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Figured I would create a thread for the heralded in high-school, unheralded in the NBA, does-the-dirty-work, sometimes-starting Dallas Mavericks center, DeSagana Diop of Senegal. Found a couple great articles and photos I would like to share... first an article from DFW.com
Diop 'til you drop; Mavs' center now a Big Sag in the middle
By JEFF CAPLAN, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
DALLAS -- Shaquille O'Neal has dropped some colorful, if not complimentary, phraseology upon Erick Dampier the last few seasons.
However, The Diesel or Big Aristotle or whatever the big fella goes by, might not remember that he once gave the Mavericks' other big man a nickname.
"He called me 'Big Sag,'" DeSagana Diop said. "I never found out why he said that. I guess he just took DeSagana and just got it to Sag."
Miami's Big Daddy probably figured "Big Sag" had a better ring than "Baby Shaq," the name NBA scouts bestowed upon Diop, then a broad-shouldered, 6-foot-10, 290-pound senior at Oak Hill Academy, the acclaimed hoops prep school tucked away in Mouth of Wilson, Va.
The "Big Sag" comment came during an ESPN Sports-Center profile on Diop as he was shattering the school's rebounding record, swatting shots all over the Blue Ridge Mountains and leading Oak Hill to USA Today's No. 1 national ranking.
In the piece, Shaq is presented with footage of Diop, a Senegalese native with raw basketball skills who didn't start playing the game until age 14 and moved to the United States at 16. Shaq admitted that he'd never heard of the big kid who's turned out to be just as affable as he is.
After Shaq provided the nickname, he was told that Diop might skip college and go straight to the NBA. That's when The Big Deporter -- another nickname Shaq gave himself after knocking several foreign centers out of the playoffs -- delivered a message, recalled Oak Hill coach Steve Smith.
"He said, 'Tell him if he comes to play me, he better be ready,'" Smith said.
"He wouldn't have been ready then. We'll find out if he's ready now."
Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Dallas vs. Miami, begins on Thursday at the American Airlines Center. While Dwyane Wade vs. Josh Howard is the flashier matchup, Big Sag's ability to defend Shaq Fu could ultimately determine which franchise claims its first NBA championship.
"I'm just going to go out there and do my best," said Diop, who will have help from Dampier. "I don't think anybody can [stop] Shaq one-on-one. We're not going to keep him scoreless, but we will do our best to limit his scoring and continue to get the W's."
Long time coming
Diop, 24, is in his fifth NBA season and first with the Mavs. The playoffs have slowly become something of a coming-out party.
He banged around Memphis' Pau Gasol and held his own while fighting foul trouble -- and a broken nose in overtime of Game 7 -- against Tim Duncan and the Spurs. And he altered the high-speed series with the Suns with his shot-blocking and rebounding after not playing in Game 1.
"It's not so much learning from the Phoenix series with matchups because Phoenix doesn't have Shaq," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "But, you can learn that when he plays at a high level, overall we're a much better team."
That Diop, who replaced Dampier as the starting center 36 games in, will face Shaq in the NBA Finals is a testament to the Mavs' center's perseverance. Diop was drafted eighth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, just 20 months after he arrived in the U.S. Beset by a series of injuries and four coaches in four years, Diop spent four long seasons largely riding the bench.
"Sometimes when I was at home I couldn't sleep," Diop said. "There were nights I'd be in my room and I'd almost cry. I mean, I never cry, but I almost cried."
Diop, the third of four children, said to maintain motivation, he would reflect on the hardships of his countrymen and he leaned heavily on his family.
His father, a retired high school principal -- who is staying with Diop during the playoffs and attending home games -- and his mother, a teacher at a university in their hometown of Dakar, told him to never stop working.
"You've got people out there who get up in the morning and they don't have enough to eat all day," said Diop, who will return to Dakar after the season and participate in youth basketball camps. "I have so much pride in myself and I knew I could help somebody. I knew I could play the game. I just needed a chance."
A change has gotta come
With his contract expired, Diop wanted a change. His limited playing time, however, didn't provide much scouting material. Seattle, New York and the Mavs were his only suitors.
So Diop took control of his own future. Two days after the 2004-05 season ended he moved to New Jersey to train.
"I had two trainers," Diop said. "One working out in the morning for basketball and one in the afternoon for conditioning."
The 7-footer shed 40 pounds, dropping from 310 to 270, and increased his quickness and agility. In free agency, Dallas had a leg up because of Diop's relationship with Mavs director of scouting Amadou Gallo Fall, also a Senegalese native. Fall discovered Diop at age 15 and assisted his move to Oak Hill.
"Nobody could have anticipated that his losing 40 pounds would make this transformation possible in such a short period of time," Mavs assistant coach Del Harris said. "And the beauty of it is, what you see now, we think is the beginning of greater things to come."
First, Diop will use his long arms to try and contain Shaq as much as possible without fouling his way out of the series.
"I have to stop the dumb fouls," Diop said. "But, if he's got position, I'll foul him hard and make him get the two points at the free-throw line."
Diop set career highs in every statistical category this season and in the playoffs he's increased his regular-season averages in minutes played, rebounds and points.
"I'm just a huge fan, not just because of a personal relationship, but as a player and a human being," Fall said. "He has unbelievable character. He is going to do everything he is asked to do. You combine that with all the physical tools and..."
Shaq-Daddy, meet the new and improved Big Sag.
By JEFF CAPLAN, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
DALLAS -- Shaquille O'Neal has dropped some colorful, if not complimentary, phraseology upon Erick Dampier the last few seasons.
However, The Diesel or Big Aristotle or whatever the big fella goes by, might not remember that he once gave the Mavericks' other big man a nickname.
"He called me 'Big Sag,'" DeSagana Diop said. "I never found out why he said that. I guess he just took DeSagana and just got it to Sag."
Miami's Big Daddy probably figured "Big Sag" had a better ring than "Baby Shaq," the name NBA scouts bestowed upon Diop, then a broad-shouldered, 6-foot-10, 290-pound senior at Oak Hill Academy, the acclaimed hoops prep school tucked away in Mouth of Wilson, Va.
The "Big Sag" comment came during an ESPN Sports-Center profile on Diop as he was shattering the school's rebounding record, swatting shots all over the Blue Ridge Mountains and leading Oak Hill to USA Today's No. 1 national ranking.
In the piece, Shaq is presented with footage of Diop, a Senegalese native with raw basketball skills who didn't start playing the game until age 14 and moved to the United States at 16. Shaq admitted that he'd never heard of the big kid who's turned out to be just as affable as he is.
After Shaq provided the nickname, he was told that Diop might skip college and go straight to the NBA. That's when The Big Deporter -- another nickname Shaq gave himself after knocking several foreign centers out of the playoffs -- delivered a message, recalled Oak Hill coach Steve Smith.
"He said, 'Tell him if he comes to play me, he better be ready,'" Smith said.
"He wouldn't have been ready then. We'll find out if he's ready now."
Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Dallas vs. Miami, begins on Thursday at the American Airlines Center. While Dwyane Wade vs. Josh Howard is the flashier matchup, Big Sag's ability to defend Shaq Fu could ultimately determine which franchise claims its first NBA championship.
"I'm just going to go out there and do my best," said Diop, who will have help from Dampier. "I don't think anybody can [stop] Shaq one-on-one. We're not going to keep him scoreless, but we will do our best to limit his scoring and continue to get the W's."
Long time coming
Diop, 24, is in his fifth NBA season and first with the Mavs. The playoffs have slowly become something of a coming-out party.
He banged around Memphis' Pau Gasol and held his own while fighting foul trouble -- and a broken nose in overtime of Game 7 -- against Tim Duncan and the Spurs. And he altered the high-speed series with the Suns with his shot-blocking and rebounding after not playing in Game 1.
"It's not so much learning from the Phoenix series with matchups because Phoenix doesn't have Shaq," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "But, you can learn that when he plays at a high level, overall we're a much better team."
That Diop, who replaced Dampier as the starting center 36 games in, will face Shaq in the NBA Finals is a testament to the Mavs' center's perseverance. Diop was drafted eighth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, just 20 months after he arrived in the U.S. Beset by a series of injuries and four coaches in four years, Diop spent four long seasons largely riding the bench.
"Sometimes when I was at home I couldn't sleep," Diop said. "There were nights I'd be in my room and I'd almost cry. I mean, I never cry, but I almost cried."
Diop, the third of four children, said to maintain motivation, he would reflect on the hardships of his countrymen and he leaned heavily on his family.
His father, a retired high school principal -- who is staying with Diop during the playoffs and attending home games -- and his mother, a teacher at a university in their hometown of Dakar, told him to never stop working.
"You've got people out there who get up in the morning and they don't have enough to eat all day," said Diop, who will return to Dakar after the season and participate in youth basketball camps. "I have so much pride in myself and I knew I could help somebody. I knew I could play the game. I just needed a chance."
A change has gotta come
With his contract expired, Diop wanted a change. His limited playing time, however, didn't provide much scouting material. Seattle, New York and the Mavs were his only suitors.
So Diop took control of his own future. Two days after the 2004-05 season ended he moved to New Jersey to train.
"I had two trainers," Diop said. "One working out in the morning for basketball and one in the afternoon for conditioning."
The 7-footer shed 40 pounds, dropping from 310 to 270, and increased his quickness and agility. In free agency, Dallas had a leg up because of Diop's relationship with Mavs director of scouting Amadou Gallo Fall, also a Senegalese native. Fall discovered Diop at age 15 and assisted his move to Oak Hill.
"Nobody could have anticipated that his losing 40 pounds would make this transformation possible in such a short period of time," Mavs assistant coach Del Harris said. "And the beauty of it is, what you see now, we think is the beginning of greater things to come."
First, Diop will use his long arms to try and contain Shaq as much as possible without fouling his way out of the series.
"I have to stop the dumb fouls," Diop said. "But, if he's got position, I'll foul him hard and make him get the two points at the free-throw line."
Diop set career highs in every statistical category this season and in the playoffs he's increased his regular-season averages in minutes played, rebounds and points.
"I'm just a huge fan, not just because of a personal relationship, but as a player and a human being," Fall said. "He has unbelievable character. He is going to do everything he is asked to do. You combine that with all the physical tools and..."
Shaq-Daddy, meet the new and improved Big Sag.