Diogu wants to be 'the missing piece'

Power forward says he hasn't had a chance to prove what he can do in the NBA

By Steve Brandon

The Portland Tribune, Sep 29, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

DAVID DOW / GETTY IMAGES

Power forward Ike Diogu, acquired in a draft-time trade by the Blazers in the deal that brought guard Jerryd Bayless to Portland, says he'll bring toughness to his new team.

One of the unknowns about the 2008-09 Trail Blazers is what newly acquired forward Ike Diogu will bring to the team.

Diogu says he knows, though.

“Real people who know basketball know what I can do,” the 6-9, 250-pound power forward from Arizona State adds.

That would be scoring and rebounding – and presence, he says.

“Toughness,” he says. “I’m a physical, hard-nosed, aggressive player.”

Diogu, 24, has spent a year and a half each with Golden State and Indiana. The Warriors took him with the ninth pick in the 2005 draft.

He averaged 15 minutes as a rookie, 13 minutes the following year and 10 minutes last season. He’s looking for more in Portland.

“Nobody has seen me play,” he says. “Ten to 12 minutes a game – nobody can really see what you can do.

“Play me in the 20- to 25-minute range, and I’m always going to give you something good. Like people say, numbers don’t lie.”

Diogu – full name Ikechukwu Somtochukwu Diogu – says he knows how to play the game, including when to shoot, when to pass.

“This is my fourth year. I kind of have the whole NBA thing figured out,” he says. “I don’t try to get the ball and score every time.

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