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.

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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/201...d-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