<font face="Verdana"><font size="2"> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> </font></font> <font size="2">Ikechukwa Somotochukwa Diogu. I hear he?s very long. Welcome to the Warriors. I didn't see him play as often as some other players in the draft, so I won't pretend to be an expert on Arizona State basketball. But I do know this: Chris Mullin drafted for need instead of taking the best player available or the player with the most "upside potential," and that sends one distinct message. </font> <font size="2"> The Warriors want to win now. It's a good bet that high schooler Gerald Green will wind up better than Diogu. Andrew Bynum could be a monster in five years. But for the 2005-06 season, Mullin believed Diogu was the guy to help them win now. Not later. If you're a Warriors fan, that should be a sign of relief. For years now, the Warriors have looked to draft a savior or a future franchise player. They were always starting over, with nothing or nobody to get excited about. In other words, the draft meant everything. This year, they didn't need the savior. Baron Davis took care of that need last year. Jason Richardson is a future All-Star. Andris Biedrins is 19 and everything points to him being special. Mickael Pietrus is a superb athlete and defender off the bench. Mike Dunleavy is a smart and does a little of everything. You get the picture. The Warriors have talent. more at:</font><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"> http://warriors.realgm.com/articles/104/20...riors_like_ike/</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> </font></font> SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) -- Mike Montgomery knows more about Ike Diogu than just about any coach in the NBA: He spent two years at Stanford devising ways to stop the Arizona State star. That's just one reason Montgomery is particularly pleased to have the powerful forward with him next season on the Golden State Warriors, who selected Diogu with the ninth overall pick in Tuesday's draft. While Diogu and fellow draftees Monta Ellis and Chris Taft posed for photos and signed autographs for the kids at a Golden State basketball camp in the East Bay suburbs on Thursday, Montgomery chuckled at the memory of his Stanford game plans against Diogu. ``We always brought a second guy,'' Montgomery said. ``We never just played him straight-up by himself. We didn't think that was very smart basketball. ... He still put up some numbers, but it wasn't like what he put up against other teams.'' The 6-foot-8 Diogu was a second-team All-American and the Pac-10's player of the year last season, averaging 22.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocked shots -- tops in the conference in all three categories. His athleticism and aggressiveness made him nearly impossible to defend, as Montgomery remembers from Diogu's freshman and sophomore years. Diogu remembers Stanford's game plans -- and he also remembers they didn't work terribly well. He's excited by the prospect of working for Montgomery this time. <font size="2">more at:</font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-w...ov=ap&type=lgns</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"></font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">The moment Ike Diogu dreamed about came quickly and unexpectedly. There was no advance warning, no obligatory phone call. When the Warriors selected Diogu with the No. 9 pick in the NBA Draft on Tuesday, he received just one thing: </font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">A huge surprise. </font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">"I was in shock," Diogu said. "That's the crazy thing about the NBA Draft. All it takes is one general manager to like you." </font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">Turns out that person was Warriors vice president Chris Mullin, who shook up the draft by tabbing the Arizona State power forward as his answer to Golden State's frontline needs. </font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">Diogu earned Pac-10 Player of the Year and second-team All-America honors as a junior. He was used to pushing people around in the paint, and it was his inside game that ultimately shoved aside other candidates. </font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">"Watching his college career, watching his workouts here, we felt strongly going in about him," Mullin said. "The thought of not always having to score off the dribble, having to score from the perimeter, a guy who can operate down there, score on his own, draw his attention... </font></font> <font size="2">more at:</font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...SPGR5DGFI51.DTL </font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2"></div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Norm Frauenheim The Arizona Republic Jun. 29, 2005 12:00 AM Ike Diogu has yet to move out of his dorm room at Arizona State. He hasn't wanted to leave. But a guaranteed reason to move out and on came with the money he'll get for being picked No. 9 by the Golden State Warriors in Tuesday's NBA draft. Diogu's difficult decision paid off. A week after Diogu agonized about whether to forgo his senior season at ASU, he hit the lottery in a pick that figures to be worth an estimated 20 percent more in his rookie season than the $1,595,400 collected by last year's No. 9 pick, Philadelphia's Andre Igoudala, a swingman from Arizona. Diogu had a few hints he could go high, despite his evident misgivings about leaving school. Diogu, who had been projected to go anywhere from No. 9 to No. 27, began to climb the charts after a workout a couple of weeks ago at Golden State. His return for a second workout last week was a sure sign of Golden State's interest. Nonetheless, Diogu, whose father had urged him to go pro, was still uncertain when NBA Commissioner David Stern took the podium and announced his name. "When the Warriors were picking, I honestly didn't know who they were picking, because I didn't get a phone call," said Diogu, who is the seventh first-round pick in ASU basketball history and the fourth highest after Joe Caldwell (No. 2 to Detroit in 1964) Byron Scott (No. 4 to the Clippers in 1983) and Lionel Hollins (No. 6 to Portland in 1975). "When they called my name I was in shock. I didn't know who they were going to take, but I'm just happy that it was me." </font></font><font size="2">more at:</font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2"> http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articl...9diogu0629.html</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"></font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">Warriors pick Diogu 9th in NBA draft </font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">By Jerry Brown, Tribune</font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">June 28, 2005</font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2"> Turns out, father knew best after all. Listening to the urgings of his father, Edward, Ike Diogu reluctantly left Arizona State a year early to make himself eligible for Tuesday's NBA draft. The move paid off handsomely Tuesday, as the Pac-10 Player of the Year was taken ninth overall by the Golden State Warriors ? the fourth Sun Devil ever to be drafted in the top 10 and the highest since Byron Scott was taken fourth by San Diego in 1983. Diogu will be well paid. Last year's No. 9 overall pick, Arizona's Andre Iguodala, received a three-year guaranteed contract averaging $1.595 million. That figure will likely increase by up to 20 percent this season, although the new collective bargaining agreement guarantees first-round contracts for only two years. Like his draft number, Diogu will wear uniform No. 9 for the Warriors, who were 34-48 but finished strong after acquiring star point guard Baron Davis from New Orleans at midseason. They are expected to make a playoff run in the strong Western Conference next year. While the rest of the lottery hopefuls spent the weekend being wined and dined in New York, Diogu remained in Tempe ? he still hasn't moved out of his ASU dorm room ? and flew home to Garland, Texas, Monday to watch the draft with his family. Even in the hours before the draft, Diogu had no idea if he'd go in the top 10 or be completely passed over in the first round. </font></font><font size="2">more at:</font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2">http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=43808 </font></font> <font face="Verdana"><font size="2"></div> various "Diogu at 9" articles </font></font>
Diogu sounds like a talented pick but if Green turns out to be a total stud, I won't ever get over that.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting upsidedownside7:</div><div class="quote_post">Diogu sounds like a talented pick but if Green turns out to be a total stud, I won't ever get over that.</div> Well the day we care about that is when 1.) we still don't make the playoffs 2.) Diogu ends up being a bust on defense and inside scoring 3.) Richardson or Pietrus are having severe problems or want out 4.) Green turns out to be a true franchise player. I don't know any swing men that make their team better like Michael Jordan. I'm just happy with Richardson for the most part aside from dribbling and slow lateral movement. He rebounds, shoots, passes, is humble, is loyal, plays with heart, and is really strong like a football player. Pietrus I like because he's just so aggressive on defense and productive on offense. He's quick driving to the hole like an unpolished Kobe Bryant. He works suprisingly well on 6'6 lightning quick 2-guards like Michael Redd or Gilbert Arenas (except for that upsetting loss when Arenas nailed a buzzer beater and Pietrus was assigned to stop him). I love how Piety always reps the Warriors on camera. But yeah having a chance to get Green would be a heartbreaker if Diogu doesn't play up to his hype and Green plays like a cross between T-mac and Rashard Lewis. I guess it's not so bad because the W's need to get tougher in the worst way and there's really no good big men in the NBA draft below picks 1-5 it seems except for projects like Jermaine O'neil or undersized bulky players like Zach Randolph. We've hardly gotten in those spots because we were either unlucky in the lottery or we just weren't horrible enough to deserve the higher picks. I'm just glad we have a really good prospect that might suprise some people once they get to know his game. I'll take the quiet or energetic and extremely effective player over the flashy marquee player that doesn't have much effect on the franchise other than to entertain audiences and just mainly score. I've always felt franchises get somewhere based on their center or power forward and their point guards not their 2's or their 3's.
I was very dejected that we failed to add a pick in the teens-which would have let us get Diogu AND Green. Ike gives us the physical aspect inside that we needed more of. I actually feel Ike will prove to be one of the best players in this crop,but Green can be the superstar of this draft. Green's ability on D is an unknown and there are things he has to learn,but he can soar,he may soon be the best perimeter shooter in the league and he passes well. The scenario in my mind would have had us swap Dunleavy and whatever to get a pick between 11 and 17. I never thought Green or Granger would be there,but that we'd find some real bargain. Oh well. There are many who saw Marvin W as a top 2 lock,and sure to step in right away,dazzle,and go on to a superstar career. Here's my take. It will be several years before Marvin is as good as Ike-and that assumes Marvin gets MUCH more dedicated to polishing his game,and actually trying to play some D. Green actually has better fundamentals now. Diogu has better fundamentals than many NBA veterans,making him a plus for a team making it's push for the playoffs,
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting REREM:</div><div class="quote_post">I was very dejected that we failed to add a pick in the teens-which would have let us get Diogu AND Green. Ike gives us the physical aspect inside that we needed more of. I actually feel Ike will prove to be one of the best players in this crop,but Green can be the superstar of this draft. Green's ability on D is an unknown and there are things he has to learn,but he can soar,he may soon be the best perimeter shooter in the league and he passes well. The scenario in my mind would have had us swap Dunleavy and whatever to get a pick between 11 and 17. I never thought Green or Granger would be there,but that we'd find some real bargain. Oh well. There are many who saw Marvin W as a top 2 lock,and sure to step in right away,dazzle,and go on to a superstar career. Here's my take. It will be several years before Marvin is as good as Ike-and that assumes Marvin gets MUCH more dedicated to polishing his game,and actually trying to play some D. Green actually has better fundamentals now. Diogu has better fundamentals than many NBA veterans,making him a plus for a team making it's push for the playoffs,</div> I agree diogu is a very NBA ready player that will come in and contribute immediately to the warriors.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Ike Diogu is special. His parents, Edward and Jane, knew it the day he was born on Sept. 11, 1983. They stared at him lying in his hospital bed. So vibrant. So dark. So huge. "He came out 11 pounds and 24 inches long," Edward said. "When we saw him lying down in that crib the first day, we thought we had a three-month-old baby." Nearly 22 years later, Diogu has grown around 55 inches, put on about 240 pounds and proved to be as special as his parents predicted. The Warriors got a rare breed when they drafted him with the No. 9 pick in Tuesday's NBA draft. Diogu is as intellectual as he is talented, as polite as he is aggressive, as impressive off the court as he is on it. "There's no one like him," said Phillip Sirois, Diogu's coach at Garland High School in Texas. "The mold has been broken." The credit for Diogu's character goes to the faith-based, education-first rearing he received at home. Edward and Jane emigrated to the U.S. from Nigeria to further their teaching careers. Ike was born in Buffalo, N.Y., during his father's doctorate studies at the University of Buffalo. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Garland, a suburban-town outside of Dallas. Ike, brothers Eric and Eddie Jr. and sister Love were raised on three principles: 1) keep God first; 2) take education seriously; and 3) never do anything that would bring shame to the Diogu name. "Don't let somebody else influence you," Edward said. "Always remember the name Diogu." They were taught to think before speaking, share with others and respect their elders. Keeping abreast of political and world affairs was a must. Television watching, limited to two hours, wasn't allowed until homework and chores were completed. "My parents are from Africa so I think they raised me a little bit differently," Diogu said. "There were a lot more things that I couldn't do than I could do. But it all benefited me in the end. I'm just really thankful to have parents like that." Ike Diogu is humble.</div> Diogu's Game Begins with Character
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It shouldn't be surprising that in the NBA, where the ultimate goal is to put a nine-inch basketball through an 18-inch hoop, a player's reputation can hinge on a matter of inches. A 6-foot-10 power forward is perfect and a 6-9 one isn't bad, but at 6-8, the warning labels appear. Sink much below 6-7 and forget it. There's no returning from that stunted abyss. Is there? "You hear the word 'undersized' and you automatically think, 'Oh, he's too small to play that position,' " former Warriors coach Al Attles said. "But I've been around this league a long time . . . and there are plenty of undersized guys (who have succeeded)." Ike Diogu, the Warriors No. 1 draft pick, will attempt to become the next. Asked how tall Diogu is without shoes, Warriors vice president Chris Mullin shrugged and rattled off a list of height-inflating devices. Whatever cushioned sneakers, extra socks or orthotics players wear, Mullin said Diogu measures a solid 6-8 on the court. That still makes Diogu somewhat of a "tweener," the NBA term used to describe players who aren't quite tall enough for their position and lack the quickness to play smaller. Diogu said the undersized label has followed him throughout high school and college, but he "always accepts it as a challenge." He patterns his game after Elton Brand, the Clippers' power forward and former No. 1 overall pick by Chicago. The comparison certainly fits. Brand was the NCAA Player of the Year when he left Duke after two seasons in 1999. Much like Diogu, Brand dominated his college counterparts. Yet word spread during team workouts that Brand stood only 6-6, possibly even 6-5. It wasn't until he measured 6-8 in shoes at the Chicago predraft camp that the jitters subsided. Brand, of course, can now be counted on for 20 points and 10 rebounds a game for the Clippers. In league history, several undersized power forwards have made their mark, none greater than Charles Barkley. Though he was listed at 6-6, those who saw Barkley in person swear he was closer to 6-4. </div> Mullin Says Diogu is Tall Enough
I just hope he gets a legit chance at the starting PF spot. I hope Murphy either steps up his game tremendously so Diogu does not get the chance to start over him or that Murphy slides to C spot and Diogu plays down low, while Murphy draws the defender out of the paint. I cant wait to see this kid start for the playoff bound Warriors...
I am pretty sure Ike will play over half the minutes at the 4,with an occaisional stint at the 3 a possibility. Murphy will be in a 3-man center committee,play PF when not at C. Zarko will get action at SF + PF based on matchups,and how well he's playing. While that appears to be what the W's anticipate,what's working will determine how the roles get shared.
If Diogu can protect the basket like Foyle, he can get a lot of mins, because we can slide Murphy to center position time to time. However, if he can't, it would be uphill battle for Diogu to get a mins. Whenever we didn't have shot blocking presence in the middle, our defense collapsed and allowed around 50 fg%, like when we started Robinson and Murphy. And, since Murphy just started to collect his 60 mils/6 years extension, the reality is that it won't be a fair battle for Diogu to get mins in pf, unless he completely dominates Murphy, so that it would be silly not to give mins to Diogu. But first, let's see what Diogu can do in NBA first. After supposely be "NBA ready" Dunleavy took more times to adjust in NBA than Jamison, I want to see his action first, then decide what we need to do to provide enough mins. Speaking of action, based on tiny clip of Diogu in Yahoo... He was skilled, and his outside jumper looked decent. Also, he won't be called sluggish pf by any mean. Showed pretty good ball handling for a big man as well. But, explosiveness won't be the word I would describe Diogu. I don't know why, but that clip reminds me of better version of Cardinals so far...
That's the first impression I got. Both are destined for 4, but has some 3 skills as well. They are deceptably fast, and I expect Diogu to hustle like Cardinal. Also, they play under the rim and not exactly explosive. Obviously, Diogu will not shoot like Cardinal, but he does have a good jumper for 4. Too bad that clip doesn't have Diogu's post up offense/defense though...
As much as I hate to curb enthusiasm, let's all remember that Ike is still a rookie coming out of the Pac-10 and it's very unlikely he'll come in and be anywhere close to displacing Murphy. Remember, Murph put up basically the same numbers (21/10) during his three years at ND as Diogu put up at ASU, and he did it against tougher competition. Sure Diogu did more of his scoring down in the post, but I'd be surprised if Diogu put up better numbers next year than Murphy did in his rookie year. Basketball fans in general and Warrior fans in particular have a bad habit of doing the following every year: 1) heaping lofty expectations on their rookies, 2) wanting to push the vets to the bench (or trade 'em) to make room for the rooks, then 3) get frustrated and don't know what to do when the rookies don't live up to expectations. If Diogu can come off the bench, play 20-24 minutes in the post and put up 10 and 8, I'll consider his rookie year a success. In no way do I expect him to push Murph to center or the bench.
Very true. I just think Diogu should be a better player than Foyle. Basically Murphy and Diogu should both be playing at the 4-5 positions but their roles reversed...
Yeah... I kind of wonder how he'll do in the post and against nba competition, especially on the defensive end... But Diogu was a pick I was high on so I'm definitely wearing my rose colored glasses when it comes to him.
I like Ike. I was hoping he might fall to the Kings.What he lacks in height he makes up for in width and length.Hes going to bully opposing players around soon enough.
When Dunleavy was taken,I believe his scoring avg was around 14-15 ppg,he wasn't a big rebounder and needed muscle. Diogu is a different player,he got his marks for what he did rather than projection of what could happen later on. Murphy has been playing some C over the past few years. The W's hint that he will play more C,which is pretty logical. They didn't go for a project with the pick,they went for a 4 who has a game that should work well as-is. Meanwhile the C spot was where everyone wanted improvement,at least on the offensive end. Expect a play it by ear situation,when we need more D inside,Foyle and Biedrens are in. Everything is a tradeoff. Depending on how much game time Ike gets,he ought to put up some good numbers. If he plays starter minutes,more or less,he could lead rookies in scoring,possibly rebounds also. I guarantee he will give us better D than we got at F last year.
Wouldn't it be great to see Ike and Biedrens play and play well together. That would just suck to have to high paid players sitting on the bench...
Our owner is so rich and the basketball market in the bay is so large... This is the one shot Cohan has to redeem himself (unless he decides to sell a la Gordon Gund when Lebron came over). I hope they get Larry Ellison or some spend-tastic owner who cares about the bottom-line of winning
To be honest, I'm thinking more like 8 and 5 out of Diogu and labeling that a success. With the crowd in the Warriors, it's hard for him to just get minutes without cutting into the minutes of others. I think he's good, but not enough to displace others as a rookie. I'm looking for production in the second year, or if injuries occur or if a trade happens, but not otherwise. I guess it all really ends up with what Monty feels like, we know at least that he's a fan of Ike's game since he's played against him and spoken highly of him.
