<div class="quote_poster">Quoting REREM:</div><div class="quote_post">me too</div> Any day. You have gotten me on the Digou bandwagon
There isn't very much. I'm just going to throw out a few names. I already posted a few names elsewhere, but why not bring them up again and provide more analysis on who I think fits the Warriors needs. The first few players might want more minutes than the Warriors can give them, though; but each of these guys will be affordable with the MLE. I rank them in preference: Zaza Pachulia (restricted) Only 21 years old, he's another Euro. He's got a lot of professional experience, playing in Europe since age 15, and being in the NBA for two years, and last season, averaged over 18 minutes a game backing up Dan Gadzuric. A strong rebounder, fairly athletic, good size (6'11, 260), and pretty good shotblocker for the minutes that he played, more of a power forward than a true center. Further, he's got great potential to improve, possessing a good work ethic. I'm not sure if he'll come easily as he's restricted, and Milwaukee was pleased with him and they will likely try to keep their young players. He'd make a great combination with Biedrins and the future, as both can man either PF or C. Probably the one guy I'd make a serious run at. Dan Gadzuric (restricted) The other Bucks center, Gadzuric is great defensively but pretty invisible offensively due to bad hands. Superior rebounder and good shotblocker, averaging over 8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in only 22 minutes per game despite average height and strength at 6'10", 250. I'd prefer Pachulia, since Gadzuric is a bit slower, older, and less mobile despite being the same size and weight as Pachulia. Francisco Elson Good defender and shotblocker with good mobility as well, though skinny at 7'0, 235. As CR mentioned, from Cal, so he knows the area. A bit older than most of the others, as he was a senior at Cal and then left in Europe for a few years until joining the NBA in 2003. Another Dutch guy, like Gadzuric. DeSagana Diop Big draft failure, 7'0", 280 Diop came in with huge potential and an NBA-ready body and flopped. Mobile for his size, but still could drop a few pounts. Still, he's only 23 and has maybe been playing for about 6 years now (having only started playing organized ball during high school), but it still would take a miracle to turn Diop into even a solid backup at this point. Steven Hunter Great shotblocker and leaper, but not the most fundamentally sound otherwise. Athletic, but not a great body, as it's still too skinny (7'0, 230), and defintely not a banger. Hasn't improved based on any of his potential, and not likely to start now. (Skinny tall guys seems to be a trend with all of these guys...) Mikki Moore Thirty year old reclamation project from the NBDL, one of their former leading scorers. 7'0, but only 225, he's a smart defender who brings energy and hustles. Obinna Ekezie Thirty year old, 6'9, 270 Nigerian who's decently agile for his size. Played over 10 minutes for the first time last season; good rebounder but not a good shotblocker nor a good offensive option. Good filler material, though. Othella Harrington Ten year veteran power forward. Maybe the best scorer of the bunch aside from Pachulia, but not really a shotblocker or a great defender. More of a half-court guy, too, so might not work for the Warriors. Ervin Johnson Veteran defender, although even Foyle took him to the hole two years ago. (One of my favorite plays, Foyle doing a hesitation move from the baseline. ) He's still got a little bit left in him, but again, not a great fit for the Warriors offense. Jamal Sampson Bad choice to leave Cal after one season, he would still only be a senior this year. 6'11", 235, he's a big body, but he's injury prone and was cut by the lowly Bobcats. Maybe he can rebound, but I think that he might be out of the league unless he finds a team that's got room on the end of the bench.
None of us have even seen Petro in depth. There's no way you could even compare Petro & Diogu's stats. Diogu is the star of the devils while Petro is used sparingly. It's ridiculous to claim anything when you haven't seen Petro. You can pimp your pick as much as you want, Diogu is not going to get drafted at 9. As far as bigs we need either a strong low post defender with a big wingspan/height or someone with the athleticism/size with skill to score consistently from the low post. NBA standards, Diogu falls flat in both. There were rumors of him going back to school but there's nothing for him to go back to. It would make sense to go after a home-run in this draft. Go with the biggest upside. If there's no blue chips to pick from, try to package the pick for cap relief, big veteran or as a trading chip. If you want a "sure thing" who's consistent but isn't a "star" then sign or trade for one don't use the #9 pick on one. I wouldn't expect any consistency from a rookie unless it's a top 5 pick, might as well go for the one with the biggest upside since the rook won't get very much playing time anyway.
Consider me squarely out of the Diogu camp. Besides the fact that I think he's too small to play pf in the NBA, I don't think he's coming out this year anyway. Now, there is a guy who hasn't been talked about at all on this board, which has actually surprised me quite a bit. He's sort of the anti-Diogu. Very big, athletic, full of potential, but there are big questions about how much he wants to succeed. Normally I really shy away from guys who have questionable work ethics, but this guy is an exception. He came into the league full of potential, but had his confidence totally destroyed in his first two years in the league. His development was totally mismanaged by his GM, the fans turned on him and boo him at home games, his own teammates have had to plead with the fans to ease up on him because they recognize his enormous potential. Basically, I've never seen a kid need a change of scenery like this kid needs one. I honestly believe he's the second coming of Jermaine O'neal and if you compare their stats over their first four years, this kid has actually put up better numbers. He's got all the tools to make him a great low-post scorer who can also step out and hit the 15 foot jumper. He's had games where he's scored 30 points, others where he's grabbed 18 boards, and others where he's had 5-6 blocks. He's got more height than Stromile Swift, but he's just as athletic. He's got a better offensive game than Dalembert, but he'll come at a cheaper price tag. He's got all the physical tools to be a dominant player on offense and defense, he just needs the right coach and a change of scenery. Actually, what would have been best for him would have been to go to college for a few years...hey...the Warriors have a former college coach that might just know how to rehabilitate him... I am, of course, speaking of Kwame Brown. (I'll wait for the laughter to die down from those who haven't thought about it) This kid is worth a serious look. There's a reason why he was the #1 pick in '01. On paper he looked like the next great power forward. Sure it definitely hasn't panned out for him, but I firmly believe the blame belongs more with Jordan than it does with Kwame. From Jermaine O'neal to Vince Carter, to Rip Hamilton, to Joe Johnson, to Larry Hughes, to Chris Webber (when he first came to Sacramento), to Rasheed Wallace, to Earl Boykins and Brian Cardinal, the league is FILLED with players who have turned their careers around just by changing teams. I don't think any of these guys (with the possible exception of Webber) needed a change of scenery the way Brown needs one.
i don't think that the warriors have the cap space to sign dalembert. while i'd love to see what an athletic, shot blocking big man like him could do in their system, he won't be going to golden state. there are other teams with tons and tons of money to throw at him, and i'm betting he'll sign in atlanta or somewhere else where they offer him a ridiculous amount of money. too bad. i think he'd be a good fit in golden state...petro would be a real, real good draft pick though.
Always great to hear your perspective, WtW. As for Brown, I kind of flirted with the idea, but he might be more expensive than the mid-level exception, and he's restricted (although Washington has definitely soured on him, so that might not be a big problem), and there are still a ton of clubs that might want him, thus, the competition. It is strange, though, how nearly every other board wants Dalembert or Swift, and mostly ignores Brown... I'll admit I'm not a big Dalembert fan, actually. As Schaddy noted anyway, he's way more than the W's budget - he'll likely get at least $6 million per year if not $8 million. But he's not an great offensive threat, although he's a good offensive rebounder and defender. He's already 24 years old, so he's had a few years to develop, but he still hasn't shown me enough to warrant that money. Anyway, that's why I'm looking at lower cost "budget" guys. Brown, on the other hand, deserves patience. I agree that he could be the next Jermaine O'Neal. He needs a new start, away from the pressure and the criticism. He's strong enough to play C, unlike Chandler, and healthier than Curry. For a player that doesn't get many minutes but is relatively productive, my general span of patience is about 5 years. I think Brown fits into that category because while he's getting some minutes, they certainly are not consistent. He has all the tools, but simply needs the time and patience. I would risk a full, maximum year MLE on him if he'd take it. And for the record, I am in the Diogu camp, but not at #9. I think that he's got a chance to get drafted at #15 or anywhere after #19, unless trades occur. Also, I think he is going to hire an agent and stay in the draft. It's simply a big risk to take him at 9, no matter how good he's been in college, because height in the post in the NBA is a huge factor. We already have an undersized center, since Foyle barely stands 6'10 without shoes.
I wonder if you put Brown with the group of guys we have if his presonality will flip, or if he'd wear off the wrong way on a few of our guys. I have a hard time seeing any of the Warrior players not going 110%. I think he'd be well worth the gamble if we could get him cheap enough.
Zhone, I've been kind of wondering about ZaZa Pachulia, myself. He looks like a promising low post prospect, but somebody the Bucks might want to re-sign since they did trade to the Bobcats for him. UD, I'm not even sure if I'm even on the Diogu band wagon, because it seems kind of silly to take him at #9 when he is projected #13 or below. Also he might not even come out this year like Walker and you mentioned. I tend to be split because he's proven he's done great in college, but that doesn't necessarily mean a guy of his body type and skill will translate to the next level. I mean it was already hard enough for Mike Dunleavy Jr, even though you can rule out the team chemistry/lack of aggressiveness/nba experience as reasons for his slow growth. I'm more a fan of Splitter or Taft (even though Taft hasn't really performed, he's got the best NBA ready tools available with the skill if he just gets more assertive) Wtwalker, good to hear your perspective. I think I'm just like the rest of you guys. It's a FA signing gamble (on Kwame Brown) just like the draft lotto. Will Kwame succeed or won't he succeed? Will his hands ever improve? Will his attitude improve? Can he be humble with the amount of minutes/touches thecoaches/teammates are giving him? I think he is worth a serious look since he's shown flashes of being pretty awesome, but then like Dampier, he sort of dies away and looks really bad trying to catch. But right now, as Kwan mentioned before, we would die to have a Dampier-like player. If we trade the #9 for Kwame Brown sign and trade, I wouldn't be unhappy as long as the contract weren't more than 4 years long. Some incentives for Kwame Brown to join the club for cheaper (to get his career going again) would be that he's got one of the best backcourts in the league on his side. Big men always look for a good pure point guard and a good shooting guard. He's also got plenty of help on the boards (Troy Murphy/Andris Biedrins/Adonal Foyle), and a good degree of unselfishness from the team if you count guys like Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Zarko Cabarkapa, Andris Biedrins, Derek Fisher, and Foyle who can move the ball. I'm not sure what would happen to Zarko because he's in between a small forward and in between a power forward, but he's the kind of player that can still get to the rim, shoot, see over defenses and make plays for slashers cutting to the hoop.
<u>In November, Brown turned down a five-year, $30 million deal with the Wizards, signaling that he planned to test the free agent waters.</u> By Bob Cohn THE WASHINGTON TIMES http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5050300831.html Now after this debacle in the playoffs his price range will be closer to that deal. All those things you said about his talent are true. He's looked unstoppable at times but he has no confidence. Ever since Jordan broke him, he was a shell of who he was in highschool. It would make sense to go after this kid because of the cheap price tag, skills & upside. Brown has never gotten the kind of encouragement Mully, Monty and B-Diddy give the younger players. Outside of Bogut he has more upside than any big in the draft. Next team he goes to, he can easily average a double double. The problem is that it seems unlikely Mullin will go after this kid unless he thinks Kwame is too good. Mullin likes players with strong work ethics and fierce competitors. NVE is a cancer but was a proven fighter and Baron had injury bug written all over him but he's a warrior. Kwame is far from that. Mullin has scouted Taft and some heresay is circulated saying that's his guy. Whether it's true or not people have questioned Taft's intensity, not his mental stability. Unless Kwame falls in our lap, I'd think Mullin stays with the pick and focuses on other prospects. If it were me, I'd pursue Kwame.
Good find, UD. We have no FA money, unfortunately . Unless we do some deal that involves one of our bench or use our supposed #9 draft pick, I don't think we can get him. But he's painted badly by the media probably because he failed to meet the hype of being the first HS player selected at #1. Had he been picked at #17, nobody would really focus that much wrath on him. I still think our backcourt should be enough leverage to convince Kwame Brown to come on over, if the Wizards feel they're at least getting something for him and Mullin feels strongly about him turning over a new leaf in his career. He no longer has to worry about carrying a team, something Jerry Stackhouse and the old Michael Jordan could not do themselves on the Wizards.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting wtwalker77:</div><div class="quote_post">Consider me squarely out of the Diogu camp. Besides the fact that I think he's too small to play pf in the NBA, I don't think he's coming out this year anyway. Now, there is a guy who hasn't been talked about at all on this board, which has actually surprised me quite a bit. He's sort of the anti-Diogu. Very big, athletic, full of potential, but there are big questions about how much he wants to succeed. Normally I really shy away from guys who have questionable work ethics, but this guy is an exception. He came into the league full of potential, but had his confidence totally destroyed in his first two years in the league. His development was totally mismanaged by his GM, the fans turned on him and boo him at home games, his own teammates have had to plead with the fans to ease up on him because they recognize his enormous potential. Basically, I've never seen a kid need a change of scenery like this kid needs one. I honestly believe he's the second coming of Jermaine O'neal and if you compare their stats over their first four years, this kid has actually put up better numbers. He's got all the tools to make him a great low-post scorer who can also step out and hit the 15 foot jumper. He's had games where he's scored 30 points, others where he's grabbed 18 boards, and others where he's had 5-6 blocks. He's got more height than Stromile Swift, but he's just as athletic. He's got a better offensive game than Dalembert, but he'll come at a cheaper price tag. He's got all the physical tools to be a dominant player on offense and defense, he just needs the right coach and a change of scenery. Actually, what would have been best for him would have been to go to college for a few years...hey...the Warriors have a former college coach that might just know how to rehabilitate him... I am, of course, speaking of Kwame Brown. (I'll wait for the laughter to die down from those who haven't thought about it) This kid is worth a serious look. There's a reason why he was the #1 pick in '01. On paper he looked like the next great power forward. Sure it definitely hasn't panned out for him, but I firmly believe the blame belongs more with Jordan than it does with Kwame. From Jermaine O'neal to Vince Carter, to Rip Hamilton, to Joe Johnson, to Larry Hughes, to Chris Webber (when he first came to Sacramento), to Rasheed Wallace, to Earl Boykins and Brian Cardinal, the league is FILLED with players who have turned their careers around just by changing teams. I don't think any of these guys (with the possible exception of Webber) needed a change of scenery the way Brown needs one.</div> Are you my soulmate? I am thinking EXACTLY the same thing. I even mentioned it a few months ago when we had the trading deadline. Does anyone remember that? I would love to give this kid a chance...
We have no FA money, unfortunately . No we don't but we have the MLE again. The MLE should be more than enough to get him after this disaster. We can also offer certain packages with a sign + trade. Maybe the 1st rounder, trade exception, filler. I'm not saying we should trade our 1st rounder for him but we have the pieces to do it. Are you my soulmate? That's the funniest sentence I've read in a long time.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting upsidedownside7:</div><div class="quote_post">We have no FA money, unfortunately . No we don't but we have the MLE again. The MLE should be more than enough to get him after this disaster. We can also offer certain packages with a sign + trade. Maybe the 1st rounder, trade exception, filler. I'm not saying we should trade our 1st rounder for him but we have the pieces to do it. Are you my soulmate? That's the funniest sentence I've read in a long time.</div> I am telling you, if you could find some old posts of mine about Kwame Brown I was saying the same thing. In fact, when I was reading his post all I was thinking was "that sounds like Kwame Brown"...
Here is one... http://www.justbball.com/forums/showthread...01&page=2&pp=20 Here is the one I was thinking of... http://www.justbball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31962
LOL. I think we believe you, WFS93. As for the Diogu thing, I'm extremely wishy washy. I flip flop between the positive, "Oh wow, he's got excellent skills, best in the draft for a big man and he's the most ready to go now" and the negative, "What you see is what you get for years to come and he's too small to play power forward". It's good that we're not in a position to "trade because we have to", it leaves us with so many possibilities, especially one that will allow us to take advantage of some desperate team looking to make a splash move. Anyway, I think I'm too easily influenced by REREM and Wtwalker when it comes to the draft/do not Diogu camp (at #9). If I'm thinking he's Elton Brand, then #9 seems justified, if I'm thinking a smaller Zach Randolph that can't matchup on most nights, then I'm skeptical. I just hope we go for the guy with the most upside, has many skills to begin with and hope the attitude becomes a good one.
Kwame Brown is a guy I also thought about. He seemed immature,inconsistant,yet has at times played fairly well. Last time I saw him it looked like he had gained a lot of weight,and lost some speed,so there wasn't much of a S Swift look to him,he looked like a C more,a F less. Brown has played ball,unlike Petro,quite a bit,yet something is missing,whether it's motivation,basketball IQ or whatever,and there is a good chance he'd remain a guy who one night scores and boards and next game is of no value. Nevertheless,IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT,he'd be no more risk than Taft who has some similar red flags,or Petro who in terms of actual production is no closer to prime time than Diop-and Brown would not use up our rd 1 pick. I am not saying Diogu is a candidate to play C. I do feel a guy who physically compares well to Kenyon Martin can play power F. At 4 Diogu is better on D,and transition than Murphy is,if we need to adjust matchups. He moves well enough to play SF against most matchups,Pietrus would still be the guy against a real speedster. As Diogu adds some muscle,D,rebounds well,We could use Murphy at C,Diogu at the 4 sometimes. Diogu to me is a lot different than Z Randolph who has talent but is a bit unpolished. Brand has added bulk,lost some mobility while adding to his in-close power. Diogu is pretty active,yet physical,not quite as quick as S Marion but a similar approach and bigger. I believe Diogu could be an All Star in a few years. To me,#9 is cheap for that kind of talent. Green ,I think can be an All Star,though there are some areas where I don't know enough about him. A lot of guys listed as lottery may be years from even starting,so I hate to imagine much. I don't understand why so little is said about Dwayne Jones. While the mock sites have been slow to notice,he did PRODUCE. He had rebound-shot block numbers pretty similar to Sheldon williams-but he's 6-11. He did the stuff optimists think Petro MIGHT do SOMEDAY..perhaps,yet he comes fairly cheap if mocks are any clue. Another 6-11 entered,W Vir's Kevin Pittsnogle. West Virginia finished the year with a lot of momentum and some upsets in the NCAA tournament,with Pittsnogle a big reason why. A few of those 5 pt a game Euro-teens get big credit for being able to sink a 3 sometimes,Pittsnogle by comparison hit a lot of clutch shots in the NCAA's to propell WV to wins over favored teams. Anyone who is overhyped,overrated,can easily be a real letdown. The bargains are the players who are underrated. Tyson Chandler has a recent pattern of getting 10+ rebounds,blocking shots-the stuff you need a C to do. He has speed,jumps well,and he has shown a trend toward scoring more,being a decent passer,all-round player. as he is young,adding a bit more strength and bulk will tend to come with time. As is,if you play up tempo,or an active,motion type game,rather than a slower 1/2 court post-up style Chandler would be a real nice fit at C. I'd have little interest in Curry,even with no health issues as he makes less impact in the D-rebounds area,and is not as quick. Far too much is made of body type,and Chandler -Curry are a good example in that they are the opposite of what would be expected. If I was to put togather a major deal for a big man,was going to do whatever to find and commit cap space,maybe sacrafice a player or two,a current or future draft pick,Chandler is one guy who,worst case,is a good pickup,and best case can get a lot better and be a real big boost. To me,rebounding production,for a frontcourt guy is a clue that overall,he is willing to battle,work,put out consistant effort. Those qualitie are of value if I ask,can he improve his overall game? You won't get many 10 rbd games being lazy,soft or appathetic-and a guy who is 7-1 270 but soft and appathetic would be just another Felton Spencer type watching from the bench.
I think the W's should look past Kwame Brown or Tyson Chandler because we're probably not getting these guys anyway (Restricted Free Agents). We supposedly could get Kwame for the #9, I bet (sign and trade so long as the trade matches what the pick is worth and Kwame wants to come here), but that's if other teams like Atlanta, Charlotte, and New Orleans don't sign him to a larger offer first and take on the risk of a guy who wasn't really a winner to begin with. I think our high draft pick, our unselfish play, having a top point guard and shooting guard, the coach, and a winning, stable environment should be some incentive for Kwame and the Wizards to consider the offer as long as nobody gets greedy. Maybe a guy like him would change his attitude and warm up to a guy like Monty and rediscover the love of basketball. Baron Davis was one of those guys who was not liking basketball until he got traded. The difference was Baron had more awesome skills to begin with in the league and lots of confidence. So maybe this could be Kwame's place to reinvent himself, provided he handle all the rest and he listen to the leaders of the team and the coach. But anyway... I think the main reason we won't get any huge signings is because since a successful 9 man rotation was already discovered late half in the last season, I doubt we pursue any major trades that could ruin or break apart that team chemistry. That is unless, Mullin finds some way to dump Foyle or Fisher or Dunleavy. Then any of these trades could happen as it would free up cap space. If not, we should just look at some old vets or some RFA's that hardly got a chance to play and will play (knowing our injuries). I'm wondering if there's anything we can do to land a guy like Antonio Davis (from Oakland) who can play F/C from the Bulls. That's a player who's from the area, has strong work ethic, can post up, rebound, hit midrange shots and defend. Alonzo Mourning would be a player to consider, but is he over that kidney thing? At his age, he'd probably get a good deal of the MLE for about two years. If we just want post scoring, we can consider Marcus Fizer or Lee Nailon off the bench for a small contract. Personally, I think having a good defender is what we need more. So maybe Bo Outlaw would be a player of interest. He's a passer/defender/overachieving player. Or we can get Donyell Marshall back But, is having more vets on the squad the answer, since coaches tend to play the vets more than developing talent? I think not after what the rookies showed last season. Maybe we should just use those 2nd rounders as intended and find some hustle guys like Eduardo Najera and Brian Cardinal, who have heart and a variety of skills to begin with. If we're lucky we might find the steal of the draft.
Yeah, all the guys with consistent post scoring skills are way out of our range. Abdur-Rahim, Ilgauskas, Walker, Swift, Brown. After that, there are few "scorers" and the big men turn more or less into guys with "potential to score" that have an adequate defensive post presence. Murphy is a better scorer than the majority of them, even if he's not a low-post guy, and Foyle is about the same defensively as many of the free agent class that's available to us. Thus free agency is a dicey proposition. Trades are where it's at. Unfortunately trades require the agreement of another team, making it a lot harder to get good trades.
I am all for Kwame as well. He really started out bad with MJ yelling at him every single time, and for a teenager, that can really affect his confidence in a long term. To make things worse, Arenas isn't exactly a PG, who set up the teammate and use their strengths. He can very well be next J. O'Neal with new environment. Of course, big problem is that 29 teams also know about it, and there will be a bidding war for Kwame. There is a good chance that his price will go out of control, and since we only have MLE, it would be extremely hard for us to get him. To make things worse, he is restricted FA, and if his price goes too low, they can simply match him. Besides, even with all those potential, do you really want to gamble 6 years/48 mils contract to him? I mean, he can be a bargain superstar, but he can also very well be a bust as well. In my dream scenario, I would love to sign him with 3 years/17 mils range. But, that's where dream ends...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting upsidedownside7:</div><div class="quote_post">None of us have even seen Petro in depth. There's no way you could even compare Petro & Diogu's stats. Diogu is the star of the devils while Petro is used sparingly. It's ridiculous to claim anything when you haven't seen Petro. You can pimp your pick as much as you want, Diogu is not going to get drafted at 9. As far as bigs we need either a strong low post defender with a big wingspan/height or someone with the athleticism/size with skill to score consistently from the low post. NBA standards, Diogu falls flat in both. There were rumors of him going back to school but there's nothing for him to go back to. It would make sense to go after a home-run in this draft. Go with the biggest upside. If there's no blue chips to pick from, try to package the pick for cap relief, big veteran or as a trading chip. If you want a "sure thing" who's consistent but isn't a "star" then sign or trade for one don't use the #9 pick on one. I wouldn't expect any consistency from a rookie unless it's a top 5 pick, might as well go for the one with the biggest upside since the rook won't get very much playing time anyway.</div> I really don't get why anyone who can't do squat in the overseas minor lea gues is a home run or has upside. There are 10,000 basketball players I have never seen,and I'd figure very,very few would be a good round 1 pick, How can you figure Diogu can't score inside? In college ball,I don't think anyone was better at that. Did you take the time to look at his stats? Does 57% fg,leading the NCAA in FT's made,23 points a game hint at can't score? Is 6-8 smaller now than when Elton Brand was the draft's first pick? C Barkley wasn't close to 6-8-he scored a lot inside. That Ike scores 10 points a game above Marvin W or Chris T ought to say something. His shotblocks probably equal Taft + Marvin combined and he got better than 2 board more than either-so I see him as pure blue chip,which is why I persist in going against the tide. I see Diogu as havig as good of a shot at being a future all-star as anyone in this draft-while also being one of the least apt to be a dud. Look at Dwayne Jones numbers-then look at Petro's. To me,11 1/2 rebounds a game looks pretty nice. Getting 3 or 4 a game only says can't cut it at this time. Aundray Blatche had a 14 rbd game in the Jordan classic. Not a lot of info,but something. Dwayne J had a triple double game,points,boards,blocks,,,yet the mocks/rumor mills still peg him as round 2. I won't be surprised if Diogu actually is picked as high as 5th,and D Jones and Petro go in the same area of late rd 1. If anyone cares to check this years stats,Diogu + Jones are among the better rebounders and shotblockers. No Euro-teen I see discussed has any numbers to PROOVE they can,in a real game,do ANYTHING really well,with some consistancy. Hitting some 3's in practice,having basic agility,is a step,but if a guy gets 0.6 blocks a game,I don't call that a great shotblocker. If a guy scores 6,7 points average,is he even ready to start for an ACC team? I do feel,round 2,the 7-9 Chinese guy,Sun Ming Ming might be a worthwhile project. He'd probably be a role player,and it's obvios that role would not involve a lot of finesse.
