Boris Diaw Buyout Complete (Update: Spurs Frontrunners)

[CubanMustGo]

One would hope the close friendship Tony and Boris have would help motivate Diaw to play at a higher level of urgency than he did for the Bobpussies. That said, I'll be surprised to see him sign here.

[Mal]

starts getting interesting.

[loveforthegame]

First step done. At least now we won't have long to wait to see where he goes.

[Darkwaters]

Everything points to this being his first choice.

1) Personal friendship with Parker
2) Spurs have money to spend above the veteran minimum
3) Spurs need a bigman
4) Diaw may be able to start here
5) Spurs should be compe ive in the playoffs and are considered a contender

Now that doesn't mean that his signing in SA is a sure thing. But I'd say we're clearly out front.

[jiggy_55]

@NBAFantasy
RT @stevereed_ap: Agent for Boris Diaw confirms he's reached a buyout with Bobcats. Look for Diaw to be with new team by end of the day.

This guy writes for the AP in Charlotte, though how can Diaw be with a new team by end of day if he has to clear a waiver period of 48 hrs?

[Dex]

Diaw signing with Miami Heat in 3..2...

[cheguevara]

it. diaw is a pussy and a has been. But if the stars align the right way, he possibly could be better than playoff Bonner/Blair

[Dex]

@NBAFantasy
RT @stevereed_ap: Agent for Boris Diaw confirms he's reached a buyout with Bobcats. Look for Diaw to be with new team by end of the day.

This guy writes for the AP in Charlotte, though how can Diaw be with a new team by end of day if he has to clear a waiver period of 48 hrs?

IIRC he has to sign by Friday if he wants to be playoff eligible.

[jiggy_55]

IIRC he has to sign by Friday if he wants to be playoff eligible.

Friday sounds right. But that guy says look for him to be with a new team by end of day, which is impossible in case he is picked up by one of teams below the cap limit, no?

[Dex]

Take it for what it's worth....

John Schuhmann ‏ @johnschuhmann
RT @valdu08: Parker has a radio show every monday night, he made it very clear that Diaw was on his way to SA.

To me, Parker's comments didn't indicate that Diaw was coming, just that the Spurs were interested.

[Nathan89]

@NBAFantasy
RT @stevereed_ap: Agent for Boris Diaw confirms he's reached a buyout with Bobcats. Look for Diaw to be with new team by end of the day.

Trying to sign with us quickly so he can play the Friday game.

[Quadzilla99]

The Hollinger review of this guy is hilarious:

+ Ballhandling combo forward held back by increasingly poor conditioning.

+ Sees floor well but often eschews easy shots to make pass. Midrange shooter.

+ Good defensive player. Strong and moves feet well. Subpar rebounder.

Whoever wrote that French people don't get fat clearly never went to a Bobcats game. Although Diaw's conditioning has had surprisingly little effect on his game, he's clearly been living large of late. It hasn't affected his hunger for passing, however, as he led all power forwards in Pure Point Rating and assist ratio.

Diaw eats up small defenders on the left block, where he has a nice right-handed jump hook shot, but the hard part is persuading him to shoot. He averaged just 13.3 points per 40 minutes, even though he's become a decent mid-range shooter that hit 44.6 percent of his long 2s last season and shot 34.5 percent on 3s. He chews up most big men off the dribble, too, with his superior ballhandling skills, but in spite of all that he finished below the league average for power forwards in usage rate.

His rebounding famine is another problem. While Diaw has advantages in most respects at the power forward spot, he rebounds like a wing. His conditioning is part of the issue, plus he's not a leaper and he's a bit undersized. He was second-to-last among power forwards in rebound rate at a pathetic 9.0.

Defensively, Diaw once digested opposing power forwards with ease but increasingly burps up scoring chances. He makes up for being a bit short by having superior strength, which helps his post defense, but his conditioning has slowed him a bit in help defense and he provides nothing on the boards. His defensive numbers had been very strong earlier in this career, but last season they were quite ordinary across the board.

All told, it's tough to swallow the idea that Diaw can remain a starter for long. His PER remains below the league average and he's not providing enough defense to compensate. Relegating him to sixth man while promoting Tyrus Thomas is an idea the Bobcats should chew on.

[Sperone Italiano]

I think he's a very interesting player: he can do (almost) everything on a basketball floor: he can shoot the ball, pass it very well, he can dribble, has a good low post tecnique.

However, according to me he's not the kind of player we need: he would just be the umpteenth small big man in our roster (joining Bonner and Blair), and he would not add the skills we desperately need.

I would have tried to make an attempt to get Marcus Camby before the trade deadline: he's tall, a very solid rebounder and defender, can definitely give 20-25 minutes of solid defence versus Bynum/Gasol.

[Kindergarten Cop]

IIRC he has to sign by Friday if he wants to be playoff eligible.

I don't think that he has to be SIGNED by Friday, he just cannot sign with a new team and be eligible for the Playoffs if he is not RELEASED/WAIVED by Friday. I believe he could wait until the final week of the season to choose a team if he wanted to (although we know that won't happen) and still play for that team in the Playoffs - now that he has been bought out.

[mando6599]

Read this and give thoughts.
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celti...der-boris-diaw

Should the C's consider Boris Diaw?

The Charlotte Bobcats and Boris Diaw have agreed to a buyout, according to the Charlotte Observer, making the soon-to-be 30-year-old center available (though early indications are he might be pegged for San Antonio). Should the Celtics consider him if he examines other options? It makes some sense as Diaw has a little bit of Kevin Garnett (his pass-first mentality) and Rasheed Wallace (his much-scrutinized conditioning) in him. Let's break it down:

* While buyout pickings are often slim, Diaw will have plenty of interest being a big man that has averaged 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over nine NBA seasons. After three years as a full-time starter in Charlotte, he moved to a reserve role this season in Charlotte and his offensive production suffered because of it. Despite his talent, you'll hear more about the negatives with Diaw.

* As proof, here's John Hollinger's scouting report that harps on the conditioning issues:

Whoever wrote that French people don't get fat clearly never went to a Bobcats game. Although Diaw's conditioning has had surprisingly little effect on his game, he's clearly been living large of late. It hasn't affected his hunger for passing, however, as he led all power forwards in Pure Point Rating and assist ratio. Diaw eats up small defenders on the left block, where he has a nice right-handed jump hook shot, but the hard part is persuading him to shoot. He averaged just 13.3 points per 40 minutes, even though he's become a decent mid-range shooter that hit 44.6 percent of his long 2s last season and shot 34.5 percent on 3s. He chews up most big men off the dribble, too, with his superior ballhandling skills, but in spite of all that he finished below the league average for power forwards in usage rate. His rebounding famine is another problem. While Diaw has advantages in most respects at the power forward spot, he rebounds like a wing. His conditioning is part of the issue, plus he's not a leaper and he's a bit undersized. He was second-to-last among power forwards in rebound rate at a pathetic 9.0.


* His offensive numbers this season are truly an eyesore. Diaw grades out as poor, averaging a mere 0.716 points per play (14th percentile), according to Synergy Sports data. What's more, he grades as poor in transition, putbacks, and pick-and-roll, while also being below average in spot up and post situations (his two most frequent play types, accounting for 43.4 percent of his total offensive possessions). His offensive rating this season is a mere 89 (though 106 for his career).

* Charlotte coach Paul Silas detailed the frustrations with Diaw earlier this month. From the Observer:

“I like a player who is really committed to not only the team but to himself and then doing the best he can as a player,’’ Silas said. “Some of the things that would go on, like not shooting the ball, passing all of the time’’ were unacceptable. “I needed hoops and he could put the ball in the hoop. When that wouldn’t happen it was very disturbing. I think if he had played all out, the way he should have, it would have been a much, much better club.”


* Diaw and Rajon Rondo are ever-so slightly linked. During the summer of 2005, the Hawks traded Diaw, a 2006 first-round pick (which would later be Rondo), and a 2008 first-round pick (which would later be Robin Lopez) to the Phoenix Suns for Joe Johnson. The Suns drafted Rondo for Boston before a draft-night trade sent him to Boston with Brian Grant for a 2007 first-round pick (which would later be Rudy Fernandez).

Finals thought: Like every big man we've examined in this space, Diaw is flawed. But he's probably also the most talented overall (the question is simply if his next team can get that talent out of him). He's not the best rebounder and he can't run the floor -- two troubling aspets if you're the Celtics. But for a team desperate for big men, to get one with talented would be a quality haul.

[timvp]

We know why Diaw will consider the Spurs. Here are reasons why Diaw could decide not to sign with the Spurs:

1. No guaranteed minutes. Pop isn't going to guarantee anyone minutes. For someone looking to make money on his next contract, that could be a deal breaker. What happens if a team like the Celtics guarantees him a starting spot? Can Diaw really pass that up?

2. Doesn't want to work hard. It's obvious by Diaw's conditioning woes that he's not a very hard worker. If you don't want to work hard, Pop isn't the coach to play for.

3. Not likely to sign a long-term contract. It's obvious that the Spurs are trying to clear money for the summer of 2013. That's not a good thing for someone like Diaw who will want a long-term contract this summer.

4. Wants to play small forward. Diaw may very well be tired of playing in the post. He entered the NBA as a small forward and may want to go back to that. In S.A., he wouldn't get to play small forward.

5. Offensive fit. Diaw's best years came under D'Antoni who allowed Diaw to get a huge number of touches. With the Spurs, Diaw would mostly be a spot-up shooter. Is that appetizing enough? Teams that run variations of the triangle offense or teams that rely on their bigmen to initiate the offense would more be able to allow Diaw to post gaudy stats.

[TJastal]

I think he's a very interesting player: he can do (almost) everything on a basketball floor: he can shoot the ball, pass it very well, he can dribble, has a good low post tecnique.

However, according to me he's not the kind of player we need: he would just be the umpteenth small big man in our roster (joining Bonner and Blair), and he would not add the skills we desperately need.

I would have tried to make an attempt to get Marcus Camby before the trade deadline: he's tall, a very solid rebounder and defender, can definitely give 20-25 minutes of solid defence versus Bynum/Gasol.

+1

Like you aptly mentioned, Diaw is just another turd tower who is not the optimal choice for helping the spurs beat the teams they are most likely going to have trouble with come playoff time; namely the lakers, grizzlies, and mavs.

I'd call him a slight upgrade over Bonner for playoff basketball and that's the only use I see for him. And that's even assuming his superior skillset is > than Bonner's corporate knowledge, which is debatable. Like Hollinger remarks, his PER isn't good enough to be a starter anymore. So he could be useful in a smaller role coming off the bench with either Splitter or Blair.

If nothing else, he's good insurance in case anyone gets a ding.

[Nathan89]

If Blair or Bonner wants to get hurt then tonight is the night to do it.

[Texas_Ranger]

1. No guaranteed minutes. Pop isn't going to guarantee anyone minutes. For someone looking to make money on his next contract, that could be a deal breaker. What happens if a team like the Celtics guarantees him a starting spot? Can Diaw really pass that up?

Don't think the Celtics will give him the starting spot. Bass is playing pretty good with KG. Hope they get Turiaf and we Diaw.

[NASpurs]

Since the Celtics are the Spurs' main compe ion in the Diaw sweepstakes:

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/b...2Fceltics+%28B

According to league sources, the Celts will make a strong push for Ryan Hollins when it is presumed he will clear waivers after being cut loose by the Cleveland Cavaliers yesterday. There could also be interest in free agent Kyrylo Fesenko, and one general manager said he believes the C’s are waiting to see if Reggie Evans is set free from the Los Angeles Clippers.


It appears that Ronny Turiaf, traded from the Washington Wizards to the Denver Nuggets last week and then released, is going to have his pick of some top contenders and is likely not going to be coming the Celtics’ way.

[Sperone Italiano]

If Blair or Bonner wants to get hurt then tonight is the night to do it.

Until we have these two players in our rotation, we can never aspire to get to the Conf Semi

[swaggerjackson]

I am not sure Diaw wants to play the four. He is older now and has put on a ton of weight. Not calling him fat even if he shed pounds to get back to game shape I still don't think he has the lateral quckness to play the 3 full time. Plus I follow the Bobcats extensively and I haven't heard that from him in years.

Also on the issue of passivity. It certainly exists but it is overstated in Charlotte because of Silas's shoot happy offense. He is not as bad as Dantoni but he certainly never wants anyone to pass up open shots. To put it in perspective this is a guy who when he took over was asking Kwame to shoot more from midrange. See my point? Diaw will certainly pass up a shot or two that makes you scratch your head or even yell at the screen, but it won't be nearly the issue it is in Charlotte because the spurs work for the shot they want not the first one the defense gives them.

Diaw is the perfect stretch four to go next to Duncan. We will still have trouble with big teams because he is not enormous but he should fit in seamlessly into our game plan. Best case scenario is a Robert Horry type player minus the hall of fame level clutch. Diaw still has it and should be sought after heavily by the FO.

[Va Spur]

With are NBA crazy back to back to back all in the last few weeks (are they trying to run the Spurs ragged right before the playoffs-- does any other team have that schedule that late)-- plenty of time to get Diaw/Mills/SJAX in basketball shape and Spur ready to be playoff contributors

If Presence of Diaw means less Blair/Bonner --- worth the risk. If doesn't work still have Blair/Bonner

[monkeypunk]

So if we have the mini-mle, can we split it to acquire Turiaf and Diaw? Or does it all have to go towards one player?

[Leetonidas]

Diaw knows he can't play the 3 anymore. If he is interested in SA then I'm sure he knows his role