Gorgui Dieng Appreciation Thread

[Klomp]

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[minimus]

Thank you Gorgui! I wish you return in MIN at some point and play your last game of your career in our uniform!

[LibertyPrime]

A stand-up guy with the right priorities. Best of luck Big G.

[Calinks]

Great human, I thought he was willing to take the role the team gave him. When he was needed the most he stepped up and provided. I'll miss him.

[KGdaBom]

I always had him on my fantasy team in the days before Taj joined our team. He was a top 50 fantasy player. Good luck Gorgui.

[shangrila]

Great guy on and off the court. Wish him nothing but the best.

Unfortunately he was just a luxury we couldn't afford.

[Dewey]

He's a man true man and I'll miss him simply for being a good professional through thick and thin

[TheDominator273]

Really sad to see Gorgui go. Gonna have to pick up a jersey on sale because he was really one of my favorite players we've had.

[shrink]

We need an appreciation thread for “everybody but KAT and Okogie”

They are the only two players still on the team that Rosas inherited last summer.

[shrink]

Loved Gorgui. Always produced when he was given the opportunity, which was never often enough here.

I hated how his contract made him a running joke.

[shangrila]

We need an appreciation thread for “everybody but KAT and Okogie”

They are the only two players still on the team that Rosas inherited last summer.

Nah. I get it's the nice thing to do but some are more deserving than others.

Honestly, the only guy I actually feel anything for after being shipped out is Gorgui.

[Jedzz]

A stand-up guy with the right priorities. Best of luck Big G.

That's all that really needs being said.

[Jedzz]

Loved Gorgui. Always produced when he was given the opportunity, which was never often enough here.

I hated how his contract made him a running joke.

Can't agree with the word Always, but he kept coming back after people had written him off for sure. The mess his deal caused in conjunction with others was half of it. The other half was that nobody that athletic and big should miss bunnies and putbacks like he has at times or even choose to finish that way around the net. Also, for years he was a step late to every defensive move. Always willing to draw the charge, just a split second late to establish his feet. It was so consistently late that years later when he finally got it right he only got half the calls he should have to go his way.

He had one foot in this country to make money for his other foot in his home country. Righteous path as it is, he wasn't looking to become the best gorgui he could have been here for a long time. Great guy and I would hope that I, given such a chance, would have maybe done the same. But I'm speaking from the viewpoint of someone spending years watching a basketball team trying to win and so I'm being honest. He could have been so much more as a Timberwolves player all those years when the team really needed someone to step up, but that's just not where his heart was. I can see why with all the good he's done outside bball. But I wanted the team to move on for many years now for my own greedy sake of bball entertainment.

[shangrila]

Loved Gorgui. Always produced when he was given the opportunity, which was never often enough here.

I hated how his contract made him a running joke.

Can't agree with the word Always, but he kept coming back after people had written him off for sure. The mess his deal caused in conjunction with others was half of it. The other half was that nobody that athletic and big should miss bunnies and putbacks like he has at times or even choose to finish that way around the net. Also, for years he was a step late to every defensive move. Always willing to draw the charge, just a split second late to establish his feet. It was so consistently late that years later when he finally got it right he only got half the calls he should have to go his way.

To me he always seemed to struggle producing in short bursts. When he got big minutes, like when he started or Towns was in foul trouble early, he could get a rhythm going and produce as that solid starting C we saw he could be. But when he had to come in for 3-6 minute chunks to give Towns a rest he just couldn't seem to get into his groove.

[Mattya]

Probably the most generous Wolf when it comes to off the court donations and work.

[Jedzz]

Loved Gorgui. Always produced when he was given the opportunity, which was never often enough here.

I hated how his contract made him a running joke.

Can't agree with the word Always, but he kept coming back after people had written him off for sure. The mess his deal caused in conjunction with others was half of it. The other half was that nobody that athletic and big should miss bunnies and putbacks like he has at times or even choose to finish that way around the net. Also, for years he was a step late to every defensive move. Always willing to draw the charge, just a split second late to establish his feet. It was so consistently late that years later when he finally got it right he only got half the calls he should have to go his way.

To me he always seemed to struggle producing in short bursts. When he got big minutes, like when he started or Towns was in foul trouble early, he could get a rhythm going and produce as that solid starting C we saw he could be. But when he had to come in for 3-6 minute chunks to give Towns a rest he just couldn't seem to get into his groove.

I think that really only holds true for some recent years. Certainly part of the last two Thibs years. Thibs gave him 82 starts the first year and some might claim it was one of his best. But he was still very much playing with that moderate effort to most of those games. He was 32 mins a night Dieng, pacing it out. He literally was a major reason, like the other starters were, that Thibs chose to bring in a bunch of Bulls vets the following year to take this team somewhere further. Looking at Deing's stats it appears 2016 was maybe his best. PF alongside Towns, right? But it wasn't near good enough, or even appeared to be 75% of the effort he could have thrown down on the court most games. I would cringe everytime he was trying to do a put back. He so often had those tapbacks that rim rung. I mean he's standing right there, inches from the hoop. He just wouldn't slam it home. Do you remember those games? 4 and 5 putback attempts on one possession and it never ends up going in. I just couldn't handle watching it. Yes, over the course of the Bulls North season he was looking demoralized in his partial minutes.

That last partial season with Thibs when Gorgui was baskically out of the rotation, when he got a few minutes he looked like a man possessed. A man who didn't want his money tree to wilt already. He brought some of that exuberance with him this season and we saw it when he got his starts, for sure. I think his replacement basically by Gibson as Towns' second in the front court surprised Dieng. He had just got his contract and he thought what he had been doing the seasons before that contract must have been enough. It obviously wasn't enough. The teams record spoke to that. As did the teams record when he took a backseat. I think he learned he needed to offer more from that event, but it took him a season of doldrums to figure it out. It was fun to see him playing at a higher level this season. For that reason it stinks he's going after that came to fruition some.

[shrink]

As a starter in 2015-17, before Taj got here, Gorgui was #42 and #33 in RPM for the entire NBA. This came from his defensive effort, with a DRPM of 28th and 11th in the league.

When he got his chance to start this year, when Towns was out, Gorgui’s line was also impressive:

17 GM, 25.6 MIN, 47.3% FG, 40.8% 3P on 4.2 3PA, 8.6 RB, 2.0 AST, 1.1 BLK, 1.2 STL, 13.1 PTS.

More importantly, the Wolves were awful defensively, except when Gorgui started .. then they were #3 in DRtg.

I have long maintained he deserves to be a starting center somewhere in the NBA, and he performs when given that role. I don’t think that’s MEM, but maybe they can move him someplace where he’d have a better opportunity than in MIN. He deserves it.

[karch34]

Loved Gorgui. Always produced when he was given the opportunity, which was never often enough here.

I hated how his contract made him a running joke.

Well said. I asked my wife who 2nd longest tenured player was after trade and she said Gorgui. I said it's Okogie, Dieng was traded too. Her and my 11 year old both said "no" sadly. That kind of sums it up for me. Truly classy on and way beyond the court. They own us but hard not to like Memphis and even harder now with G there.

[theGreatRC]

I remember his rookie year, G had a nice game against Houston and was a fan of him ever since.

Hated the travel calls, loved his awkward running motions, G was just a fun player and a good dude that loves his country. Wish him nothing but the best

[King Malta]

Always seemed like a fantastic bloke, sad to see him go. Just was never going to really be able to contribute as much as he might've in this system though, so the move had to happen.

Hope he kills it in Memphis!