Ok. Here it is. Coming into the draft I had dreams that Granger would fall all the way to #9 but I dismissed it as hopeful homerism. When it happened, and we passed, I was a little depressed... at first. There were plenty of whispers on this board that Ike Diogu may be the perfect fit for the Warriors. I'll be the first to admit that I was weary about that possibility. Not that i didn't think Ike would be a decent player, It's just that the kid is a 6'8" power forward, which understandable had me worried. HOWEVER, the more I think about it, the more I really think he's the perfect puzzle piece for the Warriors. He has an inside and outside game, he can make freethrows which will be essential down the stretch, and in the Playoffs m and more importantly he can occupy a spot on the low block in the half court offense. A couple of years from now, a Diogu/Biedrins 4/5 has me pretty excited . Once again, I can't argue with Mully's drafting. I really like the fact that he had us guessing until the last second, even though it appears that he was in control from the beginning.
Mullin and Higgins gave a few hints as to what they wanted-and that was pretty much what I wanted the W's to get from this draft-and I'd thought Diogu was the player who fit. We had discussed scenarios here of deals for an extra pick,a trade down,a trade up,but whatever the W's explored,if nobody takes the offer,it ain't happening.
Here's my assessment of Diogu Strengths: Can score in a variety of ways from inside the paint or outside the paint... outstanding footwork and decent perimeter shooting skills... Very agile in the post... Likes to bang inside... Can finish with either hand... Shoots from a high release point... Looks to get to the line... Good free throw percentage for a big player... Very aggressive... Will do the dirty work... Good offensive/defensive rebounder... Good shotblock timing... Can handle the ball some... Very strong... Big, soft hands... huge wingspan... great strength... very broad shoulders. High basketball I.Q. Weaknesses: Undersized power forward... Could be a defensive liability on some matchups... Doesn't really run that fast or jump that high... Doesn't explode off the dribble or get off the ground that fast... Slow to average lateral movement... Can sometimes force the issue resulting in getting blocked... Occasionally struggles finishing over bigger players... Shows some signs of being Danny Fortson-like when it comes to fouls and getting stuffed under the rim... Not a very fast transition defender, sometimes lags behind... Notes: It really figures that Diogu is a high basketball I.Q. player and he also happens to be pretty slow like another High bball I.Q. player named Dunleavy, Battier, Deng, etc. But the good thing is he has the physical strength, aggressiveness, fancy footwork to match up with other power forwards and draw double teams. So this time around, our nba ready prospect might be able to contribute right away sooner than Dunleavy was supposed to do right out of Duke. Compared to our other power forward, Troy Murphy, Diogu's got inside scoring ability, good timing with blocks, plays scrappy, can score with either hand near the basket (as long as there's no forcing the issue in the paint) and is more inclined to pass and help out on weakside D. He's also got a good set of soft, big hands to catch passes near the basket and a decent outside shot. When Diogu shows his stuff in the NBA, it could be a roll of the dice on how affective he is night in and night out. He might be inconsistent due to matchup problems and not being able to compensate for it by adjusting his game. He seems like a really solid all around player with strength/craftiness as his best weapons, though. Arguably the best big man after Andrew Bogut. He may not be that fast, but if he commands double teams, helps on D, doesn't force the issue on his shots and gets to the foul line, that's all the W's could have hoped in their big men prospects. Seems like a variant of Elton Brand, Michael Sweetney or Zach Randolph. Guys who aren't the most athletic, but very, very strong and agile for the amount of weight their 6'8 (in shoes) frames can carry. They know how to use their wide bodies and footwork to create separation in the paint.
Well, now that camp has started, we'll see how Diogu does against the big men of the W's. After a nice summer league, it sounds like Diogu has the will to be successful in the NBA, but we'll have to see if he has the strength and physical attributes that will allow him to translate his high basketball IQ and desire to the NBA game. After watching many Pac-10 games, I'm confident that Ike will do well at the higher level. He's strong, has long arms, and has patience in the low post. He isn't quick to pass out of the post and has the ability and footwork to move well around the rim. His stature may not scream power player, but Ike plays with plenty of diesel. I'm looking forward to #9 coming along and really contributing to the team this year. Plus, with Ike wearing #9 I won't be having flashbacks of John Starks and his #9 Warriors jersey.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Warriorfansnc93:</div><div class="quote_post">Did Diogu have something like 11pts in 14 minutes for his first game last night?</div> Yes, perfect from the FT line and converting one three pont play. He has a very nice touch around the basket.
So what kind of shots did he miss? The one jumper I saw over Nazr was very smooth and had a quick release on it...
He missed one shot where he got a bounce pass in the lane from Baron and he had to stop on a dime because some defender was trying to draw a charge, I was amazed that he was able to sotp and rise up so well. He also missed a tip in (he made one too) and he missed a shot where he was under the backboard and he tried to muscle it up but he hit the bottom of the backboard. I cant remember any other shots he missed but he was impressive.
Anyone notice Diogu scored 11 and had 3 reb in 14 mins. And Dunleavy scored 6 pts and 3 reb in 30 mins?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Warriorfansnc93:</div><div class="quote_post">Did Diogu have something like 11pts in 14 minutes for his first game last night?</div> Yup 11 pts and 3 reb in 14 mins, good efficiency. Dunleavy on the other hand had 6 pts and 3 reb in 30 mins...
Diogu didn't do much in terms of stats, but he spaces the floor really nicely (floor awareness) and he had a nice pass he dropped in there to Jrich against the Kings (game 1). Diogu seemed to struggle on team defense a little. He's now one of Barnett's favorites on air, look out for a jinx on the scale of Dunleavy's first three years.
Murphy's numbers are looking good, and Ike already is looking like the better basketball player... I wonder if this is the year Murphy gets packaged in a trade?
