It might be possible to characterize Hasheem Thabeet as a poor man's DeSagana Diop, but that might be overrating Thabeet. Would anyone here be excited about acquiring Diop?
If not for Diop's overpriced contract, yes, I'd love to have him.
D.Diop would be a quality backup center for next season. Or a 20 minute a night starting center. Provide a real physical presence and very good defense. Solid rebounder and a strong screen-setter too.
-----------------------------------
D.Diop is a bad comparison for H.Thabeet.
Diop has much more physical strength and toughness + has a more refined defensive skill-set. Provides a real physical presence in the paint while Thabeet is more of a finesse defender at this point in his career and will likely never provide that type of presence inside.
Hasheem Thabeet, on the other hand, has superior quickness and agility and can cover much more ground defensively. He is still learning his trade on that end of the floor so the results are fairly mixed but there is great room for improvement with more experience.
Thabeet is also a much better offensive player than Diop is. He is more similar to a Tyson Chandler or a Sam Dalembert offensively. By that I mean, how effective a finisher they are around the rim + range of plays they are capable of finishing at the basket + how dangerous they are in a pick and roll with their quickness, length and leaping ability.
D.Diop, in terms of offensive ability, is more like a homeless man's Kendrick Perkins. Diop is Perk minus the post game, passing ability and finishing ability around the rim (yes, Perk is a much better finisher than Diop). Plus, with his size at 7-1 300lbs, he is a lane clogger for dribble penetration / cutters. He doesn't move well and is very stagnant offensively. Diop does set excellent screens though.