Center Position in Great Position - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

DubOverdose · 05-29-2006, 05:21 PM

Alright, think about it...Dampier isn't sniffing the court this series. Many fans might find reasons to be mad about this, but check it out- assuming everything goes according to plan and we make it to the Finals, we NEED Dampier to play big against either the Heat or the Pistons. He is one of the best Shaq defenders in the L and he had probably his best game of the season against the Pistons. Dampier WILL have fresh legs come time for Finals. Avery is also keeping Diop fresh. Diop, while playing a great game last night, wasn't brought in til after the 1st so that he'd be able to stay out of foul trouble and not get tired when the Suns are sprinting in the 1st Q. Diop also only logged 23 minutes. He too should have fresh legs for the Finals if everything goes according to plan.

Sorry for getting ahead of myself, but I realized the genius in benching Damp this series. Before I was just thinking about this current series, not long term. I even think Marquis not playing could be a plan for the Finals. Imagine bringing a starting calibur guard off the bench...that is completely fresh.

Day1MavsFan · 05-29-2006, 05:25 PM

On the other hand, if they lose the series it will look like idiocy.

Even if they beat the Suns, what if it goes six or seven instead of 4 or 5? Wouldn't a rested team be bettter than just two rested players?

dalmations202 · 05-29-2006, 05:59 PM

Damp is only on the bench because he has no one to guard this series. He isn't quick enough defensively to cover Diaw or TThomas out on the floor, and offensively he isn't good enough to make teams pay, so he just brings another defender into the paint.

Damp is a good player, but not the type player this series needs. The diversity of Damp, and Diop are a very good fit, and I would expect most of the minutes at C to go to Diop, Dirk, Van Horn, and I could even see DJ and Powell getting a few depending on the circumstances.

DubOverdose · 05-29-2006, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Day1MavsFan

On the other hand, if they lose the series it will look like idiocy.

Even if they beat the Suns, what if it goes six or seven instead of 4 or 5? Wouldn't a rested team be bettter than just two rested players?

I don't think Dampier can contribute enough in this series to have that effect.

DaMavsCom · 05-29-2006, 06:25 PM

Who is playing Damp going to rest? With Van Horn back they have some leeway there. Diop is only playing 30 minutes. That is more than he played in the regular season and earlier playoffs, but it is not 45 minutes a game.

Think about about having a completely rested Damp for the Finals, I think it would be a huge advantage for the Mavs.

MavKikiNYC · 05-29-2006, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaMavsCom

Who is playing Damp going to rest? With Van Horn back they have some leeway there. Diop is only playing 30 minutes. That is more than he played in the regular season and earlier playoffs, but it is not 45 minutes a game.

Think about about having a completely rested Damp for the Finals, I think it would be a huge advantage for the Mavs.

Yeah, but just imagine Shaq saying to Dampier: "The difference between rest and rust is U!"

orangedays · 05-29-2006, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DubOverdose

Alright, think about it...Dampier isn't sniffing the court this series. Many fans might find reasons to be mad about this, but check it out- assuming everything goes according to plan and we make it to the Finals, we NEED Dampier to play big against either the Heat or the Pistons. He is one of the best Shaq defenders in the L and he had probably his best game of the season against the Pistons. Dampier WILL have fresh legs come time for Finals. Avery is also keeping Diop fresh. Diop, while playing a great game last night, wasn't brought in til after the 1st so that he'd be able to stay out of foul trouble and not get tired when the Suns are sprinting in the 1st Q. Diop also only logged 23 minutes. He too should have fresh legs for the Finals if everything goes according to plan.

I don't agree with your point about Marquis (I'm inclined to believe that we've seen about as much of him as we ever will this run) but for the rest of it...

AMEN!

People have been humping the anti-Damp bandwagon like a dog in heat for the past few days and they seem to forget that once the Finals roll around, HAVING A LEGITIMATE CENTER WILL BE CRITICAL.

Solid post Dub.

DubOverdose · 05-29-2006, 07:47 PM

Ya, I wasn't sure about Marquis, but I figure Avery will at least try playing him to see if his extra bounce can do some magic for us.

grndmstr_c · 05-29-2006, 09:20 PM

Interesting stat about Damp. According to popcornmachine the Mavs were +14 in his on-court time in game 1. Perhaps Avery feels like he can only get away with playing a center for 16-24 mpg and would rather give the on-paper better option (the more mobile Diop) all those minutes than give two guys 8-12 minutes each, but it does sort of make you wonder if Damp is really so ill-suited to positively impact this series for the Mavs as some think.

DubOverdose · 05-29-2006, 09:52 PM

My Dampier stat of the night as the Heat are up 14 in the 4th quarter...close to going up 3-1

The Mavs are 4-0 against the Heat since we obtained Dampier.

mavsjunkie · 05-29-2006, 10:25 PM

Foot speed is the key. Damp has non.. He has no one to cover. If you play Damp this series, we are toast.

G-Man · 05-29-2006, 10:28 PM

I guess what AJ is really doing is trying to get KVH into some kind of playing rhythm. He has made a few decent plays but is clearly very rusty. But in spite of his missteps, we've won the games he's played in. He's started to contribute..Maybe soon he'll cease to be a liability. If he ever gets back to shooting well, he can be very valuable against MIA or DET. Maybe he can try backing up Dirk.

EricaLubarsky · 05-29-2006, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mavsjunkie

Foot speed is the key. Damp has non.. He has no one to cover. If you play Damp this series, we are toast.

and yet something he did somehow allowed us to outscore the Suns in the time he's played.

nashtymavsfan13 · 05-29-2006, 10:42 PM

He can't get back on defense quick enough, plus Diop is doing fine. If Diop and/or Van Horn started to struggle, Avery would adjust and possibly use Damp. But right now we are doing fine, and Damp is uneeded.

It's good he's getting rested up to be ready for Shaq.....

endrity · 05-29-2006, 10:45 PM

Well Shaq is looking good so Damp better be ready.