, Diaw and Marion becomming smarter defenders... is the key to a championship... that or D'Antoni simply making an effort coaching defense come playoff time... Like Game 5 against the Spurs, I've never seen the suns fight that well in the defensive end...

 

[jandaman]

double post...

 

[dodie53]

boris being aggressive next season will surely help the suns..

i hate it where he goes to the lane then passes to someone on the
3pt line.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Stats are over rated...yes

intangibles cant be counted...yes

diaw needs to announce he is willing to improve his performance this coming year...yes

diaw is a coward for pulling the stats excuse...yes

fans dont want to hear the guy who just got an insane contract extension copping out to criticism because he has intangibles...yes

 

[dodie53]

a guy with a large contract should fill the stat sheet
and have intangibles..

 

[F-Dog]

"50pts/17rbds/20ast... you can make your idea. But you still don't know if he has defended (laugh)."

If it's Boris, you can make a pretty good guess.


It would have been nice to see Boris acknowledge that he was installed at starting PF at the beginning of the year, and that he lost that job (despite the Suns not having a good alternative) because he couldn't stay in front of anybody without fouling.

 

[Covert Rain]

I don't care what Boris thinks as much as I care what D'Antoni thinks. D'Antoni is the one that has the ability to ride him and get him to improve.

 

[dodie53]

imo, the only person that can make boris improve is boris himself..

 

[Chaplin]

Wow, you guys are nasty.

I thought it was a great interview, he was pretty matter-of-fact and has some good points. We all still want him to be more aggressive, but it was a good interview.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Which one of his points makes more sense than any of the "nasty" responses so far?

 

[Chaplin]

Which one of his points makes more sense than any of the "nasty" responses so far?

I guess you disagree with the "stats aren't everything" mantra. Ok...

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

"Stats arent everything" is what I like to call an obvious hyperbole. Theres nothing to take away from this statement except for an after-school-special lesson for kids. Hell, the spurs proved winning the FINALS isnt everything. They got disrespected, low ratings, and ignored by the nba fanbase. Winning the finals is a lot, but it sure isnt everything!

<insert ANYTHING here> isn't everything.

^place a word in that statement other than 'everything' and it still works.^

Its a cop out statement, a passive statement, from a passive player who isnt cutting it for 9 million a year or whatever hes getting.

Knowwhatimsayin?

Next.

 

[mathbzh]

Wow, you guys are nasty.

I thought it was a great interview, he was pretty matter-of-fact and has some good points. We all still want him to be more aggressive, but it was a good interview.

I agree with you... But I would have love to see Boris says something like "I am happy with my offensive game but I had a hard time in defense" or "During the playoff I didn't have the kind of impact a big contract guy should have".
And I am not talking about his stats here. If he makes the team better, I am fine with 10/5/5 statsheet. But he didn't bring us everything he could that season.

 

[TucsonDevil]

Hey Doris - How about the statistic labled on the scale? Does that one matter?

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

You know who says something like "stats arent everything" ?

Someone who had every stat but FG% drop the year after signing a big contract.

I hope he stays with the team. I hope he does great. I hope he gives 100% effort.

I also hoped he would announce that his team deserves better than he gave this year. Or at least that he is going to step it up a notch. I hoped he wouldnt give excuses about stats.

 

[Covert Rain]

Hey Doris - How about the statistic labled on the scale? Does that one matter?

Mean......but 4/5.


Look, Boris needs to improve no doubt. Boris needs to come in next year in great shape. I have no doubt that if Boris plays like he did this year next year, the only minutes that will increase are his bench minutes.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Mean......but 4/5.


Look, Boris needs to improve no doubt. Boris needs to come in next year in great shape. I have no doubt that if Boris plays like he did this year next year, the only minutes that will increase are his bench minutes.

He actually needed to gain weight, as he had been taking a pounding in the middle. The "scale" wasn't the problem. His conditioning was. You can carry 15 extra pounds of weight if necessary, when your cardio is at a high level. His was not. He needs the extra weight.

What Boris needs to do is work in the offseason with Nash.

 

[Chaplin]

"Stats arent everything" is what I like to call an obvious hyperbole. Theres nothing to take away from this statement except for an after-school-special lesson for kids. Hell, the spurs proved winning the FINALS isnt everything. They got disrespected, low ratings, and ignored by the nba fanbase. Winning the finals is a lot, but it sure isnt everything!

<insert ANYTHING here> isn't everything.

^place a word in that statement other than 'everything' and it still works.^

Its a cop out statement, a passive statement, from a passive player who isnt cutting it for 9 million a year or whatever hes getting.

Knowwhatimsayin?

Next.

So you're saying you're NOT nasty? Doesn't this post prove the opposite? Stats aren't everything. That's a fact, even if you don't believe it.

 

[Covert Rain]

He actually needed to gain weight, as he had been taking a pounding in the middle. The "scale" wasn't the problem. His conditioning was. You can carry 15 extra pounds of weight if necessary, when your cardio is at a high level. His was not. He needs the extra weight.

What Boris needs to do is work in the offseason with Nash.

Yes and no. If you want to argue he needed to replace "fat" weight with muscle weight then I agree. I don't think to be tougher or stronger you need to put on weight. If that's the case then Boris just needs to eat lots of french fries with mayo and run more. I have no doubt that if Boris maintained his weight and lowered his body fat that he would be a much more effective player in this league.

That's where I am coming from when I say he was out of shape. I think it was more then just cardio.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

So you're saying you're NOT nasty? Doesn't this post prove the opposite? Stats aren't everything. That's a fact, even if you don't believe it.

Dude, I just gave you an entire paragraph on why "stats arent everything" is a ridiculous fact.

I never denied it was a fact, I never said I didnt believe it, I even said it was an obvious statement!!!

While I dont really care if you think what I said was 'nasty'... it surely wasnt nastier than diaw's weight gain and lack of effort this year.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

He actually needed to gain weight, as he had been taking a pounding in the middle.

Putting pounds on your middle doesnt solve the pounding in the middle!

 

[Cheesebeef]

Did you improve this season.

B.D. : "Yes. I improved my maturity and progressed in all the aspects of the game. Playing a hundred of games so live a hundred of new experience make you improve. Every game you progress on small things.

maturity? hmm, you got kicked out of one of the most important games ofthe year because you broke league rules... doesn't seem too mature to me... improving all aspects of your game... if not rebounding (down almost 2 per, even playing similar minutes), coming into camp over-weight and your jumper regressing is an "improvement" what does a BAD year from Diaw look like? and for all those who want to point out that Amare took boards away from Diaw, well, we were consistently out rebounded, so it's not like he and Marion still couldn't have used help down there.

jesus, have some accountability Doris. I know stats aren't everything, but we all watched Doris play this year and he was underwhelming to say the least.