The first month of the NBA season continued its surreal pace this week with the emergence of DeSagana Diop, considered one of the worst lottery picks made this decade.
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| Avery Johnson says he gets consistent 'energy, competitive spirit and intensity' from Diop. (Getty Images) |
That idea flopped worse than soap-on-a-rope and Crystal Pepsi. The robotic pet dog they're advertising these days would seem to have a longer shelf life. Even that year's top pick, one Kwame Brown, showed more flashes.
Diop played in fewer than half of the Cleveland's games over his four seasons there, topping out with averages of 2.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 2003-04. That prompted the Cavs to pick up his option, for which he rewarded them with 39 appearances, 29 percent shooting (keep in mind this is someone who didn't shoot too many jumpers) and 1.0 point and 1.8 rebounds per game.
He wasn't tendered another offer. What's that saying, fool me once ...?
A funny thing happened over the summer though. Dallas slid in and garnered his "services," and all of a sudden, he started showing something. There was talk he might actually make the team. There was talk, some dared say, that he was on the verge of a breakout year.
Insert your quip here.
Then consider taking it back after what he did to Denver on Wednesday night. As Dirk Nowitzki quickly offered, "he saved the game."
Diop came over to swat a Carmelo Anthony layup after he had scooted past Nowitzki en route to the cup. It was his sixth rejection of the game. That figure looms even larger when you factor in the other shots he changed, not to mention his 16 boards, double starter Erick Dampier's season high.
Dampier played just over 10 minutes because he was once again plagued by foul trouble, a curse that has followed him since his own breakout season, the one that coaxed Mark Cuban into opening up the wallet for a cool $73 million over seven years to pry him from Golden State. Dampier has been nothing more than the butt of Shaquille O'Neal jokes and the target of officials' whistles since signing that big deal.
"Fouls happen during the game," Dampier told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I've got six of them. Why not use them all?"
Yeah, but maybe it would be helpful if he didn't use them all up so quickly. With Diop, now 23, steadily performing and actually offering Avery Johnson the 7-foot defensive stalwart he'd like to build his defense around, there's speculation Dampier may not only lose just minutes to his backup but his starting spot altogether. It's rare to see such a high-priced commodity playing behind a bargain pickup, but you wonder if that's not what it will take to light a fire under Damp. Beyond that, you wonder if the Mavs wouldn't be better off, period.
"He's been steady and it's good when a coach knows what he is going to get consistently," Johnson said. "He may not have the same stat line, but it's good when I know I am going to get a certain type of energy, competitive spirit and intensity. He's been pretty consistent in that area."
