Tag Archive for 'ike-diogu'

06
Oct

Ike Diogu Out to Prove Doubters Wrong

By Jeff 0 Comments
Categories: General Blazers and Players

This article comes from hoopsworld.com via RealGM. Here’s an excerpt:

“Three years ago, the Golden State Warriors made Diogu their ninth overall pick out of Arizona State only to ship him to the Indiana Pacers in January 2007. Injuries took their toll. So did a lack of playing time. But now settling in with the Portland Trail Blazers, Diogu is out to show he’s more than a lottery bust.

“It’s definitely frustrating. When you don’t get that playing time people start to question your ability to play in this league, especially when you read articles and people say I’ve underachieved,”

To be honest. I don’t know much about Ike Diogu. When we traded for him on draft night, I had to look up who he was, where he was from and what his numbers are. After some research, I was less than impressed. He’s bounced around the league a bit and was widely regarded as a lottery bust when picked 9th in the 2005 draft. Flash forward three years and he’s on his third team in only three years in the NBA. Three teams in three years for a NBA lottery pick? Prospects are not looking good.

All that history aside, I’m not about to count Diogu out. I’m also not going to give him a free pass just because he happens to wear a Blazers jersey now. If he can come in for 8 or 10 minutes a game, grab a few boards, play some defense and maybe even score a bucket or two, I’ll be completely satisfied. I think that’ll be his role on this Blazer team and I think he knows that. If he knows that going in and knows exactly what he can and should do, he’ll be a welcome addition to the Blazers for me.

How about you guys? Where do you think Ike Diogu fits into this team? What do you think his role is? Also do you even think he’ll be around after the trade deadline in February?

*Image is from Getty Images

30
Sep

Yet Even More Media Day Videos

By Jeff 0 Comments
Categories: General NBA, Interviews and Players

I’m sure you’re sick of all these quick, non-substanced updates but hey you know what, that’s what we do. The Blazers Blog just updated with two more videos from the Blazers Media Day featuring Ike Diogu and Martell Webster. Both videos can be seen below:

Raw video: Ike Diogu at media day

Raw video: Martell Webster at media day
24
Sep

Nate wants an 8 - 9 man rotation

By John 1 Comment
Categories: General Blazers

I was just reading over at The Columbian that Coach Nate wants an 8 to 9 man rotation this season. That will be a tall task with so many talented players on the team. Here are some quotes:

When I asked Nate how tight he would like to see the rotation this year, his first response was to say eight or nine players. Then he laughed a bit and admitted that he never gets his rotations that tight.
It may not be possible for this to even happen, but Nate said “I think you get to those teams and when they’re down to the stretch they get to eight, nine guys,” McMillan said. “But I’ve always played nine, 10 guys, or 9 1/2. I think it’s difficult to play 10 guys. When you’ve got starters like Brandon, and I’m expecting probably Greg and LaMarcus, to play around 35 minutes. If they’re playing 35 minutes, you can’t play 10 guys. Somebody is going to get minutes like Sergio last year — eight, five, maybe 10 minutes. I’ll see. If we can get away with playing 10, we’ll run two units in there. And if not we’ll play nine.”

So, if Nate is expecting on play 9 players, then Sergio will not see minutes. He is the 3rd best point guard out of three possible point guards and in reality probably falls behind Roy as a go to guy at point. This furthers the thought that Sergio won’t be a Blazer for long. It also shows that Digou and Frye will both be fighting for few minutes.

“I understand, somebody will not play, and that’s just part of it,” McMillan said. “They will determine that by what they do out on the floor. … You’ve got a lot of guys that can play, and the thing is, all of them can’t play. And they know that. And there’s going to be guys really fighting for minutes, and everybody can’t get minutes. Practice, I expect to be competitive, where guys are trying to get on the floor.”

24
Sep

The Shaun Livingston Debate

By John 9 Comments
Categories: General Blazers and Players

There has been a very heated debate over if/should the Blazers sign Shaun Livingston ever since he worked out for the team. The Blazers are very deep at point with Blake, Bayless (although I contend he is a 2, as was his position in college) and Sergio Rodriguez.

So let me take a moment to break down the potential Livingston signing.

Background:

- Livingston went straight from high school to the NBA, he is only 24 years old
- He is tall, 6′7″, for a point guard
- He was the 4th pick in the 2004 draft
- His career averages are 7.4 pts, 4.8 asts and 3.1 rebounds per game
- He has played in 12 playoff games (avg 7.5 pts)
- On 02/26/07 he went for a layup, missed, and landed terribly on his knee. He dislocated his left kneecap and his leg literally snapped back. He tore his ACL, PCL, and meniscus. He also sprained his MCL and dislocated his tibia-femoral joint and patella
- Of 246 regular season games while in the NBA, Livingston has been injured for 101 of those games
- On 06/16/08 (over 14 months after the injury), Livingston was cleared to play basketball

The 15th Spot:
The heart of the Livingston debate really goes to the remaining 15th spot debate. Signing Livingston eliminates the possibility to sign Luke Jackson or Steven Hill (more likely Steven Hill then Luke Jackson). The only other possibility is that Livingston is signed, and an existing Blazer is traded for cash (or a 2 for 1 deal) to open up the spot for Hill. The only player who would be at all in a position to be traded in exchange for essentially nothing is Sergio Rodriguez. So, the heart of the debate is really: Do you take Livingston over Rodriguez? Hill over Livingston? Rodriguez over Hill? Basically, two of these players will be Blazers, one will not.




Risk v Reward:

I have been reading a lot of NBA blogs and forums, and one thing that I hear from fans who want Livingston is the risk v reward argument. Now, the risk here is not that he will flop and sit on the bench. The risk is that he will flop and sit on the bench AND Rodriguez or Hill (whoever is not a Blazer in the end) flourishes elsewhere in the NBA. So, I agree that this is risk v reward, but I think most people are not viewing the risk properly. What if we sign Livingston, trade Sergio and Blake goes down opening night with a season ending injury? Then we are left with Livingston (after a 14 month knee injury and a non-productive NBA career) or Bayless (a true 2 guard and rookie) running the point. I actually would feel more comfortable with Rodriguez running the point. I think Bayless would still start over Rodriguez, but I think Rodriguez would be very productive off the bench, especially playing with Rudy Fernandez. So what if we sign Livingston, keep Rodriguez and let Hill sign elsewhere? Well, Ike Diogu is a huge unknown with his injury past, Frye is out with an injury and LaFrentz is injured. That would mean another season of Outlaw playing a lot of time at the 4, which might not be so bad, but it might upset him enough to demand his way out of Portland. Hill could provide heart, dedication and someone for Oden to throw around in practice. I think the practice dummy factor is actually important.

The “Star” Factor:

I have also heard many fans say that Livingston was a #4 pick, a great talent, has huge potential and was a great player. It’s simply not true. Yes, he was the #4 pick, but he never adjusted to the NBA game and never was able to really make a name for himself in the NBA. We let Darius Miles, a former #3 pick (both were drafted by the LA Clippers), walk after his injury. How is Livingston any different? If anything, Miles proved he can play in the NBA (and act in Hollywood, see “The Perfect Score,” so Miles was a real star) before his injuries. Now, I do think Miles was a plague in the locker room and I would be happy enough to have his contract stay on our books just as long as he is out of the locker room.

Livingston, by all accounts, has a positive attitude towards his return to the NBA and wants to put in the work to make it happen. I just disagree with the fact that Livingston was, or ever will be, a star. At best, he is a bust who turns into a solid rotational player through a lot of hard work. He will never be averaging 20+ points a game, and he is not our long term solution at point. Is he a better third string point guard then Rodriguez? If healthy, yes, but his whole career he has been out for about 40% of games due to injury. Livingston might be able to have a positive impact on the team, but I don’t see him as a star, or having ever been a star.

So Will KP Sign Livingston:

I guess only KP knows, although the consensus is that Livingston will sign with the Blazers. I would welcome this signing, but I would be confused if Rodriguez is still on the team come opening night. Even with Rodriguez gone, I just don’t see any minutes for Livingston. Blake will be starting and playing in the 3rd quarter, Bayless running the point in the 2nd and Roy in the 4th. All the garbage minutes are already accounted for by Bayless. Now, if Livingston is coming in and getting himself back to as near 100% as possible, he could be a valuable asset in the future to fill in due to injury or in a trade. I think a lot of NBA teams would be willing to pay for Rodriguez, so if we do sign Livingston, expect Rodriguez gone within the week. If he is not gone, expect his comments about playing elsewhere turn into a demand to play elsewhere.

The Bottom Line:

Signing Livingston is really not that big of a deal. Sure, it is in September, but come opening night, he will be occupying Darius Miles’ spot behind the bench, joking with LaFrentz about Batum’s funny accent. In the future, Livingston could help the Blazers, but he will have no real immediate impact. And, if he is the type of player who KP believes is healthy and good enough to make a big impact, then this debate is a no-brainer. The biggest effect of a Livingston signing will likely be a Rodriguez departure.

Put in your two cents, place a comment below!

30
Aug

Position by Position Analysis: Power Forward

By John 0 Comments
Categories: General Blazers

Starter: LaMarcus Aldridge
Backup: Channing Frye
Backup: Ike Diogu

Much like the center position, the key at power forward for the Blazers is depth. Both Aldridge and Frye would probably start on most NBA teams. Heck, Diogu might even start or see actual minutes on a few NBA teams. Aldridge will be the starter all season, there is no a threat from Frye to take that role. As Aldridge continues to develop, I see him playing 35 minutes a game. That might sound like a long time, but he’ll prove that he has the stamina and ability to justify that amount of playing time. I see him being a guy who can get 20 points a night with some consistency. The center position (Oden or Przybilla) will do the bulk of the rebounding, which works well with Aldridge since that is his weak spot. He will really become the offensive threat in the “Twin Towers.”

The depth for the Blazers in the power forward position comes down to how far Frye has developed this summer. He has been working out in Portland with Oden, as seen in some of the released videos. He hasn’t spent all summer in Portland, there are sightings of him and Bayless down in Tucson, AZ.

I see Aldridge getting a lot of focus once Oden goes out of the game. And I do see plenty of times when Aldridge is in the game without Oden. Like I mentioned in the “centers” post, I don’t see Oden playing over 20 minutes a game, especially at the start of the season. He will be slowly introduced to the offense and see more minutes, but Aldridge will be a go to guy on night one. Frye can also step up on day one. My issue with Frye is consistency. I know he is capable of going for 20 a night, but those nights are rare and extremely inconsistent. I think he will be used much like he was last season, if he comes out shooting (which he will) and is off, Nate will pull him and he will all but be done for the game.

So who goes in for Frye? Our new addition, Ike Diogu. I haven’t seen Diogu play much in the NBA, because well…he hasn’t played much in the NBA. But I do remember him tearing it up in college. He was a huge star at Arizona State University. He’s small, at only 6′8″ for a power forward, but he is a solid 250lbs. He averaged about 6 points (5.6) in 10 minutes per game last season with the Indiana Pacers. That’s not terrible production, and with a solid “true” center in Przybilla (since Przybilla will probably be in the game when Diogu sees the majority of his minutes), Diogu will be able to play more of a floating power forward role. The pressure won’t be on him to crash the boards, that will go on Przybilla. I don’t see Diogu playing that influential of a role for the season, but I can see him being the difference in 2-3 games. That alone is worth it to bring him in and give him a chance.

LaMarcus Aldridge is going to emerge this year as a premium power forward in the NBA. He and Oden will begin to show what a dominant force they will be in the future. I don’t know if there is any team that can match up with Portland for 48 minutes at either the power forward or center position, let alone both.

27
Aug

Ike Diogu is Marketable

By Jeff 0 Comments
Categories: Players

Just pulled this video from Blazers.com. It chronicles Ike Diogu’s first day as a Blazer. I don’t know about you, but Greg Oden should watch out, this guy is marketable.

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