Interesting read about how maybe Ike isn't being given a fair chance. http://celticshub.com/2009/06/03/kicking-the-tires-the-roberto-petagine-of-the-nba/
actually a player like Ike would be a perfect backup to LMA imo.. someone who is content with 13-15 mpg and rebounds.. and not inept with the ball. I was kinda sad to see him go.
No everybody is given a fair chance in the NBA. The question is, do they take advantage of it? I haven't seen Ike Diogu come into the league once yet, in completely shredded physical shape and ready to give it his all. That in itself tells me he is not making the effort to get to the highest level of play he can, and if he is not doing that, nobody else is going to do it for him either.
Yeah, I think Diogu can be a solid banger backup power forward when given consistent minutes. Even given random scraps, he drew fouls and got offensive rebounds. He looked silly missing some easy shots, but it can't be easy coming in completely rusty and playing against the best players in the world.
And you could always see him getting up and cheering when a big dunk was about to happen.. he was our Ronny Turiaf!
The knock on him in GS was that he was not a smort player. He didn't understand where to be on the court on offense or defense (and that's saying something considering that he could be pretty much where ever he wanted on offense there). He had great post up moves and had a couple game where he scored 26 and 28 points in limited minutes. But then he'd follow it up by not passing out of double teams, not realizing that a double wasn't coming and putting up a shot, and not recognizing cutters. Apparently he was doing these things in practice too which is why he only got minutes in blowouts or if someone was in foul trouble. Nelson also publicly criticized him for being a "whiner" and having some sort of sense of entitlement.
During shoot around while other guys are practicing moves and such, Ike would be at the left corner 3 point line trying to see how many 3's he could make while shooting the ball as high in the air as he could. I watched him do this nearly every game he was on the team. Perhaps his lack of a chance has something to do with his overall attitude?
did you even check the article? "With Diogu, it’s not his work ethic or his attitude. His coaches and teammates have praised his attitude in college and in the pros. So let’s look at some numbers, after the jump."
Based on every-time I did see him. Again - I am not an expert on all matters IKE - but he never seemed anything more than a Zach Randolph lightweight to me - and with that category comes the no defense thing.
Sounds like a decent backup power forward. A guy who can rebound, score inside and draw fouls. If he could also play defense and pass well, he'd be a good or great starter.
exactly my thoughts.. we arent expecting an all star and a backup all star at every position on this team. but a "Z-bo light" without the headaches would be a perfect backup here.
I was one of the primary (maybe the only?) Ike fan all season... partly because of how terrible Frye is/was, and partly because I really think his skill set would help the Blazers: getting offensive rebounds and getting to the free throw line. People on this board bashed him for shooting 31.6% from the field... with only NINETEEN field goal attempts! They ignored that he attempted more free throws than field goals as a Blazer and, instead, criticized him for not having an assist in any of his 73 minutes as a Blazer. Of course, when he didn't play much for the terrible Kings, I didn't have much new data. At the end of the season? Of course that wasn't his TRUE level of capabilities, but I was pleased to see that he finished strong and I am still pretty confident that he could emerge as, at least, a rotation-level player on a good team. Ed O.
Ike is a poor defender and a total black hole. Yes, he can score and draw fouls in the low post, but he'll also force up a shot EVERY time he gets the ball. Compared to him, Eddie Curry is a gifted passer with excellent court vision. Ike couldn't EARN meaningful minutes in GS, Indiana or Portland. As much as Channing Frye sucked this year, Ike couldn't beat him out for PT. That tells you all you need to know about Ike Diogu. BNM
agreed.. while I wasnt around here for most of the season.. over at O-live there were a few of us who wanted to keep him around because he would be a good guy to have in a pinch.. I really dont think that us or any team has really had him around long enough or with enough minutes to guage what he would do for us.. kinda like the article mentioned. Wanna start a Re-Sign Ike Rally?
I was the one who said that I might rather have Diogu than Jack, so Portland potentially won both parts of the deal with Indiana. Don't try to claim sole credit for the "Ike Diogu band wagon."
