Thoroughly outplaying Dampier and bringing some much needed defence to the Mavs. Simply has to start in Dampier's place come the next game.
I was glad when the Hawks didnt get Dampier during the rumors he was going to sign, or be signed and traded to them. I never have liked Dampier and I guess you could call me a 'hater' but it seems this guy does his best in contract years and his best isnt too great. Diop on the other hand is a player I really do like, I wish he had panned out in Cleveland I saw the game yesterday against Denver and he had like 10 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots in the first half if Im not mistaken, on any scale those numbers are good. Diop is playing well, and I agree with you guys, he should take Dampier's starting job.
Avery should be smart and put Diop in for a few games, to HOPEFULLY light a fire under Dampier, hes been playing uninspiring ball for two years now and the Mavs can't afford that.
It's an interesting thought, and if Diop can learn not to foul as much then it's a very legitimate thought.
Diop showed a lot of signs that he can do this in the PRE-SEASON, he came with at least 5 games with 4 blocks. Diop also had a game where he played like ten minutes and got 3 blocks. I dont know if he should replace him as a starter but a definite back-up positions, with split minutes should keep Dampier healthy, Van Horn healthy and Dirk healthy.
Its more than his bad hands, the inability to get good position under the basket, poor screens, lack of rebounding, or soft fouls. Its the respect of his teammates. if you watch them as a group you will notice their body language is more confident with diop in the game.
This is hilarious. Before the season, everyone thought I was nuts for saying that Diop was a great pick up! Anyway, there is no way that Diop should start for Damp. Diop LOVES the bench role. He's Havlicek-ian in that way. Some guys are just built for being garbage men and Diop is one of those guys. If the argument is that Diop is ready to start, he's just not ready enough. Not for a top-tier team in this year's west. He will continually improve and, as I said before the season, eventually have that Ben Wallace style down pat and will be highly sought in this league. If the argument is that Damp shouldn't be starting, the problem is that he's finally in a situation where he <u>should</u> be starting, for the first time in his career. He has the ability to smash 'em up in the post and Avery can bring it out in him. Hopefully more consistently by the All-Star break, but I digress. If Damp doesn't start at the center spot, Dirk certainly will. This comes from the fact that although Dag Dog is a huge element on the bench for Dallas (and if your fantasy centers are killing your team, Diop's 2+ blocks a game are probably still available), he's not the best reserve on the bench and they could fill any void by shifting starters and implementing Van Horn (inj.), Daniels, Stack (inj.), or Devin Harris. The real lesson here is that Diop COULD start for the Mavs in a crunch and he's not even the best reserve. How sound is this squad!
Oh how glad I am we got rid of Damp to you guys... I did not want to let him go, but I did not want to give him a huge contract either. At the price he wanted I was glad we got rid of him. He can be a good center. I just dont know what his deal is...
It is a thought, but letting Diop gives us that good defensive releif. This is oike the whole Marquis Daniels starting and Christie coming off the bench, who is better for the spot. If I were AJ, I would just keep Dampier starting, get grab some early rebounds, than bring Diop for a good stop on D.
lol DAMPIER ONLY PLAYS GOOD ON HIS CONTRACT YEAR, he gets lazy after he gets a huge contract good thing we didnt keep him
I'm glad you Warriors didnt keep him either. Now can you guys stop bothering us with your damn bantering. "Glad we didnt keep him" over and over again. Damps been to the playoffs, have your Warriors? Check my Signature line, we dont care what you think.
NO NO NO. Until Diop can actually score, Id sadly rather have him off the bench with his spark. Hes perfect where he is.
