Billy Knight's comments about Diaw.....

[MoonKnight]

Did anyone catch the stinger quoting Knight in last night's game? It went something to the effect of Diaw is now "getting it". He also went on to say he was pleased with Diaw's play. Others have commented on this (KB, others) but I think Diaw will start soon. He has the best floor vision of any Hawk and already plays vet like D. I think he is starting to realize that he can penetrate/slash at will (did anyone notice his Gervin like finger roll last night). The team responds very well with him in the lineup. I suspect Dion will go to the bench b/c he will not be a team cancer like SJ would if he were benched. Also, SJ has a better 3pt shoot than Dion which you need with Diaw on the floor. We need Dion's O off the bench more than we need Diaw's skills off the bench. It may take a few more games but I suspect Diaw will eventually start.

[Playmaker0017]

Moonknight,

I said Diaw will start before the end of the season, and I think it SHOULD be for Dion at this point.

Dion is still very "out-of-control" and while he has improved his game, he doesn't understand that he isn't even a third option on offense.

Diaw should start by the all-star break, I would think.

Play.

[cyman3]

as much as guys here talk about Jackson shootin too much and so forth... this is true, HOWEVER...

he does get key basket at key points, gets some steals, rebounds well... and really plays that SPURS OFFENSE (where everyone moves around, cuts to the basket, look for open players, etc)... and we need that.

dion would be better off the bench, givin us instant offense when we go through scoring droughts...

[swolehawk2]

I don't know about benching Dion ....he gives us grit...if you notice out of all of our guards as sfs he is the only one that consistently takes contact and finishes at the rim...we need that when the jumpers aren't falling. I think Diaw should come off the bench at least this year. Dion is effective we he is confident...we don't need to go mess with that now...plus he is so anxious when he comes off the bench, he forces things even more.

[jezmund]

...why many of you were so down on Diaw the first few games. I saw tons of promise. Yes, I'll be the first to say he made some plain awful passes but instead of pointing those out, how about pointing out all the blocks he's gotten from hustle and shots he's influenced on D. I think Diaw/Ratliff is going to become a sick block party here soon. (Ratliff is already there as we've seen) I've heard folks say many times how Defense is one of the toughest things to teach and how some players have a sixth sense on the court that is unteachable. Personally, I think Diaw has both those things. I don't know about you guys but he seems a lot bigger than I thought he'd be. I was hearing 6'8" 210 or something like that. The 210 might be right but I swear he is 6'9" at least. Isn't Jax 6'8"? Diaw is definitely bigger than Jax.

[OGRat]

When deciding who needs to be in the starting line up, we need to consider what role we need that person to play. Also, what do we need from the person coming off the bench?

Finishing: Glove> Diaw

Rebounding: Diaw= Glove

Defense: Diaw> Glove

Playmaking: Diaw=Glove (open for debate)

Ballhandling: Diaw=Glove (also open for debate)

It seems to be a question of "offense vs defense?"

I think that Diaw and Glove are fairly interchangeable except that Glove is more o-minded and Diaw is more d-minded.

[pathway23]

The League is noticing Diaw, he got 2nd honorable mention on NBA.com for rookie performance as of Nov. 10th....http://www.nba.com/milk_rookie/rankings_031110.html

most of the guys ahead of him got more PT..I think he should be in the starting lineup for his defense, hustle, and court awareness. He might not be picking up a lost of assists but his awareness getting offensive rebounds making the extra pass helps us tremendously when he is out there.

[Weez]

If Dion would/could go to the bench/be our 6th man and let Diaw start, I think it'd be for the best

Dion's game appears to have matured some, though he still plays out of control at times (not necessarily a bad thing). As 6th man, he'd have more opportunities to score/handle to ball. With his maturity (if it's real), he'd provide some semi-vet leadership to a young bu squad in general...

On the converse, Diaw would alleviate some of the floor mgt. from JT, pass the ball (hopefully to Reef, not SJax unless he's in the right place) and maintain the athleticism of the starting squad.

But all of this really depends, as I've said all along, if Diaw's really ready (we could still only play him 24 min a game if desired) and Dion's ability to maintain a good mindset if coming off the bench, something he hasn't been able to do in the past...at all. The latter concerns me more than the prior, as Diaw will/should continue to adjust with more pt.

[flava]

OGRat, you a fellow GT graduate? I like your breakdown, it reminds me of the old days....

flava

PS. I support eventually starting Diaw - he takes a significant ball handling load off of Jason Terry.

[Iman]

I think the only way Stotts will start Diaw over Dion or Jax is if we go into a slump, especially a slump of bad play, like 3 Golden State games in a row. I think Jax and Dion are fairly similar players and either could be benched whereas Diaw brings a completely different game. I think Diaw fits much better with the starters than either Dion or Jax and I think Diaw fits horribly with the other bench players. But I think Stotts will favor the more traditional balance and experience of the current starters over bringing in Diaw and his roleplayer style. My actual guess is that Diaw wont truly be a starter for the Hawks until next year (excluding injury replacement type starts).

I like Diaw's game. I hope he learns how to shoot a consistent set shot and free throw but then still only takes his shot as a last resort. He could be very valuable to us if hat was the case, especially when he figures out the NBA game and his teammates a little better.

[jjjohns3]

Dion hasn't been the instant Offense off the bench that we have always hoped he'd be. He isn't playing outta control,sometimes he may try to hard to make plays(offensive fouls) put he is a natural slasher & a much improved defensive player. His 3pt shot is very streaky,but he's money from 15-18 ft. Plus he & JT complement each other well. All Boris will give us is better passing(and maybe a couple of more TO) & better defense,things Dion already gives us. That will take away Offensive punch,& we'll really be in trouble if Dion doesn't produce like we hope he would off the bench. There's no hurry though,Diaw will be here for a couple more years & he will get his chance. Dion's shooting % will rise, we've played some pretty good games so far,maybe we should wait to make changes until after our season has benn mathematically over(Which may not happen).

~Peace

[Plainview1981]

I don't think it really matters. When you look at long term

and winning Boris Diaw or Dion Glover aren't going to do

that for you. That's my problem with the drafting of Boris..

This team needs to build a good team and as a role player

Diaw is only a really small piece....THis club should be

going for guys that can be future stars. Your not going

very far when your best project on a bad team is a role

player...Perhaps Diaw turns into a version of Ron Artest

with some defense, rebounding and alittle bit of every

thing..But this team will not ALOT more before it can

build any type of future.

I'm not trying to be negitive, but nobody should consider

Boris a main piece of the future. I wouldn't have mind him

IF we had some star potential on the team.

[pathway23]

Who is the superstar that we missed ? It sure isn't Josh Howard. Billy Knight got the best available and at the same time filled a need. What more can you ask? Billy can't fix Pete's problems drafting in one draft. And we can't expect too much unless we tank.

[cyman3]

yeah... good point.

At that pick... who could have we picked instead? imo, its the best player at that pick. according to other GMs on nba.com, they believe BORIS will be one of the good players out of this draft in the LONG RUN.

if u are mad that we are in a position to pick THIS LOW.. then u make a good point. but if ur main concern is that we picked diaw at that pick.. theres nothin i can tell u

[Plainview1981]

What kind of need can Boris feel that can't be found?

Howard surely isn't a superstar, but there is a higher

chance of him becoming one than there is Boris becoming

one.

I don't care what the other GM's said..I believe they had

the Hawks making the playoffs last year. These are also

the same guys that give the Travis Knights/Alan Henderson

Allan Houston's the huge contracts.

The only time Boris can score is off a junk basket...He

might sneeak something else in there every once and

a while, but he's less polished than Dermarr was.

[Playmaker0017]

Hots,

You are definitely right. There IS more of a chance that Howard can become a star than Diaw.

But, the converse of your equation is that there is an even GREATER chance that Howard won't EVER really contribute to any team. Ever. And Boris will become a nightly contributer.

You never expect your 21st pick to develop into a star... heck, you are normally happy if they make the roster.

So, yes, Howard may beome a star, but he may also be out of the league or relegated to IR while Diaw is racking up assists and just playing smart basketball.

Play.

[Playmaker0017]

JJJohns,

Just because you score (31% of the time) a lot doesn't mean you bring more to the table on offense.

That is the same "Diesel-theory" about Big Clog.

Putting up points doesn't mean that you are doing anything good on the offensive end... especially if you are doing so at the expense of the team. Making more crisp passes will lead to higher percentage shots.

Diaw will bring that for us. Dion will not.

Dion can't see the floor very well. Diaw does.

Dion is contributing, but he is also trying to be FAR more than he is. That takes away from your real players, which are Shareef and JT.

Play.

[KB21]

Diaw makes it easier for those around him to score due to his court vision and passing skills.

[Playmaker0017]

KB21,

Well, sure... just say what I said in one sentence... fine... I bet you think you are a smarty-pants now too!

P

Play.

[Plainview1981]

Guys that can contrubute are easy to find...Guys that can

be the best player on your team for 10 years is not. The

gamble for the star is more worthwhile.