Dieng is dominating again, dude has elite potential

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Sooo let's trade Pek?

I'm kidding (kinda), but you have to love what Gorgui brings night in and night out. It sucks that he's already 24 years old.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Of course Adelman won't play Shabazz tho.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Gorgui Dieng as a starter:

- 12 pts, 11 reb, 5 blk
- 10 pts, 11 reb
- 22 pts, 21 reb, 4 ast
- 6 pts, 9 reb
- 11 pts, 17 reb
- 15 pts, 15 reb

12.7 PPG, 14 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 67% FG, 72% FT.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Wow, impressive numbers. And there isn't a single bad game in the bunch.

What's interesting is how quickly his block numbers have gone down. There are two reasons for this: 1) He's not challenging everything anymore in the interest of staying out of foul trouble, and more importantly, 2) Teams already realize he can block shots and they are starting to put up more floaters or just kick the ball out when they get to the rim. Elite shot blockers help a defense by their mere presence on the floor, without even blocking a shot.

What was disappointing tonight was Kevin Love's effort. You can tell he's checked out after yet another lost season. Still, that's no excuse for not giving full effort.

[60WinTim]

Yup. Deing's play at the end of the season is a HUGE bright spot to what has been a very disappointing season. With an off-season under his belt, you would think he has a chance to earn the starting C spot for this team next year. Pek would make a 2nd unit look pretty good!

[worldK]

Good blowout win. Guys that got time did well.

Dieng has been on an amazing run as a starter. That guy is fun to watch. Its great that we finally have a young up and coming player on the team that other teams would like to have.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Gorgui Dieng as a starter:

- 12 pts, 11 reb, 5 blk
- 10 pts, 11 reb
- 22 pts, 21 reb, 4 ast
- 6 pts, 9 reb
- 11 pts, 17 reb
- 15 pts, 15 reb

12.7 PPG, 14 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 67% FG, 72% FT.

And you look at him on the bench, and he looks like he's been doing it for 15 years...no big deal. I'm reflecting back on what Lipoli reported to us after he and other season ticket holders met with Gorgui...came away enormously impressed. I am frankly stunned at his feel for the game...the assists, the ball fake to get two defenders up in the air, the quick learning curve in staying away from fouls. With 5 double doubles out of 6 starts, it's difficult not to get excited.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

The other thing about Dieng is that he is just scratching the surface defensively. Look at the other things he does well. It's not just shot blocking. He hedges hard on screens and gets back quickly to his guy. He closes out on shooters (something Pek and Love struggle to do, and when they do, their arms are so damn short they hardly distract the shot), he is an excellent defensive rebounder that tracks down balls. I liked the pick, but he's really exceeded my expectations as far as picking up the nuances of the game. And offensively, my goodness, he seems to be sporting a natural feel for the game on that end now too. Those little pump fakes and delicate footwork around the paint. That stuff is just feel and instinct. It's almost too good to be true.

It really does pose an interesting dilemma for the front office. Not a bad problem to have.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Rubio/Stauskas/Muhammad/Love/Dieng

Lineup of the future? (Shabazz has his question marks, but I could see this)

[60WinTim]

A subtle note: Hummel got the minutes in the 2nd half instead of Cunningham. I approve of this, and would really like to see Hummel get ALL Dante's minutes!