Diaw 4 or 3?

[Dexmor]

The rumors we all know are Wallace will go Diaw will be the 3 and Mek the 4.
I believe this is a mistake.
I believe Diaw can play sf easily but will only excel at the 4.
At the 4 he grabs boards, he can post up, play good D and has an advantage taking his man outside and hitting 3's or driving and passing or scoring.
At the 3 he can do those things but not as well imo. I think he losses a quickness advantage playing the sf's and if he has to move out of the paint for the big guys it will hurt his game. I think that could have been a big part of why he did so good with Amare gone.
If we wake up to here Mek has been traded for a marque player instead of Wallace I think that will be a good thing. If they don't move Wallace that will also be a good thing because it means Diaw will stay at the 4. He even played very well at the 5 at times a few years ago having good games against even Y ming.

What do you guys think is he a 4 or a 3, I know both is the easy answer but what would suit him best in your guys opinion?

[spectre_]

Heh, what a coincidence...I just was having an email discussion about this very thing.

A 4, mainly because he seems too slow to guard opposing 3s...but I'd like some Suns' fans opinions on his previous success or lack thereof playing SF.

[ommmmmm7wytj]

He played 3 during the Spurs series, last year, with a lot of success facing Finley and posting him.

On defense, he is quick, he can defend on this kind of player.

But for me, he's better on the 4 position. Also, it depends on what the team needs.

[BigSlam]

At the 3 he can do those things but not as well imo. I think he losses a quickness advantage playing the sf's and if he has to move out of the paint for the big guys it will hurt his game.

If we dont at the very least give Crash, Boris and EO50 the rest of this season to see if they can really be something, then it will be a total travesty.

Like you Dexmor, I think he "could" play the 3, but playing him at the 3 will nullify his impact and the mismatches he creates at the 4.

[ohara]

Recalling that LB wants players with versatility and the ability to contribute to more than just 1 position if possible, I think this is why LB traded for him. He can play the 3 or the 4, so dont lock him into just one spot. When he plays with Crash, let him play the 4. If Crash is out or traded, and we have a more traditinal PF playing, then he plays the 3. Diaw is able to play both, in my opinion. Just like Okafor and his ability to sometimes play the 4 and sometimes the 5. I think this is why LB likes these players. I think this is why he drafted DJ, so Ray could have the chance to not only play the PG, but also the 2. With players having the ability to play 2 different positions, it gives LB the opportunity to take advantage of match ups which favor us by having several different lineups possible.

[Dexmor]

Well these days I can't think of any pg who can't play the 2 except for a few very small ones or guys who are kind of scrubs. Even Felton can play the 2 but nobody would want him to be there 2.
If you look at Diaw he looks like a 4. He doesn't look like a 3. He's not really skinny or anything and is defenately heavier then the 215 he is listed at.
Bill Walton said he will only be successful at the 5 or the 4 and I think on this he is right. I think he is versitle enough to play the 3 at times during injuries or when we go big and the fact that he can hit the 3 really gives this theory legs but I still say he should be our PF and really that should be the plan.
I really dislike the trading Crash to move him and Mek to the forward spots idea.
I don't mind trying them out all year and not making moves espially since there is nothing out there to make and when I say moves I mean involving the frontcourt 3 but I do think we should trade Morrison, May, Felton asap. There not part of the future and having them there instead of moving forward is a waste. Espially since DJ has proven himself and we now even got a backup at the pg spot.

[Bassman]

I believe Diaw can play the 3 effectively, and he fits this team better at the 4, BUT... his versatility will be the biggest benefit to the team downstream. I believe this front line's effectiveness will be determined for this season, as we will not receive any big in a Wallace deal worthy of starting (and moving Diaw to the 3). Perhaps in the offseason a deal is struck moving Okafor or Wallace but I doubt it.

My concerns with this front line, in it's present configuration, were in regards to rebounding. Against some average to below average teams we have been boarding fine. I'm not sure Okafor, Wallace and Diaw can hold their own against the bigger and better teams/players. This is where Diaw may suffer at the 4, despite his quickness advantage.

[Dexmor]

I think our rebounding should be fine. We got a 11 guy and 2 7 guys. Thats pretty good.

[TASTIC]

He's definitely a 4 in a 3's body.

He has the skillset of a scoring C, the height of a SF, but the body of a PF. I think the NBA has evolved enough that the difference between a 3/4 isn't all that much. How many times are there mismatches or screens etc that enable a guy to essentially switch positions anyway?

In the Dallas series where he made his money with Amare out, he played the C, and we ran a lot of iso plays where he either abused his man one on one, or kicked it out for corner 3s.
He's strong enough to guard most 4s, and has length/athleticism to pester all but the fastest SFs. He can guard guys like Okur, Dirk and TMac all with some effectiveness one on one.

Our problem was both the areas he's most effective were occupied by
a) Shaq - on the low block
b) Amare - on the elbow

He can play the 3 - I think he came in as a SG/SF who ATL tried to make a PG, but after he ate a few extra croissants a couple of summers' back he's evolved into a strong SF/PF.

I'd like to see Brown run some Diaw to Crash alley oops, the Diaw - Marion screen and oop move was exquisite cos Marion could obviously get up and Diaw's lob passes were always spot on.

Just my 2c...A small part of me misses the bastard, but another part all too often remembers him passing up layup after layup or just giving no effort for games at a time.

I wish him and you guys all the best with him though, he seems to have found a niche in CHA.

[Dexmor]

yeah I am afraid of that part of him that decides to not play. I hope that was a phase but history has taught us it never is. Sooner or later it comes back but he never played for LB.

[SamBone]

A 4, mainly because he seems too slow to guard opposing 3s...but I'd like some Suns' fans opinions on his previous success or lack thereof playing SF.

My thoughts exactly. He can give minutes at the 3 as well as at the Center position, but is best suited at the 4. Kind of like Crash who can give minutes at the 4 and position wise can play the 2, but is best suited for the 3. LB should love the flexability that those 2 give, but I believe that a Crash trade is going to happen either by the deadline or over the summer

[Dexmor]

I think if he makes the deadline depending on the draft he could end up staying.

[WTFsunsFTW]

He is a matchup nightmare at the 3 but doesnt have a consistent 3 ball and lacks the lateral quickness to defend the perimeter.

At the 4 is where he does his best work but doesnt really have the power that a PF regularly has.

At the 5 he is quick enough to outmaneuver most other centers, and a decent range to help floor spacing, but there is only so much a 6'8" man can do against some bigs.

As a side note, he had the highest vert on the suns for years, but never fully takes advantage of it, which I think hurts his already impressive versatility.

[Liver_Pooty]

I think he could pose some interesting matchups while playing the 3 I dont necessarily think it would be a "match up nightmare ". His lack of a three point shot as previously mentioned hinders that to a point. Wallace doesnt have a consistant three point shot, but his ability to get to the rim keeps that in check. Either way you put it, the guys versatility make him intriguing.

[Dexmor]

I think Diaw is the perfect 4 when you have a guy like Wallace next to you who could also arguably play the 4. Diaw can hit the 3 and Crash can't so you can keep Crash closer to the basket and let Diaw play high. On D he guards the 4's. If only he were 2 inches taller he would be a premier Center because he did look comfortable playing the 5 with the Suns but his height is a problem.
The only problem is if they get there wish for a C and move Mek to the 4 Diaw has to go to sf and I think that won't help.

[ommmmmm7wytj]

His height is not so much a big deal. Height is not every thing. Boris has a big butt. Remember Barkley (of course Diaw is not the same kind of hustler player): the surface on the floor is big, so it keeps players far from the hoop. Il's like a cylinder. When you are tall but skinny, your cylinder doesn't keep the player away from the paint and the harder thing is to bound to the basket; when you're big, your cylinder keeps the player far from the hoop and the issue is not to bound just under the basket but to reach it So with 6-8 and his big butt, the height is really not a issue if you want to play him at 5... the will, the toughness yes.

[Dexmor]

You said it. I have been wanting to say it but just didn't. He looked fat but didn't but that's just it, he has a big but. Maybe they should try him at Center and have Mek play the 4 before they trade Crash for a inferior player just because he is a center.