<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The road to the National Basketball Association draft begins in earnest today for former Marquette University star Travis Diener, who will take part in his first official workout for the New Jersey Nets. Not quite 100% recovered from a late February surgery to correct two broken fingers on his left hand, Diener has nonetheless been preparing himself in earnest over the past few weeks on campus with an eye toward impressing teams searching for a point guard in the June 28 draft. After his workout for the Nets, Diener will head across the Hudson River for a Wednesday session with the New York Knicks. Next week, Diener will travel to the West Coast, where he'll audition for the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers.</div> Source
Having played some with the Deiner family through AAU tournaments, let me tell you the game smarts and the heart both himself and cousin Drake (DePaul) have. They are coaches son's and they have a lot of savvy, and the ability to maybe not standout, not dominate, but use the ability they have to outsmart and outwork their opponent. I'll be the first to say, ala the Barry Boys, both of these kids have it in them to stick on someone's bench for a good long time in the leauge.
I like this guy. He played well at Marquette and with Kidd getting older, a PG might not be bad pick in the middle of the first round.
Deiner is an NBA player. He's tough, smart, and a great player. He'll never be more than a backup, but he'll be a quality backup in the Steve Blake mold, or a rotation guy like Damon Jones. I'm glad that he's gonna get a shot in the Association, he's worked his butt of to get where he's going.
