After reading the article I thought GS had a great draft. There are three top big men selected in 2006 #1, #8 and #9. They have character, are diligent and played ferocious while in college. Two of the three are humble: Andrew Bogut, Channing Frye and Ike Diogu.
Diogu's game begins with character - and education:
"Ike Diogu is special.
His parents, Edward and Jane, knew it the day he was born on Sept. 11, 1983. They stared at him lying in his hospital bed. So vibrant. So dark. So huge.
'He came out 11 pounds and 24 inches long,' Edward said. 'When we saw him lying down in that crib the first day, we thought we had a three-month-old baby.'"
...Ike Diogu is ferocious.
Washington guard Nate Robinson, now a New York Knick, said it best after his Huskies were nearly upset by the Sun Devils on Diogu's 31 points and 15 boards: "He's just a grown man playing college basketball. He's like a train going down hill. You just hope to slow him."
...Ike Diogu is diligent.
That was evident during a practice between road games at Stanford and Cal in January. Coach Evans stopped practice and told the team to take a water break. The players scurried to the nearest liquids. Not Diogu.
Still a bit frustrated about going 13-for-22 from the line the previous two games, well below his usual 80 percent clip, Diogu took a ball and walked to the free-throw line. While his teammates quenched their thirst, he quenched his crave for perfection.
Probably what makes Diogu so productive on the court is his combination of talent and determination. He enhances his domineering size and array of skills with a willingness to put in the work.
...Ike Diogu is humble.
During a post-game interview after a close loss at Arizona in January - in which he totaled 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks - Diogu explained how he heeded advice on attacking a zone, which the Wildcats used to try to stop him. A local reporter asked Diogu who specifically gave him the advice. Diogu would only say it was a friend of Arizona State coach Rob Evans.
It took some prodding before Diogu revealed the identity of Evans' friend. It was Charles Barkley.
So what's the down side? He lasted until #9.
- Point guard mania - Three point guards were selected and expected to upgrade the play of the entire team.
- Perennial Promise of Potential - Some guys are freaks and likely to be the next Scottie Pippen so teams draft for positional need and the future.
- Tweener - He's not likely to overpower NBA players like he did in college, is too small for the PF position and too slow to play SF.
- Is that all - He's physically not going to develop that much beyond where he is today.
Unathletic winners like Chris Mullin and John Paxson understand that's enough.
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