"You know that TV commercial where your problem gets fixed by pushing a big, red Easy Button?

Boris Diaw is becoming the Charlotte Bobcats' Easy Button.

The problem all season has been scoring; they're last in the NBA in that category by a wide margin. But in the five games Diaw has played here, the Bobcats average about eight more points and shoot 3.5percentage points better.

It's not just what Diaw does (post scoring, 3-point shooting and creative passing), it's what he represents: His willingness to pass seems infectious, and addressed the Bobcats' greatest need.

Coach Larry Brown never saw his team's scoring limitations as a lack of scorers. Rather, he felt the ball-movement was so poor, his players seldom created easy shot opportunities for each other.

"I think, since I've been here, the biggest concern I've had is we settle for jump shots," Brown said. "That started changing a couple of weeks ago when we really started playing (point guards) Raymond (Felton) and D.J. (Augustin) together. Before that, we didn't have much dribble penetration and Emeka (Okafor) wasn't a post threat.

"Now we have a third ballhandler (in power forward Diaw) and that has changed us a little bit - we understand we don't have to live by the jump shot."

Considering he was thrown into this mix on the fly (he started his first game here without a full practice), Diaw's impact has been dramatic. He's averaging 16.8 points and 4.2 assists and shooting 53percent from the field. And those numbers don't convey the full Diaw effect: Often his passes are of the hockey-assist variety - the pass that leads to the pass that leads to a layup.

It says something that the Bobcats' scoring rose dramatically despite giving up their best scorer, Jason Richardson, in the trade with Phoenix.

"He so spreads the defense out because of the way he can create," said forward Gerald Wallace. "He can rebound, he can run the break, he passes on the break. That puts so much pressure on the defense.""