Ike Diogu, 27,  is one of the better players in ASU history. In 2002-03 he was Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. Two seasons later, he was the conference’s Player of the Year. Drafted ninth by the Golden State Warriors in 2005, Diogu, a 6-foot-9 forward, just finished his fifth NBA season.

He missed the  2009-10 season with a knee injury. Last year, he played 36 games for the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds.  He has career averages of 6 points and 3.1 rebounds.

Diogu recently was named spokesperson for the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help’s “Books for Africa” campaign. IFESH wants to ship 200,000 donated books to Africa this year.

I recently spoke with Diogu for a few minutes by phone.

Let’s start with Books for Africa. Why’d you get involved?

“My family’s from Nigeria, and one of the area’s that’s in badly need of supplies is the Imo state, which is where my family is from. I don’t ever like to forget my roots. Really, most of my family is still in Nigeria, aside from my parents and brothers, so I just want to help in any way I can.”

What will your role be?

“Just getting the word out as well as donations here and there, and speaking to different groups about what we’re doing.”

You’ve been in the league for a while now, and you’ve had your share of injuries. How are you holding up? 

“I’m feeling really well. I’ve had a few setbacks.Unfortunately, I missed the whole 2009-10 year with microfracture knee surgery. But for me, it’s all about being in the right situation. I had some good games last year when I got that opportunity, just like I have throughout my career. So I think things are on the up and up. I’m just really looking forward to this year to keep making that jump.”

Some players are considering playing overseas during the lockout. Is this an option for you?

“It’s a smart-business decision to think about it. The high profile players like Deron Williams and Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard are looking at it. I think there are going to be a lot of opportunities over there, at the same time you never know how long this thing is going to last. I don’t think you can close any door just yet. Everything right now is 50-50. Certainly,a player would benefit from playing over there so whenever the season does start you can just step right into it.”

You’re also a free agent. Does that kind of put your life on hold right now?

“It does and it doesn’t. Unfortunately, the lockout happened at a really bad time. This would be a free-agency period that I’d definitely be looking forward to. Hopefully, they’ll get an agreement sooner or later and hopefully no games are lost.”

Jahii Carson, an incoming freshman at ASU, recently represented the United States in the U19 World Championship. You were the last ASU men’s basketball player to play for USA Basketball. What do you remember about the 2003 Pan-American games?

“That was after my freshman year. It was pretty fun, just to have a chance to travel internationally. We went to the Dominican Republic, which is a beautiful place. It was definitely a learning experience. You get to see all kinds of different people. Competition wise, you’re playing against men. You’re not playing against kids. You’re playing against the best of the best from the other countries. Anytime you’re playing against that kind of competition, you’re going to get better.”

Follow me at Twitter.com/DougHaller.

Saturday, July 23, 2011 at 06:54 AM

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The 76ers and Golden State Warriors have discussed a swap of swingman Andre Iguodala for shooting guard Monta Ellis. The potential trade is a straight-up swap because the salaries of the two players match closely enough that no other players need be involved.

Although there is no indication from any source that this deal is imminent, this is a trade that – if done – would be executed sooner rather than later. The timing of this trade is important because the Warriors’ draft strategy (they hold the No. 11 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft) would be altered if the trade were executed as stated above. The 2011 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23, but almost all NBA teams are currently in the process of working out draft prospects. For the Warriors, trading their starting shooting guard would, by all accounts, require them to shift focus in the draft.

Again, this trade is not in its final stages, but there seems to be motivation to get it done – if it is to be executed at all – in the next 10 days. One factor to consider is Golden State’s recent hiring of head coach Mark Jackson and whether his addition, and his input, will affect a trade discussion that was already in motion.

This trade makes sense for both teams because the Sixers need a consistent perimeter scorer, while the Warriors need size and defense on the perimeter to complement point guard Stephen Curry. Also of note, Curry and Iguodala played together for the USA in last summer’s World Championships.

In the first part of our Sixers 2.0 series, which ran just over two weeks ago in the Sunday edition of the Inquirer, we outlined the scoring guards the Sixers would target in exchange for Iguodala. The No. 1 target on that list was Ellis – and for good reason. You can find that story here: Iguodala trade.

For the Sixers, the trade makes sense because they played the entirety of the 2010-11 season without a consistent scoring option from the perimeter. While second-year point guard Jrue Holiday blossomed, he is not yet an everyday scorer. In addition, starting shooting guard Jodie Meeks is streaky from the outside and Iguodala is more of a capable defender and facilitator than an all-star level scorer.

The drawback to dealing Iguodala is that the Sixers would be trading, by far, their best perimeter defender in exchange for a guy who stands 6-foot-X and is hardly known for his defense. The one thing to keep in mind with this swap is that it’s not an exact exchange in the starting lineup of Iguodala for Ellis. That is to say, Ellis would become the starting shooting guard, with Meeks moving to the bench. This would open up the starting small forward position, which would become a battle between Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young. So in essence, the Sixers are replacing Meeks with Ellis and Iguodala with either Turner or Young. They are not replacing Iguodala with Ellis.

If this trade were executed, it would leave the Sixers with a backcourt of Holiday, Ellis, and Turner or Holiday, Ellis, and Young.

–Kate

Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.

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