Another Ex-Sun Could Reunite With D'Antoni

Please, tell me exactly what Boris Diaw is worth without Mike D'Antoni. I'll give you a hint, in Diaw's native language of love: rien. Maybe the Hawks, who drafted Diaw as an over-sized point guard, aren't the ideal place for any unconventional talent to be nurtured. And in Charlotte, his new home, Diaw will be expected by Larry Brown to do as much as possible to remake himself as a real big man, like one of those camps where they try to prove that sexual orientation is a choice.

But stick him with D'Antoni, and Boris becomes -- as we saw in 2005-06, when he was the league's Most Improved Player -- something rare and beautiful, a point center who plays with both verve and Gaelic cynicism. Right up D'Antoni's alley, for sure.

So it should come as no surprise that forces bigger than you, me, Brown, D'Antoni, or even Stern are conspiring to get Diaw back where he belongs: on a Mike D team. From The Daily News:

Boris Diaw and Raja Bell could be making a brief stopover in Charlotte before being rerouted to New York. The pair of former Suns, who also happen to be two of D'Antoni's favorite players, were sent to the Bobcats last week in a trade for Richardson and Jared Dudley. But according to a league official, Charlotte was pushing to get the deal finalized quickly because after 60 days - and right before the February trading deadline - they would have the option of combining Diaw and Bell in a trade, with the Knicks believed to be their final destination. The contracts of Diaw and Bell match those of Eddy Curry and Lee, a restricted free agent this coming summer

Brown and Curry never got along, and strangely, Eddy only put up big man numbers when Isiah ran the show. David Lee was one of the promising youngsters Brown refused to give adequate minutes to but he's older now, and likes to hustle, and if nothing else, could come off the books. I know, that's little consolation. But this is more about the fact that Diaw might as well be in Europe if he's not on the Knicks, and soon. Otherwise, his presence in the league is a charades.

It's not so different for Leandro Barbosa, who put the fast in the Suns, and practically depended on Mike's brother Dan D'Antoni to shepherd him through those first years in the league. And yeah, Barbosa was mentioned in trade rumors a lot at the beginning of the year, usually in tandem with Diaw.

It's almost like D'Antoni has some sort of eminent domain clause in his contract. One that, I think we'd all agree, is for the good of the league.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.