Boris Diaw compared to Magic...

Royce Webb from ESPN.com wrote:

Three years from now, who will be the best player in the notorious Joe Johnson trade? Will it be Johnson, who will have developed his fine talents in the obscurity of Atlanta? Will it be one of the two first-round draft picks -- lottery picks, no doubt -- the Suns received from the Hawks? Or will it be Boris Diaw, the player the Hawks handed the Suns to seal the deal?

The surprising answer is becoming clearer during every Suns game. As Diaw, the drive-and-dish specialist with the Mensa-level basketball I.Q., continues to grow in confidence, he is showing a very rare set of skills that have us searching for the right comparison.

Or, to put it another way: Maybe it's just me, but if I'm running the worst team in basketball, I don't give away an athletic, 23-year-old, 6-8 guy who can do a reasonable impersonation of Magic Johnson.

Is Boris Diaw really another Magic? Of course not. Not yet, anyway.

For one thing, there is no one else like Magic Johnson. For another, Magic had the ball in his hands all the time, as the point guard for one of the greatest teams ever. And, perhaps most significant, Diaw's personality is passive and Kareem-style cool, whereas Magic was an effervescent leader who had the same effect on the staid Lakers of the late '70s that Steve Nash did on the Suns in 2004-05.

But, then again, how many guys can even be in the sentence with Magic?

In Atlanta, Diaw had a big problem. He could get into the lane at will, but he wouldn't or couldn't finish at the basket -- he preferred to look for a teammate on almost every drive. He had, as John Hollinger noted, an "inability to score," largely because he was "almost comically unselfish."

The Hawks, as dumb teams do, focused on what he couldn't do. The Suns, as smart teams do, saw what he could do.

So, in a genius move that probably only Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni would try, they took the point guard and made him a center. (This is where the Magic comparisons start to make a little more sense, if you recall Magic playing the post in the 1980 Finals or during his 1996 comeback.)

Diaw's got some work to do to reach his peak. His shot is flat, which costs him a potential weapon in the Suns' run-and-gun offense.

Also, he needs to finish stronger. He can drive past almost anyone, with his long, smooth strides. (It's not his first step that gets you, it's his third, when he turns the corner and swoops in for a layup or draws the help defender and makes the dish.) But he tends to still look to pass or flip the ball up instead of dunking it when he approaches the rim.

Sunday night, the Suns started to see signs that he's getting it, and fast. He tried a power slam on a drive in the first quarter, drawing a foul. In the second quarter, he followed a Suns miss with an Amare-like one-hand rebound jam, and in the third, he rolled to the basket for a convincing two-hand throwdown. If that's what Diaw's finishes of the future look like, watch out.

Because otherwise he's got the total game. He guards power forwards and centers routinely, shutting down the 'Sheeds and Yaos of the world. He grabs boards and starts the break (though, unlike Magic, he doesn't often lead the break, given that the Suns have Nash). And he has eyes on all sides of his head and the imagination and passing touch to match.

On Sunday, in his return to Phoenix, Joe Johnson played a very respectable game (23 points on 9-for-16 shooting, with an assist and two rebounds), especially considering the boos from the stands and the utter lack of help on the floor from the hapless Hawks. It certainly wasn't his fault the Hawks were blown out, trailing by 36 on the way to a 112-94 loss.

But it was Diaw's nifty play and the efficiency of his stat line -- 5-for-6 FGs, 4-for-5 FTs, nine assists, four boards, four blocks -- that bring us back to the original question: Which team got the best player in the trade?

Glad he can finally show the NBA what he can do...
what do U guys think about it ?

it was a loose comparison.

Glad to see Boris Diaw doing well with the Suns. I loved his potential and it looks like he's getting the playing time to develop it.

I watched the French game and saw Diaw, I was thinking why isn't this guy doing well in NBA but so good in the National games... Here he is... Proving what he is!! Go Diaw... Just hope he won't demand a contract like Johnson next year...

This guy seems to be a Suns ass kisser all the way, he makes Mike D'Antoni sound like a brilliant coach.

he makes Mike D'Antoni sound like a brilliant coach.

When you can average 11-6-6 off the bench, I think you can make anyone look good.

You can't deny that D'Antoni isn't a good coach. He does some crazy experiments and they seem to have success with them

Next Magic, I dont think so. Maybe when he gets a consistent starting role with another team, yeah he might be ok for 15 6 6 per night, but comparing him to Magic is like comparing Darko and KG......

The numbers are not the same, but his style reminds of Magic.
I mean, he can play the 5 positions, and in the league there are very few guys that do/have done it...
fact is that he's got his own style, he's not formated

he can play the 5 positions

???..... Please say that was a typo

When you can average 11-6-6 off the bench, I think you can make anyone look good.

He was talking about the author.

and tsbarbee I agree, that guy has got to be kidding.

If anything, Boris is closer to Pippen than Magic

Well, I think Boris Diaw didn't have enough time oncourt, that's why he wasn't able to show what he was really able to do. I really like his style, reminding me great players as complete as him. I think he deserves that Starting member place with Phoenix. Not because he's French, I honestly love how he plays.

he can play the 5 positions

???..... Please say that was a typo

He started at C for the Suns against the Rockets and guarded (and shut down) Yao. He also played PF and SF for them and played quite a lot of PG&SG for the Hawks. What is here that you don't understand?

And he trully is very Pippen-like. A legit 6'9'' with great combination of length, strength and athleticism, he is a terrific defender (one of the best in the league, if you don't mind saying that) and he is even better ballhandler and passer than Pippen ever was. His problem is that he is too unselfish, he doesn't drive left, his shot is incosistent and he isn't really something you would call a 'clutch free shooter' (whoever watched the European Championship know what I'm talking about). But he is what?, 23 years old? He is a year older than Pippen was when he came into the NBA, so he has a lot of potential left. I'm surprised that Phil Jackson didn't try to get him this past offseason. He would be great itiniator alongside Kobe - he never shoots, his b-ball IQ is off the charts and he could defend the opponent's best perimeter player.

You make him sound God-like

He started at C for the Suns against the Rockets and guarded (and shut down) Yao

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa there my man.
Let's not act like Yao was in there backing down Diaw and trying to get a shot but couldnt. If Diaw were to come across an aggressive C, like Maglore or Eddy Curry, you honestly think Diaw could line up across them and defend? Get real


Ditto Jae

. He can't play C full-time, but the point was that he did play one, as did Magic, but Diaw's 'natural' position is SF. And I am a bit biased, because he's one of my favourite players. And the only thing he can't do is shoot/score. Then, my friends, then he would be godlike .

:lol:. He can't play C full-time, but the point was that he did play one, as did Magic, but Diaw's 'natural' position is SF. And I am a bit biased, because he's one of my favourite players. And the only thing he can't do is shoot/score. Then, my friends, then he would be godlike .

VanK, if he was as good as you make him sound, he would have monster numbers even in limited time with the Hawks.
I stick to my standpoint: Diaw can't play C. He's been playing really good so far this season but this topic is just straight bullshit.

I've always found comparisons to all-time greats stupid. Not the kind of comparison where Lebron is said to be the next Jordan, but the ones where Diaw is Magic and Bernard Robinson is a poor man's Scottie Pippen.
They just aren't as good, Diaw is obviously nowhere near Magic and he never will be. My style of play has to resemble the one of some NBA players, but it would still be stupid to compare me to even the worst NBA player because I just am not on that level.

ck = the next Keith Closs

Perfectly said

VanK, if he was as good as you make him sound, he would have monster numbers even in limited time with the Hawks.
I stick to my standpoint: Diaw can't play C. He's been playing really good so far this season but this topic is just straight bullshit.

I was talking about his skillset. He is averaging 10/6/6 off the bench. I don't know how much better this numbers should be, if I was right about him as a superb defender who can't score and is a wonderful passer and ballhandler. Did I say anything about his rebounding/stealing/blocking ability? Anything at all? I see him as a top notch role player and that's the first big difference between him and Magic - MJ was a star. Diaw isn't. He never will be. But he can for sure be something special. And saying that Diaw can't play C is bullcrap. In Suns' run&gun offense he DID play C. Once again: I didn't say he can play it full time, I would just want to point out his versality. Like KG when he played PG for about twenty seconds. That's it.

well shit, i can play C for 20 seconds

btw he's an early candidate for MIP...

But he don't have a chance to win against T.J Ford

well shit, i can play C for 20 seconds

You are getting on my nerves. Magic started at C for the final game of the 1980 Finals and everybody applauded him for his wonderfull ability to play all 5 positions on the court. Now Diaw does it, he plays there longer than Magic ever did and you still say he can't fuckin' do it. HE DID IT. HE PLAYED CENTRE. He isn't a centre, but he can masquerade as one if needed. HE DID THAT. It's not like I'm making this up. Just watch the game yourself, you fuckwit.

Whoa no need to catch feelings
Just no way in hell that you can compare playing Center in the Finals to playing against a soft ass big man who only shot 7-8 times in 20 something minutes
I appreciate your opinion though, just conversation