Hornets Happenings| Do I Like Ike?

So much has been written about the Emeka Okafor acquisition and very little about the signing of Ike Diogu.

Who is that mystery man, Ike Diogu?  Where is he from? Was he a worthwhile acquisition of the bench-weak Hornets?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Like the newly acquired center, Emeka Okafor, Ikechukwa "Ike" Somotochukwa Diogu's parents are natives of Nigeria. The Diogu family relocated to the United States in 1980 to pursue further education.

Diogu is six feet nine inches tall. This may be considered slightly undersized for an NBA power forward. You may have heard the expression "Oh, but he plays taller" and wonder "is this just nonsensical talk?"

In Diogu's case, this is not just talk. What he might lack in height—if only I were 6'9"—he makes up for with his wingspan. The distance between Diogu's fingertips is seven feet four inches. He is also muscular and looks like a smaller version of the slimmed-down Shaquille O'Neal.

Diogu attended Arizona State University where he won the PAC-10 Freshman of the Year award. In his junior year—after which he entered the NBA draft—Diogu won the PAC-10 Player of the Year Award.

NBA Journeyman

Diogu has been the epitome of an NBA journeyman. He was selected ninth overall in  the 2005 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors.

On January 17, 2007, Diogu was dealt to the Indiana Pacers along with teammates Mike Dunleavy Jr., Troy Murphy, and Keith McLeod for Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell.

Six months later, on draft night, Diogu was traded by Indiana to the Portland Trail Blazers along with the draft rights to Jerryd Bayless in exchange for Jarrett Jack, Josh McRoberts and the draft rights to Brandon Rush to the Indiana Pacers.

A year later, Diogu was traded to the Sacramento Kings for the Chicago Bulls' Michael Ruffin.

Diogu has been primarily a backup, starting only 18 games in his entire career. He has averaged 6.1 points, and 3.1 rebounds per game while playing on average 12 minutes per game.  Unlike some of the other Hornet's big men, he is a decent free-throw shooter, hitting over 80 percent over his NBA career.

Evaluation

Diogu's career seems to be a story of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Don Nelson put him in the doghouse with the Warriors. He suffered a calf injury before he could make an impact in Indiana. Then he went to the  Blazers, who needed another big man like him just as much as the Hornets need another starting point guard.

He has shown that he can play when given the chance. In games that he has received significant game time, he has scored over twenty points and grabbed double digit rebounds.

The knocks on Diogu is that he is known as a mediocore defender and tends to get overweight.

Diogu signed a one-year contract with the Hornets.  While the terms have not been disclosed, based on his last contract, assume it is in the two million dollar range. Diogu was probably the "best value" power forward available in this year's free agent pool.

There were a number of teams interested in Diogu, but he selected the Hornets based on a promise of an opportunity and playing time. This is a low-cost, low-risk, high-potential payoff acquisition. Diogu will give All-Star David West the opportunity to play fewer minutes this season.

Diogu will likely fill Ryan Bowen's roster spot. This is most certainly a significant improvement in this position.

I definitely like Ike.