The Sun also rises
You might say Suns center Boris Diaw, the hero of Phoenix’s Game 1 victory at Dallas, was born to make big leaps in basketball.
His mother, Elizabeth Riffiod, is considered the best center in women’s basketball history in France. His father, Issa Diaw, is a former Senegalese high jump champ.
But even longtime NBA observers are amazed at the 6-foot-8 Frenchman’s meteoric rise from obscure part-time player in Atlanta for the past two seasons to key starter on a team making a serious bid for the NBA Finals.
“It is remarkable. I don’t know how often you see a player in his third year come out of the shadows quite to the extent Boris has, particularly on this kind of stage,” says Celtics GM Chris Wallace, who has been in the NBA 15 years.
“It’s like that Bill Parcells line: ‘After awhile you are who you are.’ But in this case who Boris Diaw is is a lot more than he was a short time ago.”
Diaw, who won this year’s Most Improved Player award, basically has accomplished the NBA equivalent of jumping over the Grand Canyon. In two enigmatic seasons in Atlanta he averaged 4.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He was so lackluster that the Hawks agreed to package him along with two first-round draft picks into last summer’s sign-and-trade for Joe Johnson.
Given the chance to play with Steve Nash, however, Diaw has blossomed.
Despite often playing out of position at center, he averaged 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists during the regular season. Only two other players averaged at least six boards and six dimes this season: LeBron James and Jason Kidd.
A gifted passer who can handle the ball and make plays, Diaw often initiates the Suns’ offense. Playing center, he can pull his man out and drive right around him. Or he can beat him down the floor for easy layups and lobs off Nash feeds. His versatility is so impressive that Lakers coach Phil Jackson earlier this season cited Diaw as the player who most reminded him of Scottie Pippen.
In the playoffs Diaw has emerged as a legit star, joining Shawn Marion as one of Nash’s main supporting weapons. He is averaging 17 points, six boards and six assists while shooting 53 percent. He had 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Phoenix’s Game 5 win over the Lakers, and 21-7-8 against the Clippers in Game 4.
