ESPN Jumps into the JJ vs Boris Debate

[JCSunsfan]

Wow, some lofty comparions to Magic here. You watch now, sports "journalism" is so full of copycats. Boris is officially the Cinderella darling of the NBA for the near future. He'll get so much love it'd make Madonna blush.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-051205

Five years from now, who will be the best player in the notorious Joe Johnson trade? Will it be Johnson, who will have developed his fine talents in the obscurity of Atlanta? Will it be one of the two first-round draft picks -- lottery picks, no doubt -- the Suns received from the Hawks? Or will it be Boris Diaw, the player the Hawks handed the Suns to seal the deal?

The surprising answer is becoming clearer during every Suns game. As Diaw, the drive-and-dish specialist with the Mensa-level basketball I.Q., continues to grow in confidence, he is showing a very rare set of skills that have us searching for the right comparison.

Or, to put it another way: Maybe it's just me, but if I'm running the worst team in basketball, I don't give away an athletic, 23-year-old, 6-8 guy who can do a reasonable impersonation of Magic Johnson.

continued. . . .

 

[elindholm]

You watch now, sports "journalism" is so full of copycats.

Not only that, but each of them tends to repeat what they heard another one say.

 

[JCSunsfan]

You watch now, sports "journalism" is so full of copycats.

Not only that, but each of them tends to repeat what they heard another one say.

They can be just as "bandwagon" as the fans too.

 

[Sundance]

So will the Suns wind up paying 70+ million to Diaw the year after next? Will this become the JJ nightmare all over again? Did Nostradamus see this coming?

 

[mikowhy]

To Sundance:

that's why it'll be extremly important to use Atlanta's draft picks properly.

 

[jibikao]

So will the Suns wind up paying 70+ million to Diaw the year after next? Will this become the JJ nightmare all over again? Did Nostradamus see this coming?

I agree with this. We need LESS people writing about Diaw. That will only increase Diaw's market value! lol

 

[boisesuns]

I like this line in the Story

"The Hawks, as dumb teams do, focused on what he couldn't do. The Suns, as smart teams do, saw what he could do."

 

[Yuma]

As I've said before, you look at how they evaluated Diaw once they had him, and it shows how they develop talent. They spotted him in the draft as having potential, then they didn't do anything to bring that potential out. I am guessing that the way the Suns develop young guys, that Childress, or Zaza, or any of their other young guys would thrive here, too. We are like the Atlanta Braves of baseball in that we develop talent better than most teams. That's an organizational thing. After all that's happened this summer in Atlanta, you can see they are a mess organizationally. That means unless they change their organization from top to bottom, they will always be a mess no matter what players they have. While the Suns, who have players come and go, seemingly always have good ball clubs.

 

[fordronken]

Aren't Diaw and Barbosa up for extensions this summer?

 

[elindholm]

Aren't Diaw and Barbosa up for extensions this summer?

Yes, but the extensions wouldn't start until 2007-08. They're still on their rookie deals next season.

 

[nowagimp]

Sometimes it just makes me want to puke! The next MJ, the next Magic, the next.... whoever. These guys(writers) are stealing a paycheck for a living, it makes me sick. What is a reasonable impression of Magic? Boris is not even a point guard. I love Boris, but he doesn't even drive left yet. Give him a break, let him develop into Boris Diaw.

 

[Yuma]

Sometimes it just makes me want to puke! The next MJ, the next Magic, the next.... whoever. These guys(writers) are stealing a paycheck for a living, it makes me sick. What is a reasonable impression of Magic? Boris is not even a point guard. I love Boris, but he doesn't even drive left yet. Give him a break, let him develop into Boris Diaw.

I've said Magic as a POTENTIAL Diaw could develop into as the best he could be. However, I think he's a Scotty Pippen lite version right now. With a little more work on his outside shot, and ball handling going each direction, at worst I see him becoming a Scotty Pippen. I'd take either Magic or Pippen out of Diaw!

 

[overseascardfan]

Aren't Diaw and Barbosa up for extensions this summer?

Yes, but the extensions wouldn't start until 2007-08. They're still on their rookie deals next season.

I believe the Suns picked up their team options about two weeks ago. They better sign both while they are affordable. Their only going to go up in value hopefully Sarver doesn't make the mistake of letting them test the open market.

 

[elindholm]

They better sign both while they are affordable.

I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure they can't negotiate extensions until next summer. Even if the Suns wanted to lock either of them up now, they don't have the option.

 

[boisesuns]

I'm thinking even by extension time, barbosa will still be under the radar and failry cheap and a good deal, but Diaw is probably already getting a lot of interest.

 

[fordronken]

Hopefully they both are as happy to be in Phoenix as they say. As long as Steve Nash is around when Barbosa is up for an extension, I'd be extremely surprised if he didn't want to stay. I also think Diaw, having already played for Atlanta, is smart enough to know that he is a great complementary player and that it's only fun when you are on a good team.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I like this line in the Story

"The Hawks, as dumb teams do, focused on what he couldn't do. The Suns, as smart teams do, saw what he could do."

That was a good line.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I've said Magic as a POTENTIAL Diaw could develop into as the best he could be. However, I think he's a Scotty Pippen lite version right now. With a little more work on his outside shot, and ball handling going each direction, at worst I see him becoming a Scotty Pippen. I'd take either Magic or Pippen out of Diaw!

hmm, pippen is a REALLY great comparison.

 

[scotsman13]

sorry i hadnt read this before i just posted the same thing about boris and pippen.

 

[The Commish]

My hope (a fairly naive one), is that Diaw and Barbosa will both be willing to sign affordable extensions. Both of them are foreigners who put happiness on a higher pedestal than money. Both are young and since they are not from here, I think they would put comfort and happiness in higher regards than huge amounts of money.

In regards to Diaw, he has seen the darkness and I doubt he would take the money and run back to a team like Atlanta. He has finally found a place that has allowed him to come into his own. He is the leading candidate for Most Improved Player and you continue to see his confidence grow.

Barbosa I think could be a little more of a wild card when it comes to resigning here. He may want to go to a team where he is featured more, but if the Suns continue do play him more much like his role thus far this season I would think that he would be willing to stay. He too is a contender for M.I.P. and I would think that he would want to be in an offense that allows him to flourish. He too is a young guy whose confidence has waivered much of his career. Now that he has stepped up his game, his confidence too has grown. I hope he remembers that come contract time.

I can guarentee that Sarver won't let the chance to resign these guys pass him by like JJ. I just hope that instead of seeing huge dollar signs, Boris and Leandro see happiness as well.

 

[hsandhu]

How much do you think it will take this summer for diaw and barbosa?

Diaw 5 years 33million
Barbosa 5 years 26 million

I have no idea, i'm just throwing those numbers out to see what others think. Too high, too loo?

 

[jbeecham]

How much do you think it will take this summer for diaw and barbosa?

Diaw 5 years 33million
Barbosa 5 years 26 million

I have no idea, i'm just throwing those numbers out to see what others think. Too high, too loo?

If we are extending them at the end of this season then those numbers could be pretty close. I could see Leandro starting in the 3-4 million range and Diaw in the 4-5 million range. I guess it all depends on how well they play the rest of the season. Both of these guys will come off the bench when Amare is back, unless Barbosa unseats Bell at SG (which is unlikely with Bell's defense).

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

If they keep playing the way they have been all season I wouldn't be surprised to see both of them get offers for near the full MLE


Both players should know that their market value would reach that point with an additional season, and the Suns could be afraid of them getting even larger offers when they become RFAs

 

[hsandhu]

That would really work out well, since they are both on their rookie contracts next year. Thus their new contracts will kick in the year after next (2007-2008).
For that one year the suns may have some salary issues, they could be around 65 million, but the good news is that is the last year of kurt thomas's contract, which will knock 8 million off the books. The year after is marions' last year as well (i'm guessing his second contract wont be nearly as large).

So except for 2007-2008 season, the suns should be in good finacial shape, and avoid the luxury tax (depending of course on what other players/contracts they bring in), while maintaining a strong core for quite a while.

 

[hsandhu]

If they keep playing the way they have been all season I wouldn't be surprised to see both of them get offers for near the full MLE


Both players should know that their market value would reach that point with an additional season, and the Suns could be afraid of them getting even larger offers when they become RFAs

Yeah but I think they would more tempted to take the immediate extension, then mess around and wait a year, when anything they can happen, for restricted free agency.