Diaw?

[George O'Brien]

I have to admit I'm disappointed that all the Suns could get is Diaw. Based on his stats, I'd have simply gone for a bigger trade exemption. However, his main problem is his shooting and perhaps the Suns think they can fix that.

Boris Diaw
Atlanta Hawks
Position: G
Height: 6-8 Weight: 215
From : France
Player file | Team stats

2004-05 Statistics
PPG 4.8
RPG 2.6
APG 2.3
SPG .56
BPG .27
FG% .422
FT% .740
3P% .180
MPG 18.2

HoopsHype

Long arms... Excellent athleticism... Good defender... Can play four positions... Very unselfish... Great knowledge of the game...Has
no reliable jump shot... Not a great scoring threat... Lacks killer
instinct.

Here is a profile from nbadraft.net a few years ago

NBA Comparison: Bruce Bowen

Strengths: Athletically there isn't much Diaw doesn't posses with superior leaping ability, length, and quickness ... An underrated post passer who might be the best at his position ... Has the defensive skills that NBA team's love such as foot speed, long arms and quick hands ... Shows the ability to be a solid offensive rebounder on put backs ... Excels in the open court where his athleticism allows him to finish with flair ... Unselfish although almost to a fault he looks constantly for open teammates ... Possesses amazing body control and combined with his basket skills to make some impressive drives to the basket ... Even when the defense adjusts, his creativity allows for impressive finishes in traffic ... When aggressive, he can be a explosive scorer around the rim on dunks ... Diaw's long arms and quick hands enable him to be a threat to steal the ball and disrupt passing lanes ... Plays the game with poise and maturity no matter what the situation ... Does a good job of using the baseline to gain the advantage over the defense on quick lay-ups ... Fundamentally he is very sound and able to do a multitude of tasks well ... Makes solid court decisions when the ball is on his hands ... Team player who does all the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet ... Has excellent court vision rarely seen at his position ...

Weaknesses: Needs to improve on his upper body strength ... Offensively Diaw must focus on becoming more aggressive ... Perimeter shooting remains a very underdeveloped part of his game ... Struggles to make the 3-point shot with consistency ... Diaw has yet to learn how to drawl fouls from opposing defenders on a consistent basis ... Added improvement of his ball handling could enable him to take defenders off the dribble more efficiently ... Lacks the consistency to shoot off the dribble ... Confidence has a tendency to wavier at times ... Doesn't always finish in the lane after contact occurs ... Has few post up skills to take advantage of height mismatches of opposing defenders ... Should work on improving at moving without the ball as he has a habit of watching ... Doesn't play with the intensity level many coaches look for as Diaw approach's the game with a laid back demeanor ... Needs to display more effort on the court consistently ... Sometimes he will defer to teammates instead of looking for his shot ...

-Matthew Maurer
--------------------------------

Strengths: Great athlete. Not a shooter or a scorer, if he cared about his stats he could increase his scoring average. His biggest strength is his strong defensive-oriented-game, as he often is in charge of the main opposing scorer, whether they play the 1, 2, or 3 positon. His footwork, athlecism, elevation, and quick hands help him to lock down opponents. Incredible feel for the game. Shooting is his only weakness but otherwise he does it all. Very good defensive player, easily his best attribute. Had a very solid season for Pau this year, being a consistant contributor. Wiry athletic, a Kirilenko-type of frame. Great offensive and defensive abilities. Has quickness, nice wing-span. His penetration skills are awesome, as he has superb foot speed and body control allowing him to use his above average athlecism to score. Offensively his strength is his ability to read the defensive play and to penetrate or find an open man.

Weaknesses: No real shooting touch. Must develop more intensity. Can become very good, but seems to settle for being just good. Mental toughness must get stronger. is game is still developing, especially shooting, but his fundamentals are very good.

Notes: A leader: captain of the France Champs with the Under-21. in clubs National Team acquired experience both with the young and A team. His impact on the game goes beyond his stats.

-Uros Velkavrh
-Eric Winterstein

Explosive athlete... Has all the necessary attributes to be an NBA player, esplosiveness, speed, mobility, perhaps lacks strength and muscles, but is improving his physical strength ... His fundamentals are improving.. He can shoot it from 3p, but isn't comfortable if he is rushed ... Has a first step and ball handling but it's his body control that makes the difference... He uses ball fakes in order to get by defenders and then penetrates ... A player of great instincts... Doesn't have great vision, but anticipates well ... Improves his teammates ... Gets a lot of touches and really enjoys controlling the tempo of the game ... has the ability to pass in traffic... Has a tendency to go stretches of being lazy ... Unselfish to the extreme that it hurts his game ... Must develop his finishing ability because it can be a great weapon with his body control and athleticism ... Defensively his skills are at the highest level... Has great one-on-one defensive ability with anticipation and lateral quickness ... Can at times get too enticed by the steal and lose track of his man ...

-Cristian Biagini

 

[Lefty]

Here's a Q&A with Boris:

Boris Diaw-Riffiod: "I resemble to Scottie Pippen"
by Jorge Sierra / June 25, 2003

Are you more nervous about the outcome of the French Finals or about the NBA Draft?

Boris Diaw-Riffiod: No, no. I'm not nervous. Obviously, I'm waiting for the draft because it is tomorrow. But I'm not nervous. Anyway, my main focus is on the French Finals, you know.

So will you go to sleep early on Thursday or will you stay awake to follow the NBA Draft in the Internet or on TV?

BDR: I haven't thought about that yet. Maybe I will go to sleep early and then wake up early in the morning to see where I have been selected.

Your teammate Florent Pietrus took part in workouts for NBA teams last month with your club's permission. Why didn't you do the same?

BDR: Not all the players can go and take part in workouts. If Pietrus goes and I go... Not everybody can go. That would not be good for the team.

Do you feel that may have hurt your draft stock?

BDR: No, I think it will be OK. They have seen us play in a lot of games, so I don't think that is going to be a problem.

In which position do you think you will be selected?

BDR: Second part of the draft. I mean, second part of the first round. Somewhere between 15 and 29.

You didn't get a promise from any NBA team, right?

BDR: No, no. I got no promise from any team, but I expect to be selected in the first round.

Have you talked much with your teammate Mickael Pietrus about the NBA Draft?

BDR: Yes, we have talked sometimes about that. I think he is also going to be selected in the first round.

Which of the two do you think is a better player -- Mickael Pietrus or you?

BDR: (Laughs) That's a hard question. I can't answer that because I can't see myself playing. I don't know. Besides, we are very different players. Very different.

What do you think is your main weakness as a player?

BDR: Weakness? I think I have a lot. I try to do a little bit of everything, but I have a lot of things to improve, too.

Your former teammate Roger Esteller recently said that your main weakness is that you too nice as a person, that you never get angry when playing... What can you say about that?

BDR: I don't think you need to go angry with anybody. It's important to be a aggressive, but you don't have to be angry. Sometimes I should me more aggressive, it's true. But it's OK.

You have been compared to Scottie Pippen, Lamar Odom and Bruce Bowen? Which of the three do you think you resemble the most?
BDR: I think Scottie Pippen. Scottie Pippen would be my choice because he is the best player (laughs). But I may have something of Bruce Bowen, too.
The Utah Jazz have been the NBA team that expressed more interest in you over the years. Do you like Utah as a possible destination?

BDR: Yeah, I like them. I had contacts with them two years ago. They were the first to see me play and express interest in me. Yes, I think it would be a great place to play.

What is your contract situation with Pau-Orthez?
BDR: I have one more year of contract.

So you would have to pay a buyout.
BDR: Yes, but not from my pocket. The club [that selects me] would have to pay.
Do you know how much money would that be?

BDR: No, I don't know how much.

But you don't think that would be a big problem in order to play in the NBA next year...

BDR: Yeah. I want to play there. I don't think it would be a problem.

 

[Lefty]

Here is his website.
http://www.boris-diaw.com/

You must be registered for see images

 

[F-Dog]

From a Hawks website, in the last couple of months (but before he was rumored to have been traded):

For the first half I would give him a D because he appeared to be sulking, I don't know how much was Woodson's fault or how much was his own but if he wants to be a Hawk he needs to commit himself to the team more I think, he needs to work out with the team over the summer and if he wants to play on the French national team for the olympics this is fine but every year might be a problem.

I agree with the (poor) grades. Boris seemed to improve offensively, maybe slide a little defensively and with consistency. I would rather keep diaw than Donta and I hope we have enough good new players next year that we cant afford to keep both. We need some shooters, then diaw would be valuable as a distributor.

It looks more and more like we are ready to move diaw..I am torn on this issue..On the one hand diaw is a guy that may not have a true position, is extremely timid on offense, and sometimes plays with a lack of confidence..On the other, diaw is a 6'8" guy that is adequate at 3 positions and could turn into a defensive monster if a coach could instill confidence in him..If diaw was on a team with a few post up shooters he might be great..He can find the open man, he can penetrate, and he can guard at least 3 and maybe 4 positions..Combime diaw with a decent ballhandling and shooting 2 guard (Hughs, Allen, Johnson etc..)and he might be a player. However, it seems Woodson dislikes his game with a passion..Woodson wants a Chauncy Billups type, a decent point that is willing to be shelfish when necessary..diaw just doesn't have that mentality.I am very afraid that we give up on diaw and he goes somewhere else and makes us look foolish..

Yeah I'm as big a Boris fan as there is, but it's crystal clear that diaw and Woody will never see eye to eye. Woody doesn't seem to understand what diaw can bring and diaw seems very frustrated. We might as well trade him so he can go excel elsewhere because Woody is here to stay.

I just hope that we trade him to a team with enough offense for him to be able to show his talents.

Agree. I appreciate diaw's defense and versatility a lot. As far as his lack of aggresiveness offensively, I don't really understand it- whether it's a result of a lack of confidence in his offensive skills or whether he's just that unselfish a player where he'd rather try and feed it to others than take the shot himself.

it wasn't long ago that he was getting DNP-CD's. that was late in the season.

True, but how much of it was his fault, I thought he was really improving as a player...
Woodson might have been excessively hard on him this year and trying to teach him a lesson because he missed Rocky Mountain ***** to gel with Smoove , Ivey, Chill and Donta before the season started

I believe that interest in diaw disappeared with JT...

If diaw would only gain confidence I see him as a more athletic version of Bruce Bowen, and yes I think the Hawks will let him go and yes I think they will regret it....I think Boris diaw could become a guy who could be D specialist on a championship team

diaw seemed to lose some of his hustle on defense this year too. Probably just down on himself and his minutes, etc but I still think he's a great role player to have on a team. I still wish we had just kept JT and Hendu instead of making the Walker deal. All it got us was a delayed first rounder. That's really why we drafted diaw was to play with JT.

with ivey (playing instead of Diaw) it gets shared more (than with Tyronne Lue)...plus his defense creates fast breaks...

i do agree that diaw should be PLAYING...he's a good player and is really good when he's aggressive, which he was doing last month before benched.

at this point he should be traded, because he will NOT resign here due to no playing time

Until he learns the importance of scoring in the NBA, he will never be anything more than he has been. Teams know that they can ignore him on offense and that has a huge impact on his confidence.

diaw's option for next year has to be picked up by October 31st IIRC.

Otherwise, he's gone at the end of this year. Personally, and I know not everyone agrees with me, I think he's been a total bust.

He seems lazy, uninterested, and passive - exactly what the scouting reports said he was. I don't think playing him at PG will change that. I hope the Hawks can get something better in a trade of diaw...

I don't think we have to worry about looking foolish. He doesn't have an nba offensive game and at this age he never will. He is a great passer and he can drive to the hoop fairly well. I really liked him but I don't think he will be a Bruce Bowen type because he is not physical enough on defense. That's why his defense didn't seem as good this year. Quick guards who can shoot know they can shake him.

Well I'm glad they're giving him another chance at the point, because that's the only position he can really succeed at. If paired up with a smaller SG (Barbosa?--FD), they might switch on D, but diaw is a point on offense. Besides, pre-injury diaw had no problem guarding PG's. After he got injured, he was a little slower, but hopefully he's worked at that.

For those who say he couldn't do what the coach asked, I don't get it. He was MUCH more aggressive his whole 2nd year, and still got benched as if he didn't take a single shot.

if you actually watch the games, you can easily see why he was asked to shoot more and why it was a problem when he didn't. It was obviously known by defenses that diaw doesn't shoot. Becuase his man would play 5 steps off of him helping on whever else had the ball. diaw would get the ball, wide open and he STILL WOULD NOT SHOOT IT. THAT is a HUGE problem.

That's not true of this year. I watched a good 75 of the games, and he was way more aggressive than the previous year. He took it to the rack, he took open shots. Sure there were still occasional times where he passed up an open shot, but it was like night and day compared to the previous year. If you hadn't seen his rookie year, you wouldn't have been on his case in the same way, and the stats back that up.

I really think it's his case of us having made a caricature out of him in his first season, so that in his second year you only noticed when he passed up a shot, and didn't really notice when he did shoot it or drive it to the hole.

Shots per minute are irrelevant. It's shots per wide open looks that matters, and diaw left a lot of wide open shots this past year as well.

He really hasn't improved his game in two years, and there are still major questions about his abilities.

nothing had changed. If it had, he would have seen more playing time. He would score 13-15 in a game and a bunch of people would post the usual "HAHA LOOK AT diaw NOW". And then for the next 5 games, diaw would take 3-4 shots per game, pass up open looks and generally do nothing to help his team win or win favor with the coach.

Ugh.. stop making me relive memories of diaw passing up layups while everyone yelled at him. It's like he just waved the white flag before the battle was even underway (insert geopolitical/historical joke here). At least he got the crowd into it though. Into yelling at him, that is.

I'm a huge diaw fan always have been and he's had several games where he let it all loose last year. When he does that he is damn near unstoppable. I was watching some old Games from last year on the Tivo and I saw the game vs Portland in Feburary and diaw just dominated that game. Anywhere he wanted to get on the court he got there. He was aggressive and he took it to the rack. I think he ended up with 20 points that game.

I've always said and I still believe diaw has just as much potential as our other young guys, he just has a different problem. Instead of lacking fundamentals he lacks aggressiveness.

He may be the best passer on the team; he probably the best perimeter defender and definitley the best ball handler on our team over 6-4. May be the best period.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Thanks a bunch FDog. That was a really interesting read.

 

[Chaz]

6'8" great handle, can get to anyplace on the court and is a good defender. When he is agressive he is dominant. Passes up too many open shots. Lacks confidence and is too inconsistant.


Is it just me or does that sound like Johnson 2 seasons ago?

 

[green machine]

Thanks a bunch FDog. That was a really interesting read.

Yeah, sounds alot like JJ a couple years ago.

 

[virtual9]

Anyone else thinks a Diaw-Barbosa backcourt would be dynamite?

I don't see him working with Nash, though - someone should set him on shooting 4000 3's a day.

 

[Biclops]

Yeah, sounds alot like JJ a couple years ago.

He sure does. Seems like Diaw has all the physical talent to be a great player but lacks the mental strenght

I mean we were able to bring JJ out of his shell (took us a while) but if we did it once, doesnt mean we cant do it again

 

[green machine]

He sure does. Seems like Diaw has all the physical talent to be a great player but lacks the mental strenght

I mean we were able to bring JJ out of his shell (took us a while) but if we did it once, doesnt mean we cant do it again

I guess it depends on the player's actual ability. JJ had enough to be drafted in the lottery, not Diaw.

It also depends on patience. This team felt strongly that JJ was their SG of the future, and they gave him alot of playing time, even when he wasn't producing. Will they treat Diaw the same way?

 

[Biclops]

It also depends on patience. This team felt strongly that JJ was their SG of the future, and they gave him alot of playing time, even when he wasn't producing. Will they treat Diaw the same way?

you have a good point. when we traded for JJ we were technically a rebuilding team. we gave him all the time he needed because nothing was at risk. but now, we are championshiop caliber team.diaw will not have the same luxury that JJ had. he will have to produce off the bench and show that he deserves the minutes

all i can say is that it will be a interesting training camp

 

[Folster]

Yeah, sounds alot like JJ a couple years ago.

Awesome! So we can develop him and when he finally breaks through we can lose him in free agency.

 

[reader]

OK, I am offically looking for things that will improve my current frame of mind. I was feeling a bit down, but when I read this, I actually started to laugh out loud. Hey, you have to look for the positives, even when they are negatives. You know, the old two negatives make a postive rule.

Ugh.. stop making me relive memories of diaw passing up layups while everyone yelled at him. It's like he just waved the white flag before the battle was even underway (insert geopolitical/historical joke here). At least he got the crowd into it though. Into yelling at him, that is.

 

[Ollie]

For having seeing him play in France, Boris is a point forward ala Scottie Pippen, with good ballhandling and passing skills, an energic and hustling defender with tremendous physical abilities.

He never stops running and jumping : if I was Jay Bilas, i'd say that he is unbelievably long, active, athletic, the real deal, the complete package, active, bouncy, athlete, really long, wingspan of about 6-foot-11... but I'm not Jay Bilas.

In fact, Boris HAS real potential, but he's really inconsistant and sometimes seems afraid to drive to the basket... his play had shown signs of progress during his rookie year but it seems that he stagnated with Woodson, who put Boris in his doghouse soon after his arrival.

That's the main problem of Boris : he's really mentally soft, a bit like JJ when he arrived here. The JJ comparison is pretty accurate, excepted that Boris has virtually no 3pt shoot...

Let's hope that Mike D will make him confident...

 

[Dustbuster]

you have a good point. when we traded for JJ we were technically a rebuilding team. we gave him all the time he needed because nothing was at risk. but now, we are championshiop caliber team.diaw will not have the same luxury that JJ had. he will have to produce off the bench and show that he deserves the minutes

all i can say is that it will be a interesting training camp

Biclops, I just hope that we ARE still a championship team. So far we have lost our starting SG, our starting SF, and our second back-up off the bench who backed up both of our big spots. Q for KT is fine, but the fact is, all around we are messing with our winning formula. Our identity as a team will certainly be different next year. Amare better be ready to shoot some threes, but we have lost our principle threat(s) from deep.

 

[Chaplin]

For having seeing him play in France, Boris is a point forward ala Scottie Pippen, with good ballhandling and passing skills, an energic and hustling defender with tremendous physical abilities.

He never stops running and jumping : if I was Jay Bilas, i'd say that he is unbelievably long, active, athletic, the real deal, the complete package, active, bouncy, athlete, really long, wingspan of about 6-foot-11... but I'm not Jay Bilas.

In fact, Boris HAS real potential, but he's really inconsistant and sometimes seems afraid to drive to the basket... his play had shown signs of progress during his rookie year but it seems that he stagnated with Woodson, who put Boris in his doghouse soon after his arrival.

That's the main problem of Boris : he's really mentally soft, a bit like JJ when he arrived here. The JJ comparison is pretty accurate, excepted that Boris has virtually no 3pt shoot...

Let's hope that Mike D will make him confident...

Good analysis, thanks.

Boris has never had the good fortune to play with a PF like Amare, a SF like Shawn, a coach like Mike D, and ESPECIALLY a PG like Steve Nash. We may see a totally different player in Phoenix than the little we saw of him in Atlanta. As much as I hate the trade, I'm a little excited to get a 6-8 point forward.

 

[PhxGametime]

Boris Diaw has a lot of tools, Joe Johnson has... in limited minutes, he has put up JJ numbers of a few years back. Given the same minutes:


6'8 - even
rebounding - even
passing - even
steals and blocks - even
ballhandling - even
athleticism - even


JJ though dominated in every which way offensively but will be making 10 times more... if the Suns Draft well with the two 1st Round Picks and use the Trade exception wisely... and JJ REALLY told the Suns, he wanted out, I won't complain.

 

[Joe Mama]

For having seeing him play in France, Boris is a point forward ala Scottie Pippen, with good ballhandling and passing skills, an energic and hustling defender with tremendous physical abilities.

He never stops running and jumping : if I was Jay Bilas, i'd say that he is unbelievably long, active, athletic, the real deal, the complete package, active, bouncy, athlete, really long, wingspan of about 6-foot-11... but I'm not Jay Bilas.

In fact, Boris HAS real potential, but he's really inconsistant and sometimes seems afraid to drive to the basket... his play had shown signs of progress during his rookie year but it seems that he stagnated with Woodson, who put Boris in his doghouse soon after his arrival.

That's the main problem of Boris : he's really mentally soft, a bit like JJ when he arrived here. The JJ comparison is pretty accurate, excepted that Boris has virtually no 3pt shoot...

Let's hope that Mike D will make him confident...

That's about the way I saw it. I watched him in a couple of summer league games last week, and I came away very impressed. I also went and watched a bunch of clips of him from last year.

I think he is the release them were to Joe Johnson of two years ago. Here are the main differences I've seen.

1. Even in his inconsistent days Joe Johnson was a better shooter.

2. Diaw is a better ball handler and passer, especially in the open court. Joe Johnson was more of a finisher in the open court. Diaw is very good at running the fast break and getting the ball to the right guy for a basket. He can also finish well himself.

3. From what I saw JJ is a slightly better defender, but frankly I think he's a bit overrated. Diaw has better physical tools to be a good defender. He just needs to work on it.

4. JJ is stronger. Diaw is an inch or two taller, he's longer, and he's more athletic.

5. I can't emphasize enough that JJ is a better shooter. Maybe some good looks, encouragement from teammates and coaches, etc. will help Diaw in this department, but he's never to shoot 48% from beyond the arc in a season.

Joe Mama

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

damnit, his website is all in french.

 

[LoganMo]

Bill Simmons' new intern is a lifetime Hawks fan, and he had this encouraging take about Diaw in the Sports Guy's Daily Links:


By The Intern
Page 2




It's not official yet, but I'm so giddy over the announced Joe Johnson sign and trade that I can't help myself. Apparently the Hawks are getting Johnson in return for Boris Diaw and two lottery-protected draft picks. And the best part is that Phoenix apparently WANTS Diaw. As I kept saying yesterday, I feel like I'm about to get punk'd. Here are my Top 3 memories from the Boris Diaw Experience:





3. After being passed the ball, Boris screams and hands it to the guy guarding him.
2. After being passed the ball, Boris screams and chucks it into the stands.
1. That sweet dunk Boris had that one time in warm-ups.



That was a little harsh but I can't help myself, as I'm well past the point of return now. If this deal somehow falls through, I don't see any way that I can recover.

So at least one Hawks fan thinks Diaw will be able to contribute immediately.

 

[F-Dog]

Thanks a bunch FDog. That was a really interesting read.

No problem. I'm searching for them for myself, and it doesn't take too much extra effort to cut-and-paste.


I'm not sure Diaw sounds like a young Joe J as much as a cross between young Joe J and young Zarko. Take that for what it's worth.

It would be nice to see Diaw build some chemistry with Barbosa, though.

 

[coloradosun]

Bill Simmons' new intern is a lifetime Hawks fan, and he had this encouraging take about Diaw in the Sports Guy's Daily Links:


By The Intern
Page 2




It's not official yet, but I'm so giddy over the announced Joe Johnson sign and trade that I can't help myself. Apparently the Hawks are getting Johnson in return for Boris Diaw and two lottery-protected draft picks. And the best part is that Phoenix apparently WANTS Diaw. As I kept saying yesterday, I feel like I'm about to get punk'd. Here are my Top 3 memories from the Boris Diaw Experience:





3. After being passed the ball, Boris screams and hands it to the guy guarding him.
2. After being passed the ball, Boris screams and chucks it into the stands.
1. That sweet dunk Boris had that one time in warm-ups.



That was a little harsh but I can't help myself, as I'm well past the point of return now. If this deal somehow falls through, I don't see any way that I can recover.

So at least one Hawks fan thinks Diaw will be able to contribute immediately.

Sounds like you do not want to have Barbosa and Diaw on the court at the same time, they could have been separated at birth.

 

[F-Dog]

Sounds like you do not want to have Barbosa and Diaw on the court at the same time, they could have been separated at birth.

Barbosa doesn't scream.

 

[Mainstreet]

I have never really watched Diaw play. I was wondering if the Suns are really banking on Diaw playing backup PG (if Barbosa does not develop) or does anyone think Phoenix is looking for a backup PG?

I wish I knew what the Suns are planning to do to improve their roster. They certainly need another 4/5.

 

[Biclops]

Well I found this on phxsuns.net about Diaw that was posted by an Atlanta Fan...

I think Diaw is a perfect fit for the Suns.

1) He is a purely unselfish player. He could care less if he ever scores a single point.

2) He is a terrific passer. He is one of those guys who passes so well that many players can't anticipate his passes. However, the Suns' fast-paced offense with quick ball movement will suit Diaw's style perfectly.

3) He is an excellent garbage player. He is THE GUY that opponents will double off of. When opponents double off of him, he will quietly find his way to the basket for a wide open bucket. He also is capable of crashing the boards when opponents double off of him.

4) Diaw tries so hard to blend with his team that he will play up or down to his teammates. Phoenix has a great team and I suspect Diaw will be the guys who tries to do all of the little things that often go unnoticed.

Now, it sounds as if I talking of Diaw like he is an All-Star. Actually, what I'm saying is that Diaw is an ideal role player on a team full of stars. He failed with the Hawks because they pushed him to be extremely agressive on the offensive end. It just isn't his game.

I suspect Diaw will be one of those guys who gets 5-8 points per game with about 4 rebounds and 4 assists, but the fans absolulely love him because he does all of the little things.

------

As for Diaw's weakness.

1) He can get into foul trouble. He has the ability to be a solid defender, but he has struggled to adjust to defending in the NBA style game.

2) He is an inconsistent shooter. Although, he showed flashes of developing into a decent, wide-open shooter last season.

3) Being that he has a passive nature, he can get lulled to sleep in games. Once he finds that rhythm (not too agressive, not too passive), he'll be alright.

4) He doesn't like to bang. He can fill in at PG, SG, SF. He could fill in at PF if he didn't mind playing somewhat physical.

By the way, Diaw is extremely athletic for his size. He made some incredible dunks and shot blocks last season. He handles the ball very well and he gets up and down the court very, very well.

Seems like alot of stuff thats been written here but never hurts to have alot of perspective