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Not sure if this has been posted or if you guys have seen it...... Diaw leads strong group of Most Improved candidatesBy John Hollinger ESPN Insider Archive When it comes to breakout years, few can match what Phoenix Suns forward Boris Diaw has done this season. When we last saw the 23-year-old Frenchman, he was mired at the end of the bench for the lowly Atlanta Hawks. After briefly breaking into the starting lineup as a rookie, he quickly fell out of the rotation in his sophomore season and by the end of the year rarely saw action. When he did play, his inability to connect from long range and his reluctance to shoot from any range was a constant source of frustration. He was, arguably, the worst player on the worst team in the league. That all changed when he arrived in Phoenix as a throw-in to the sign-and-trade deal for Joe Johnson. Suns coach Mike D'Antoni thought the 6-foot-8 Diaw's combination of size and versatility would be an asset in Phoenix's open-court system and figured Diaw might be a diamond in the rough. But even D'Antoni wasn't totally sure. Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images Boris Diaw has soared beyond the Suns' expectations. "I thought he could be effective as a 4 or 5," said D'Antoni. "But I didn't know if he could guard 4s or 5s because he always played 1, 2 or 3 [in Atlanta]. ... Then he came in and he could guard 4s and 5s really well. That just opened his whole game up, because he can drive to the basket, he plays like a point guard at the 4 position, and we can run offense through him." Diaw took that opportunity and ran with it, thriving as a power forward in the Suns' small-ball lineup and creating nightly mismatches with his varied skills. He averages 11.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists for the Pacific Division-leading Suns. Additionally, Diaw is shooting 49.7 percent and has keyed one of the league's most improved defenses. As a result, he's one of the favorites to win this year's Most Improved Player award. Diaw credits a better fit in Phoenix for his sudden blooming. "The philosophy of the game, they way we play here in Phoenix, it's really unselfish," said Diaw in his French accent. "A lot of passes, a lot of shots, a lot of up and down. The game is faster, too. When I'm on the court I'm able to read better and make passes to my teammates because I know where they're going to be." Needless to say, his exploits have left those who saw him in Atlanta flabbergasted. While many Hawks fans complained that the team gave up too much by sending two No. 1s to the Suns for Johnson, absolutely nobody said a peep about throwing Diaw into the deal. His hesitant offense made him a bad fit in the backcourt, and the Hawks' overcrowded forward position made moving him to the frontcourt impossible. "You've got to be happy for a player like that." his former coach, Mike Woodson, said. "I think he's always had skills. I think the fact they're playing him at the 4 and 5 has put him in a position where he's found a niche for his game." That's not to say Diaw is done enduring growing pains. His shooting remains a work in progress -- 20 percent on 3s, 69.3 percent from the line -- and the passive play that marked his years in Atlanta still creeps to the fore once in a while. For instance, during one sequence in his return to Atlanta last week, Diaw caught a pass in the lane and had a chance to post up from short range. Instead he took a dribble, surveyed his options and fed the ball back out to the perimeter, earning a three-second violation for his efforts. "He's still got to be more aggressive, he's still got to dunk with authority, he's still got to work on his shot," said D'Antoni. "He has those [reluctant to shoot] tendencies, but you can't get upset with him. That's how he plays, that's his game. He'll do that, but I think little by little we can get him to be a little bit more aggressive in finishing." Despite D'Antoni's efforts, Diaw isn't planning to go on a Kobe-esque gunning rampage anytime soon. That unselfishness, though taken to extremes at times in Atlanta, is part of his style. "I don't think I changed a lot," said Diaw of his breakout. "I still play the same way, kind of a versatile player. I got better for sure, I get better every year, but I don't think I changed as a player." Regardless, he's changed enough to have the inside track on the Most Improved trophy. "I didn't realize he was this good," admitted D'Antoni, even though the Suns had been interested in Diaw since he was playing professionally in France.

west siiiiiiide!!!!!! what a douche.

One thing I will give Isiah credit for is that the guy knows how to draft. damon stoudamire, marcus camby, tracy mcgrady, trevor ariza, the three rooks they have this year and getting jamaal tinsley from us. I certainly dont agree giving an expiring contract for Rose, but count on this, that pick they got will be a good player. This move by zeke just shows why the good teams stay on top and the bad teams stay at the bottom.

aaarrrggghhhhh!!!

5'9"

I havent heard much about him, but if were looking at point guards in the draft, why not go with dee brown?

Quote: But I will say this. Almost every year at this time, people like Burns bemoan the upcoming draft becuase of a lack of star potential players. And every time in the following season we find that there were 4-5 players that were legit, NBA ready talent. It just shows that these guys don't know as much as their jobs might suggest. Most of the time they are just guessing like the rest of us. Im going to have to completely agree. to prove this point, here are the first 10 players chosen in the draft since 98 98: olowokandi, bibby, raef, antawn jamison, vince, tractor traylor, jason williams, larry hughes, dirk, paul pierce 99: elton, franchise, baron davis, odom, bender, wally, rip, dre miller, marion, JT 00: kmart, swift, darius miles, fizer, mike miller, dermarr, mihm, crawford, pryz, dooling 01: kwame, tyson chandler, pau gasol, curry, jrich, battier, eddie griffin, diop, rodney white, joe johnson 02: yao, jay williams, dunleavy, goodon, skita, dajuan wagner, nene, wilcox, amare, caron butler 03: lebron, darko, carmelo, bosh, wade, kaman, hinrich, tj ford, sweetney, jarvis hayes 04: dwight howard, emeka, ben gordon, shaun livingston, devin harris, josh childress, luol deng, rafael araujo, iggy, luke jackson 05: bogut, marvin, deron, cp3, felton, martell webster, charlie v, frye, diogu, andrew bynum.

'Birdman' has colorful past, poignant presentBy Chris Sheridan ESPN Insider Archive By the time Chris Andersen is eligible to return to the NBA, his arms should be as colorful as those alternate road uniforms he used to wear for the Hornets. There's a fascinating human interest story behind the first player banned from the league for a major drug policy violation since Stanley Roberts in 1999. Andersen is the son of a second-generation Motor Maid, a woman who grew up on Harley-Davidson motorcycles. His mother, Linda, could probably tell you where Sturgis is before she could tell you who Stockton was. She brought young Chris along when she went for her first orchid tattoo, later adding hummingbirds and butterflies, and Andersen returned the favor the first time he had ink injected under his skin. Before now, Chris Andersen was best known for his failed dunks. But Andersen spent 3½ of his formative years without his mother. His father, an artist, put him and his sister, Tamie, into a group home when he was 11. It was either that or a military school, because dad was heading off to New York to try to sell his paintings. Linda regained custody after initially being unable to find them and brought them back to rural east Texas, where she would pick 14-year-old Chris up from school on her chopper. Andersen's mom took her Harleys seriously, mind you, because it ran in the family. She says her mother (Andersen's grandmother) was riding the back of a Harley when pregnant with her. Andersen eventually became one of 34 members of the Class of '97 at Iola High School, and after a year and a half of community college, he ditched his letter of commitment to Clyde Drexler's University of Houston Cougars and decided to go for the money by playing professionally in China, where he faced Yao Ming before hardly anyone in America had heard of him. Andersen eventually played minor league ball in North Dakota and New Mexico before the Nuggets saw him in a summer league tryout. Known as "The Birdman," he was a hit with the free-spirited home fans in Denver and later New Orleans and Oklahoma City, and gained some national fame (or shame), by missing his first seven attempts at the dunk contest in Denver last year. (A year earlier, he spiked his hair for the dunk contest in L.A.) Andersen apparently failed a drug test last week, testing positive for one of the so-called "drugs of abuse" (including heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, LSD and PCP) that bring an automatic two-year banishment. No one has said exactly which substance Andersen tested positive for, but the players' union has filed a grievance on his behalf. Citing strict confidentiality rules that have cost high-ranking people their jobs when breached in the past, the union has not even disclosed the grounds for Andersen's appeal. Under league rules, the four-year, $14 million contract Andersen signed over the summer is now null and void. If his dismissal is upheld and he misses two seasons, the Hornets will have first dibs on Andersen should he be reinstated. If they were to want to bring him back, they'd have to tender him a contract at his old salary of $3.5 million. Not to be trite, but it really is a shame that Andersen just threw away more than $12 million. He seemed like a good guy every time I spoke to him. We once discussed the specifics of his tattoos, how one arm was tattooed with the Chinese symbols for good, the other with the symbols for bad. He also had the outlines of a few new tattoos on his arms and shoulders, explaining that it was an ongoing process to have all of the colors filled in. He expected it to take years, but I guess he'll have the extra time for it now. Chris Sheridan, a national NBA reporter for the past decade, covers the league for ESPN Insider. To e-mail Chris, click here.

Quote: Gerald Wallace is a keeper. At this point, im losing the will to live...

yea im pretty sure al and tyronn have each been in the league as long as jj or longer.

squawker24 im confused, you posted the line but the poll question is who will win. I think pittsburgh will win but i would take seattle and the points. also, i believe the over/under on this game is 47. take the under.

Quote: He won't block 3.7 shots per game in the pros, but he will be one of the top shotblockers because that is what he does. Look at the top shotblockers and you can see you don't have to be tall. Brand isn't exactly a leaper but he blocks 2.5 per game. Brand has the longest arms in the NBA

Quote: Does anybody even watch the Slam Dunk Contest anymore? I will only because of smoove. But if a Hawk isnt in it, Im not watching.

Quote: Quote: I'd rather have sheldon williams than aldridge. YIKES - I hope you don't know Billy K. too well. Just my opinion. I like sheldon better because of his experience (4 years in school and playing in big games all the time), bball IQ, coachability, and a few other intangibles. Bottom line is, we arent going to be drafting in the top 3. thats where morrison, gay, and aldridge will fall. If were going to get a big man, the 3 guys that stick out in my mind are sheldon, josh boone, and nick fazekas.

I'd rather have sheldon williams than aldridge.

A very weak argument by shultz in my opinion. I agree with him, but he didnt exactly lay out some hard evidence to support his claim. He's had much better columns in his days. But maybe it was one of those pieces to just get the owner and gm's attention, and echo the sentiments of the fans.

i think smoove will get robbed. 20 years ago spud webb won it, so i think they will give it to nate robinson unless he pulls a birdman and misses every dunk.

the birdman piece is in the daily dime. i dont think you have to be an insider subscriber to read it.

Hawks are banking on Williams' potentialBy John Hollinger ESPN Insider Archive Marvin Williams or Chris Paul? That question, unfortunately, is likely to hang over Williams and the Hawks for much of the rookie forward's career. While Atlanta has struggled to get consistent point guard play, Paul unexpectedly has the Hornets in playoff contention and could snag an All-Star berth. As Chad Ford notes in his column today, Atlanta was one of the teams that passed on Paul in the 2005 draft. Meanwhile, Williams is averaging a modest 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game off the bench for Atlanta. But hold the comparisons right there. "You can't compare," said Hawks coach Mike Woodson. "Because Chris is a point guard and Marvin is a 3, sometimes he plays 4. They're totally different games. Chris has played a lot more minutes than Marvin has played, so therefore his numbers are a lot better than what Marvin's are. Eventually Marvin's numbers will go the other way." Indeed, one problem for Williams has been getting playing time in Atlanta's crowded forward position. The Hawks would like to play Williams at small forward, but with Al Harrington, Josh Smith and Josh Childress also on the roster, that's sometimes easier said than done. "It's tough," said Woodson. "You can't play everybody 40 minutes. ... He's probably frustrated because he probably hasn't played the minutes he expected to play or would want to play. But for the minutes he's played, he's played well for our ballclub." More than playing time, what separates Williams and Paul is the difference in experience. Just 18 months ago, Williams was dominating inferior competition in the sleepy Puget Sound port of Bremerton, Wash. Williams is 13 months younger than Paul -- he won't turn 20 until June -- and has seen much less high-level game action. Paul had two seasons at Wake Forest to run the show, while Williams came off the bench in his only season at North Carolina. Additionally, the 6-9 Williams has yet to fill out physically, making his adjustment to the man's world of the NBA that much tougher. That's one reason he didn't turn pro directly out of high school, even though he could have been a lottery pick. "It's a different game," said Williams. "It's definitely an adjustment. [The year of college] was huge. I mean, huge. ... I had the opportunity to go to the NBA out of high school and I turned it down. A lot of my classmates did [come out], like Josh Smith. I just didn't feel mentally ready for that jump coming out of high school." "He just hasn't had a lot of opportunities to play basketball," said Woodson. "You figure just high school and then a year of college basketball and now he's playing in the pros. But he has all the qualities of being a nice 3 and a 4 because I think he's going to get bigger [physically]." While he may be short on experience, the talent is there. The scouts I talk to still are in love with Williams's potential, and in recent games his performance has improved considerably. After shooting 37.3 percent from the field in November, he upped the mark to 49.0 percent in January, while averaging a more respectable 8.5 points and 4.8 boards. And with his gorgeous jumper, it's only a matter of time before he becomes a devastating 3-point threat. Right now he's shooting that shot from a few feet inside the 3-point line, but once he starts getting an extra point on those shots it will be a much more effective weapon. "We're very pleased with Marvin's progress as a player because he can't help but get better," said Woodson. "I think the upside for him is going to be good because he does a little bit of everything. He defends, he rebounds, he can make a shot, he runs the floor well. There are a lot of good qualities in his basketball game. But he still has a lot of things he's got to learn before he gets to that upper tier." Sum it up, then, including Williams' steeper learning curve, and it's not that surprising that he's so much farther behind Paul as a rookie. While Atlanta can't help wondering what might have been had they taken Paul, they realize they hardly blew it by taking Williams. Yes, Paul may be making an immediate trip to the All-Star Game, but few basketball people would be surprised if Williams is joining him in a few years. And if it works out that way, the Hawks needn't lament passing on Paul.

didnt tony delk win a championship at kentucky? im pretty sure he did go to the final four. AHF can probably verify this.

i believe stanley roberts was the last guy.

he would be better than smoove?

i didnt catch the game tonight, but after reading the box score, noticed that salim had 17 field goal attempts and only 10 points. what was going on?

yea i definately like Carlisemo and Muss.

I think Jim O'Brien would be an excellent fit for this team. Do you guys agree? What other coaches out there would benefit this team the most?