ESPN's European Grades

[F-Dog]

0-11 and 4-22 isn't poor mechanics--Steven Hunter would never miss that many in a row. It has to be a Duncan-type issue, a downward spiral in his confidence at the line.

Obviously, it's disappointing for Suns fans to see, especially since Diaw's future in the NBA hinges on developing his shooting touch and aggressiveness. The good news is that Diaw is still playing, and there's a chance we'll be able to see the rest of the tournament on NBATV, so we'll be able to judge Diaw's game for ourselves.


IMO Diaw needs the ball to have any kind of success on offense: I don't think he'll be capable of catching and finishing with efficiency for at least another year. If Diaw earns playing time, it will be so he can direct the Suns' offense.

 

[coloradosun]

If Boris plays on the wing, he probably won't see the free throw line much at all anyway. He's a Shawn Marion-type of player, and even playing Power Forward, Shawn didn't get to the line all that much last year, so while the percentage is a worry, it certainly isn't enough to raise any major red flags. Yet.

This is exactly what I have been saying, he is going to be Shawn Marion's backup. There is no way he gets minutes at shooting guard and the only time he might bring the ball up is when Barbosa is in the game.

The only time his FT shooting will be critical will be at the end of games and I don't see him on the court much at crunch time.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

This is exactly what I have been saying, he is going to be Shawn Marion's backup.

Jones is Marion's backup. Considering Marion's average minutes the past few seasons I don't think there will be enough room for both of them.

Jones is a prototypical SF. He can play some off guard too, but he may have the most defined position on this team other than Nash.


Diaw will get most of his time with the ball in his hands. I know for a fact the Suns were very very interested in his pick and roll abilities before the trade.

If he doesn't succeed in that role, don't expect to him to see the court.

 

[George O'Brien]

Jones is Marion's backup. Considering Marion's average minutes the past few seasons I don't think there will be enough room for both of them.

Jones is a prototypical SF. He can play some off guard too, but he may have the most defined position on this team other than Nash.


Diaw will get most of his time with the ball in his hands. I know for a fact the Suns were very very interested in his pick and roll abilities before the trade.

If he doesn't succeed in that role, don't expect to him to see the court.

I agree. The Suns have too many good shooters for Diaw to get minutes at SF/SG. IMHO, it is unlikely he would outshoot Marion, Jackson, Bell, and Jones. Barbosa and House have a history of being able to shoot, so Diaw would struggle just to get minutes at PG unless his shooting improves tremendously.

 

[elindholm]

Barbosa and House have a history of being able to shoot

Only from three-point range. Neither of them has a mid-range game. There's still plenty of room in the rotation for a versatile player who can make tweeners. Whether Diaw can become that kind of player is an open question, but he won't have to prove himself on three-point shooting alone.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Barbosa and House have a history of being able to shoot

Only from three-point range. Neither of them has a mid-range game. There's still plenty of room in the rotation for a versatile player who can make tweeners. Whether Diaw can become that kind of player is an open question, but he won't have to prove himself on three-point shooting alone.

To be fair I think the three of them have about the same chance of developing a mid range game. The other two may have a slight advantage because they at least proved they can hit a shot further than 3 feet.

 

[George O'Brien]

To be fair I think the three of them have about the same chance of developing a mid range game. The other two may have a slight advantage because they at least proved they can hit a shot further than 3 feet.

Perhaps. I'm not entirely sure what the process is to teach a mid range game to wings. Long range shooting appears to be about settting the feet and getting the mechanics right. IMHO development on long range catch and shoot or free throw shooting is like working on a golf swing.

By contrast, titting mid ranges shots for wings appears to require being about learning to shoot while moving, off balance, and without a lot of space. Being taller is a real advantage because a taller player needs less space, but body control would seem to be more important than size.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Overrated?

You are kidding right? There is a reason why Phil Jackson and Mike Dunleavy created Hack-A-Shaq. He could not hit his free throws, and it even forced him out of the game because of it. The most dominant player of our generation, was at times forced to sit on the bench, because he could not hit his free throws. If anything free throw shooting has become underrated.

you haven't read many of my posts have you? I am about 1 of 4 people on this board who isn't head over heals in love with Boris or the idea of a new player with /sigh so much potential. Most posts about him center on how he handles balls so softly and gently many posted they are sold on him and don't even know his hair color.
I don't care really I hope he does well and proves me wrong, I just think that if Sarver came onto this board and told everyone Chris Dudley was a good freethrow shooter 1/3 would immediately believe it and the other 1/3 would wait for Eric or Joe to tell them what to think and the 1/3 would crap all over it like me and ash, chap and gram good to see you have some fight in ya.

 

[George O'Brien]

Tree, let's face it, Diaw has been the center of conversation because it has been a slow news period and he has been playing better than expected. Based on his Hawks record, Diaw appeared to be nothing more than a defensive specialist who could handle the ball. Almost anything more was viewed as a huge plus.

I have speculated that he MIGHT become better than expected. It took JJ two and half years to become a solid offensive player in the NBA and he was drafted with a reputation of being a great offensive player. At the time Marbury was traded, JJ was shooting under 40% from the field and well under 30% for three. I am not optomistic that Diaw will be able to turn his game around that quickly, but I'm also not ready to give up on him either.

The bottom line is that I don't know what to expect from Diaw. I'd say there is a much bigger chance he will buried deep on the bench than that he will get rotation minutes.