Minnesota Sports Forum

I have not been shy about criticizing Flip. I thought that when he traded down in the draft for two picks that he made a huge mistake by not taking what I thought was an obvious upgrade to our back court bench: CJ McCollum. And I was downright furious that he took Shabazz with the first of the two picks he received. What I was happy with was his pick of Dieng. I make no bones about being an absolute Dieng homer from the day he was drafted. I absolutely love this kid's potential.

Take a look at this comparison: http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&p1=dienggo01&y1=2014&p2=wallabe01&y2=1999

This is Dieng's rookie year vs. Ben Wallace's third year. I picked Big Ben's third year because he's the same age as Dieng. The one thing that sticks out to me is how effective Dieng is in three key defensive categories: Defensive rebounding, Blocks, and Steals. There aren't many big men who are very good at all three of those skills. Ben Wallace was one of them, and as we can see, Dieng compares quite favorably to Wallace.

The other thing that is rare about Dieng is his assist rate. It's extremely rare to find a big man that can put together a combination of defensive stats AND be a pretty darn good passer to boot.

The two biggest things holding Dieng back are his turnovers and fouls. That's not unusual for a rookie big man so I expect those to come down over time.

Offense will never be Dieng's strong suit, but we saw last night that he's capable of catching passes inside and finishing. That's good 'nuff for me if he can become the defensive monster that I think he can be some day.

Keep an eye on this kid! He may end up being our first big off the bench as soon as next season.

If we fall out of the playoffs I would love t see him and Shazbazz get more burn. I am warming up to Shabazz. He looks so physically mature and he will get stronger. I like his motor on the court. I would still rather have the Greek Freak, but it is nice to see this team with someone outside of Love and Pek that can push people around.

I like that Dieng has not played long and he is playing well for us in his short bursts. If he can become 80% of the player Wallace was I will be happy as a clam.

ben wallace has a completely different body type then deing. Wallace was built like a pro wrestler. I'd say a better comparison is a much lesser version of Mutombo. He'll be a solid bench player

I thought he compared to Samuel Dalembert

I could handle Dalembert.

My point wasn't to compare the two in terms of body type, but instead look at how they actually produce. Both have a fairly rare combination of skills on the defensive glass, shot blocking, and getting steals. But yeah, Dalembert isn't a bad comp either, although both Dieng and Wallace seem more adept at getting steals.

The thing that Dieng does better than either of these guys is pass the ball. And these aren't just flukish stats based on a small sample size. He did these things well at Louisville too.

I think the key for Dieng will be whether he can ever be much of a scoring threat. And I'm not talking about averaging 15+PPG, but at least get good enough where he can finish at the rim and make an occasional open jumper. The jury is still out on that front. But defensively, I really think he could be dominant.

Q I'm with you, Dieng was the one guy I wanted us to draft last year (with our 2nd pick) so couldn't complain too much about the draft. I don't know what Adelman is thinking not playing Dieng more, especially with Turiaf out and Pek playing limited minutes. He could easily be the defensive presence we need alongside Love and Pek, it's just hard to know when he barely gets playing time. Dieng's a little different players than Wallace, Wallace was a little smaller and I think that helped him get steals, Dieng might have the quickest hands of any big his size I've seen which is how he's able to get those steals

Yep, Dieng is looking like a keeper. I would say that he will be the best big out of this draft. If Shabazz amounts to ANYTHING, then Flip's first draft will have been a very good one.

Interviews with this guy are impressive too. He is just going to get better on the offensive end. As much as I think that Turiaf was a good signing for this year, I don't see us signing him again.

I predict than in 10 years when they compare the contributions of CJ McCollum to the combined contributions of Dieng and Shabazz, they're going to put a statue of Flip right next to the one of George Mikan in Target Center!

I think Dieng will develop in to the 2nd best big from last years draft (behind Steven Adams). He's a fundamentally sound player and has a good work ethic from what I've heard. Add to that the fact he's a mobile 7 footer and there's a lot to be optimistic about.

Same with any draft, you can't really judge it till 3 years up the track.