Why I still like Boris Diaw.....

[Veteran_Picksetter]

(Forgive me if this is a redundant thread. I'm new here.)

1. It is practically a requirement in today's NBA to have at least one "Stretch big" who can do some things offensively on the perimeter. Boris is our only guy resembling that.

The Lakers have Odom.
The Magic have R.Lewis, and Ryan Anderson backing him up.
The Celtics have Kevin Garnett, who is aging, but who can still nail a long shot and put the ball on the floor some....


2. IMHO, Big Men with some Small Forward skills and mobility have a better chance at longevity in the league.

Think Kevin Garnett. He once moved and handled the ball like a Small Forward. So even though he's "lost a step", he still has the skills and just enough mobility to beat you from various spots on the court as a PF.

Or think Robert Horry. That guy was pretty much a Small Forward for years, but he always had the length of a big man. Once he filled out and slowed down some, he was still able to hang around the league for a long time, nailing outside shots as a PF.

Despite his 6'8" and 235-pound listings, I see Boris as having the length and heft of a true PF. But this is a guy who entered the league being developed as a Point Guard! He is used to moving his feet. He should be able to move well enough to guard PF's for a long time. With his all-over-the-court offensive skills, he should be able to create some problems for opponents for a good while, provided he maintains his focus with age and maturity.

3. Perhaps Boris was a bit lost and unfocused at times last year, but this is a team-first guy who doesn't mind taking a backseat to others. This is a guy who loves to help his teammates score points.

------------------------------------



I know we need to get some low post scoring, but it would be nice to keep Diaw in the process, or at least replace Diaw with another "stretch big" in the process.

Really, I wish we could move one of OUR Centers for a low post scoring Center from elsewhere, but I know that could be difficult to pull off.

Thanks.

[Black]

If Boris can somehow be motivated consistently, I think he is a huge asset. When we traded for him, he played the best basketball of his career, but this season, he seemed tentative, to the point that he looked scared to be aggressive at times. In 82 games this year, he only attempted 773 shots. That is only 30 more than he shot in just 59 games with us the year before. I know with the addition of Jackson he became less of an option, but I think everyone can agree he passed up a ton of open looks. If Boris is well conditioned, and well motivated, I think he is the difference maker on this team. Unfortunately, I have no idea what it will take to get him to meet both of those expectations.

[teej]

If Boris has the offense running through him (like it did from March on), he's much more active and helpful. He's still a pansy, but hopefully him buying into Suite at Epicentre and some other things around here will make him play harder. But that's a best case scenario. He's too smart for his own good I think.

[GoBobs]

Raja was always a open shot or pass guy. Jackson looks to make a move and get his own shot. I also think Diaw played better with Raja because he was used to playing with him.

[Plowright]

I think everyone here knows that Boris has skills, its just a q of if he imposes them on the game

[spectre]

I'd rather Boris underperforming at the 4 for 9 million vs. Mek underperforming at the 5 for 12 million (and the extra years).

Boris makes the engine go. He will probably never be as aggressive as we want him to be, but he's a integral cog in how our team operates.

God help this team if we dump him and we all get to see how the offense runs without someone with his skillset.

[Ampsportsduo]

The Lakers have Odom.

How did I not... damnit...

Boris is the French LO. Perhaps no player over the last decade has given his fans more headches than Odom. With the exception of the rebounding, they're essentially the same player with the same temperament. Diaw's been in the league long enough that we have to accept that "he is what he is" just as Laker fans have done with Odom. The ironic part is most Bobcat fans would like to have LO on this team.

[Veteran_Picksetter]

I appreciate the responses.

I believe that players are more likely to get decisive and mentally tough with age. With Boris' combo of size and skill-set, maybe it will "all come together" for a few years before he hits age 35.

[110oldeast]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/18/1383058/bobcats-the-good-the-bad.html

I don't think Diaw had a particularly good series, but then again, nobody outside of Wallace (and he wasn't perfect) can say they did. I think Diaw's ability to take a regular 3 off a pass in rhythm and ability to work the middle of the zone, passing and scoring, are assets to this team that are not replaced by anyone currently on the roster. I think all the need for significant changes now stuff is slightly kneejerk and misguided and looks even more so if anyone continued watching Orlando play after our series.

Unfortunately, as soon as the above crap came out, a self-fulfilling prophecy came out of the series, as folks watched the series through a preset lens. It was a given that Diaw and Felton would be scapegoated once we lost and folks would say that Wallace and Jackson carried us regardless of what happened on the court. I definitely think Diaw could have been better, but I still maintain that Jack's offensive performance hurt more than folks gave credit for (you can't have your leading scorer struggle like he did on a low scoring offensive team and not be affected). And as I stated before, the "shutting down" of Vince Carter was not as big a deal as made out to be (Vince shuts Vince down), when used to sweep his offense under the rug. It was a TEAM effort and poor coaching approach that allowed us to get beat by a BETTER and more balanced team. It's funny how Orlando's perimeter offense changes when you SINGLE TEAM Dwight Howard and focus on their perimeter players, SHOWING and trapping on Nelson's pick and roll vs. the bullshit we did in constantly doubling Dwight, allowing their shooters to get going game after game and not helping on and screen and roll.

Looking at all these series, what's evident is that we need more PURE WING shooting with 3 pt range and legitimate post scoring options, as well as needing to push the pace more. LB's offensive philosophy with the 3 needs to be relaxed somewhat if we have any wing shooters and we need to get out transition, especially if we cannot get a back to the basket scorer.

Our offensive issues are much more complex than folks make it out to be. Simply plugging in a pg without Diaw's ability to shoot the 3, no pure shooting from the wings, and no post threat, while playing slow ball would not likely produce the offensive improvement some folks think.

[Ghost Kat]

U people are crazy....Boris sucks

[teej]

U people are crazy....Boris sucks

And Tyrus blows.

We don't have a great PF, but we have 2 serviceable ones. If Diaw wanted, he could be an All-Star.

[Ghost Kat]

If Diaw wanted, he could be an All-Star.

People keep saying that but Boris has been a sub par role player his whole career. Good game here and there but never a full season. Maybe we need to kill the myth of " he could if he wanted to". He clearly doesn't want to, We need to stop expecting him to. Stop making excuses and see Boris for the player he has always been.

[teej]

People keep saying that but Boris has been a sub par role player his whole career. Good game here and there but never a full season. Maybe we need to kill the myth of " he could if he wanted to". He clearly doesn't want to, We need to stop expecting him to. Stop making excuses and see Boris for the player he has always been.

He wanted to last season.

He's good in contract years and when he changes teams.

And there are players who have finally "woken up" in their late 20's/early 30's.

I'm not holding my breath, but it wouldn't shock me.

[Ghost Kat]

He wanted to last season.


We couldn't have been watching the same games. Boris and his lack of effort pissed me off atleast 35 out of the 50 games I actually watched. He jogged up the court aftermissed a shot or turning the ball over. His teammates and coaches talked about him the entire year. He did absolutely nothing last year that even warrented one allstar vote even from some random kid in Buttfuck,Delaware. Boris needs to go, We need to stop making excuses for him.

[teej]

We couldn't have been watching the same games. Boris and his lack of effort pissed me off atleast 35 out of the 50 games I actually watched. He jogged up the court aftermissed a shot or turning the ball over. His teammates and coaches talked about him the entire year. He did absolutely nothing last year that even warrented one allstar vote even from some random kid in Buttfuck,Delaware. Boris needs to go, We need to stop making excuses for him.

Sorry, I meant 08-09. I'm still in "this season" mode. My bad.

[Veteran_Picksetter]

I'm all for trading Boris IF we can get a guy very similar to him in position, talent, and skill set....

But, really, how likely is that?

And does anybody know what the Bobcats' record is since Boris Diaw joined us and immediately entered the starting lineup?

I'm guessing among Bobcats with a significant number of games played, Diaw has the highest Charlotte winning percentage behind Stephen Jackson?......

Perimeter ball skills, the ability to rotate defensively, the ability to guard other positions on a switchoff,......you need these traits in at least one of your big men in the NBA nowadays. Boris is our guy for that until/unless something better comes along.

[Veteran_Picksetter]

Maybe it sounds funny now, but clearly Boris Diaw took us to another level in '08-09.

And then Stephen Jackson took us to the next level in '09-10--somewhat at Boris' expense--but so be it.

[teej]

I think Boris was 28-27 in 08-09, and 44-38 this year. So very tenatively 72-65.

[superb1]

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2010/05/would-you-do-turkoglu-for-diaw.html

Rick was advocating trading Diaw for Hedo. What you guys think?

[teej]

Only if they added either Reggie Evans, Jarrett Jack, or Marcus Banks and we gave them Diop.

[Toocool]

Considering Hedo has a massive contract, I would say no unless they take Diop with them (at least).

On the first posts, Boris does show lots of skill at times, but hes not consistent at all. It's a problem since we can't rely on him every night to produce (like we can with Cpt. Jack and Crash). Also, Boris isn't a great rebounder. It leaves us to rely on our C (TC, Theo, Nazzy) or Crash to grab the rebound. On the flip side to that, TT is a great rebounder, but lacks skill Diaw has. Diaw is good yes, but he seems to have no heart playing on that basketball court. And he has no vertical either and likes to draw fouls on fast breaks so opponents can get the three point play.

[superb1]

i can see them doing it for banks or Evans, maybe

[Veteran_Picksetter]

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2010/05/would-you-do-turkoglu-for-diaw.html

Rick was advocating trading Diaw for Hedo. What you guys think?

I think I'm glad Rick is writing something again! Obviously he's been on vacation.

Wow, he says Diaw can guard FIVE positions. Maybe I should have written that in my original post. I think 3 is more realistic, but still good.

I say no to Hedo because of the contract AND the age factor. He's 31 now. That means we could be stuck with him for a few years once he's more suited to be a backup. Boris is 28 and should be a starter for 3-4 years, if not more.

Also, last summer it sounded like Hedo's wife was calling the shots when he backed out of Portland to go to a more "Euro-like" city in Toronto.

Charlotte has its nice aspects, but it is probably one of the least "European" cities in the league. I'm referring to it's neighborhood layout, transportation options, cultural mix, etc.

[Veteran_Picksetter]

I think Boris was 28-27 in 08-09, and 44-38 this year. So very tenatively 72-65.

Thanks for the research Teej! 72-65 with this inconsistent, unassertive, soft, starting PF.

Having extreme versatility and being unselfish can cover up other faults...

Is Boris playing any International ball this summer? I hope he's resting up, as opposed to last summer.

[Fred Williamson]

Hedo is garbage and what do we need another small forward for? His attitude is awful and if you thought Boris was lazy wait until you've met Hedo. Moreover, unlike Boris he needs the ball all the time to be effective, just like Jax.

No thanks

[Marvel]

U people are crazy....Boris sucks

Halle-fucking-lujah,Diaw sucks he sucks.............WTF.And please don't tell me someone actually compared him to having Lamar Odom on this team.LO males Diaw look like a schoolgirl.
Must be the 1st round exit-sweep that got y'all acting like LUNATICS.

[Marvel]

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2010/05/would-you-do-turkoglu-for-diaw.html

Rick was advocating trading Diaw for Hedo. What you guys think?

I think we trade Bonnell for Stephanie Ready

[TattoodCats4life]

Id do boris for hedo+this years first and next year's second or boris+diop for hedo+anyone we could use and next year's second.

[spectre]

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2010/05/would-you-do-turkoglu-for-diaw.html

Rick was advocating trading Diaw for Hedo. What you guys think?

I think that's bad even considering that it's Bonnell doing the suggesting.

*We'd be adding 2 more years at an even higher rate than Boris. That's 35.5 million for 4 more years vs. 18 million for 2 years.

*Hedo is not a PF, so he'd have to split minutes with Crash & Jax. We'd also have to play Crash much more at the 4. The trade would open more holes without really filling any unless we're talking about bench scoring (highest paid 6th man of the league possibly?).

*Hedo has a 15% trade kicker, which adds another 1.5 million. With that this trade barely works, and even then we'd be taking on an extra 2,270,000...which is another thing we don't want to do.

[TyHill]

I heard Miami is looking to trade Beasley. Would that be something we could pursue? Boris for Beasley? plus fillers

[spectre]

I think they're looking to trade him for immediate capspace (no salary back). We can't do that.

There's always a chance at a 3 way...but that would require a team under the cap wanting something of ours that we'd be willing to give up over Beasley.

[BRNC]

I heard Miami is looking to trade Beasley. Would that be something we could pursue? Boris for Beasley? plus fillers

Beasley gets lost going to the bathroom...how's he going to work in our defensive schemes?

[Ghost Kat]

Watching people defend Boris brings laughter to my heart. Diaw's play speaks for itself. Boris guarding three positions is comical since he does nothing at PF. Beasley i could live with, Hedo I don't want. Thanks to our C's we have no cap room. I really don't think the front office holds Boris in the same high standing as some of you fans.

I really want LB to use UPS or Tyrus, Energy guys. Diaw hurt the offense, All he wanted to do was pass. Atleast the bench guys tried to score. I mean really how many so called play makers do we really need? There were plenty times last year when the offense just died. Since Boris can't post up, can't create his own shot,doesn't offensive rebound. Where exactly is he helping?

[Veteran_Picksetter]

Boris can post up some and definitely create his own shot some. We just don't know when he's gonna do it. The unpredictability he showed last season was frustrating for us, but it can frustrate opponents too when he asserts himself.

Let's remember he is one season removed from completely transforming this team. Then he played for France in the summer, and that likely wore him out some.

Boris is not a down-in-the-trenches, rebounding PF. But I think that the PF position is a rather loosely-defined one in the league right now. Look at Rashard Lewis. Look at Lamar Odom when the Lakers "go small".

I think folks need to think back to what life was like in '07-08 and early '08-09 when we had no perimeter-oriented 4-man on the team. We had, what, out-of-shape Sean May and Andre Brown? It was such a desperate situation that we had to trade a 20-point guy and a role player to get two role players. But the roster balance it created helped tremendously.

You simply HAVE to have a PF who can move his feet on defensive rotations and bring some perimeter skills. You have to have versatile players you can plug into multiple positions. It's that simple.

We have 2 PF's on the roster: Tyrus and Boris. Tyrus is reported to have issues of his own above the shoulders. Are we really ready to turn the PF reigns over to him? Has he shown that he can do that effectively for a full season?

[dunnlx]

Boris Meow Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


(Forgive me if this is a redundant thread. I'm new here.)

1. It is practically a requirement in today's NBA to have at least one "Stretch big" who can do some things offensively on the perimeter. Boris is our only guy resembling that.

The Lakers have Odom.
The Magic have R.Lewis, and Ryan Anderson backing him up.
The Celtics have Kevin Garnett, who is aging, but who can still nail a long shot and put the ball on the floor some....


2. IMHO, Big Men with some Small Forward skills and mobility have a better chance at longevity in the league.

Think Kevin Garnett. He once moved and handled the ball like a Small Forward. So even though he's "lost a step", he still has the skills and just enough mobility to beat you from various spots on the court as a PF.

Or think Robert Horry. That guy was pretty much a Small Forward for years, but he always had the length of a big man. Once he filled out and slowed down some, he was still able to hang around the league for a long time, nailing outside shots as a PF.

Despite his 6'8" and 235-pound listings, I see Boris as having the length and heft of a true PF. But this is a guy who entered the league being developed as a Point Guard! He is used to moving his feet. He should be able to move well enough to guard PF's for a long time. With his all-over-the-court offensive skills, he should be able to create some problems for opponents for a good while, provided he maintains his focus with age and maturity.

3. Perhaps Boris was a bit lost and unfocused at times last year, but this is a team-first guy who doesn't mind taking a backseat to others. This is a guy who loves to help his teammates score points.

------------------------------------



I know we need to get some low post scoring, but it would be nice to keep Diaw in the process, or at least replace Diaw with another "stretch big" in the process.

Really, I wish we could move one of OUR Centers for a low post scoring Center from elsewhere, but I know that could be difficult to pull off.

Thanks.