Ex-lax Factor

OK. Diaw sucks. For the last season + 18 games there has been nothing but excuse after excuse for why Diaw is under-performing. The funny thing is, we had the same complaints about him his first year. We just forgot all that because he did so well against Dallas in the playoffs. The only reason he did that well was that we were down to six players, so he had no choice but to be aggressive. It's no coincidence that the only times he's played well this season were when Raja was out with injury and Amare sat down with foul trouble.

Diaw has all the talent in the world, but he has no desire to use all of it. He's never comfortable shooting (from the field or the free throw line), he's afraid of contact, he doesn't hustle (that game where he got those two offensive rebounds in a row...the ball bounced right to him off the rim, he never went after it), and he seems to believe that he's the best passer on the team. Who in this league would pass a ball handed to them by Steve Nash? Only Boris is dumb enough to do that because he seems to think that a longer shot is a better shot.

I don't care that it's ironic that anyone would be complaining about a guy who passes too much in a league built on selfish play. The truth, as I see it, is that Boris is being just as selfish by looking for the assist, which is obviously more valuable to him than points. He always passes because he wants that stat. It means something to him - so much so that he turns down perfectly good shots to try and get the assist.

I only remember two of his plays from last night against Indiana.

1. The refusal to get on the floor and grab a loose ball that had Mike D'Antoni yelling at him got him benched. Thank god for that, because D'Antoni's been apologizing for Diaw far more than any coach should defend any player not named Steve Nash.

2. In the third quarter, with the shot clock winding down and Indiana making a run, Diaw received the ball just below the elbow on a feed from Nash. Instead of taking the shot with four seconds left on the clock, he passed it to the three point line where Leandro Barbosa (who was 2-8 shooting at the time) had just stopped, forcing LB to rush the long ball as the clock expired. Not surprisingly, he missed, and Indiana got the rebound.

Diaw's play comes across as arrogant, as well as fearful. That is the only consistency about him, and it's time that D'Antoni recognizes his mistake and benches Diaw indefinitely, just as he's done with Marcus Banks. Diaw is hurting the team's offensive rhythm and on-court chemistry.

As a fan, I'm fed up. I just can't take the excuses or the frustration anymore. I don't have a lifetime supply of Maalox at my disposal, so I'd just as soon turn off the TV when Diaw steps onto the court, as I had to last night when the Suns coughed up the lead in the fourth quarter. I can live with poor shooting nights from Leandro, Raja, and Shawn, especially when Stoudemire explodes for 42 points. The rest of the team proved efficient through the trio's cold spells, shooting 62.3% when taking away the combined 12-38 shooting of the Streak Squad.

Those three were still aggressive, which is all it takes to get defenders to pay attention to a player. When it comes to Diaw, though, the Suns may as well be playing four on five because everyone in the entire arena knows that he won't shoot it, even when he's wide open.

It's time for the excuses to end. He's had a year to figure out how to play with Amare. He's had a year to get in shape. And he's had ample time for his ankles to heal. If I were a lower bowl season ticket holder, maybe these words would carry more weight - I do not want to see Boris Diaw in a Suns uniform again until I can be assured that he will put forth 100% effort in helping this team win every time the Suns take the court.

My hands have become blistered from hanging so closely to the frayed end of the rope for so long, and I'm letting go.

Boris was supposed to be the Suns' X-factor because he brings so much versatility to the team. But X is a variable that cannot be known until the equation has been solved, and he has already proved not to be the correct answer. Whatever he can bring, he won't. Whatever he should do, he doesn't. His on-court attitude is far too laid back, even by Arizona standards.

Boris Diaw is not the answer. He is the Unifying Theory of professional basketball - great if anyone could actually solve it, but nothing more than a really big headache for anyone who attempts to tackle the problem.

Forget the Maalox. I need some Tylenol.