<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>OKLAHOMA CITY ? On most occasions, starting lineups for an NBA exhibition game are like personality for a supermodel. Neither matters much. But the sight of Erick Dampier jumping center Tuesday night against the New Orleans Hornets was a clear sign that the battle for the starting spot in the middle of the Mavericks' lineup may be tilting in the 10-year veteran's direction. Going into training camp, coach Avery Johnson said he thought only one starting spot ? the guard position opposite Jason Terry ? was up for grabs. But that has changed with Dampier moving ahead of DeSagana Diop in the preseason opener, an 84-81 loss to the Hornets at the Ford Center. "Damp has been a monster in camp," Johnson said. "It's just one of those things where I had to start him." Johnson said Dampier has been better than Diop, which is why he's moved ahead of Diop in the rotation ? for the moment. When asked if the season began now, would Dampier be his starter, Johnson said.</div> LinkGoing into camp, everyone, including myself thought that Diop had the starting position locked up. Does anyone think that Damp will take it from Diop once the season begins? I personally don't think we should change it up even if Damp is playing great basketball. I think he'll play better off the bench for a few reasons. A)- He doesn't get into foul trouble early into games. -He ends up going against the 2nd unit center who is clearly not as good as the starting center and thus will play better against a less talented player. C)-With the 2nd unit he gets more touches than he does with the 1st unit. With the 1st unit he is the 5th option while with the 2nd unit he is more like the 2nd or 3rd option on the court. D)-I have always been a firm believer that it really doesn't matter who starts the game, rather who ends the game. I really wish I had the numbers to see how many 4th quarter minutes Damp and Diop play. This also is linked to reason A. He cant play in the 4th quarter if he is sitting on the bench due to foul trouble, now can he? Also, he has to play with too much caution if he has 4 or 5 fouls in the 4th quarter than he does when he plays with only 2 or 3. I really hope Avery keeps Diop in the starting center role this next season. Diop really plays well with that first unit those first 7 to 8 minutes of every game. He is out there not looking for his shot, rather looking to grab every rebound, set screens for scorers, play defense, and block shots. Just fits well with Dirk, Howard, and Terry.
Point B and D sort of bounce into each other and contradict their points. Like your saying you want Dampier playing against the 2nd unit but want him in the 4th quarter where most of the time, the opposing team's 1st unit will be on the floor. I'm all for the position change, if Dampier is playing better, he should get the nod over Diop. His achilles heal when he starts, has been the foul trouble. If Avery feels he can keep it down, then he should by all means start over Diop. I feel two starting spots are up for grabs, the off guard to Terry and the starting center position. Buck just got hurt in tonight's preseason(nothing serious I bet, he just fell badly in a trip up by Bibby). But I could definately see Anthony Johnson work his way before opening day as the starting pg. Harris really hurt himself imo with his hamstring issue already.
dallas doesn't really need an offensive center to be good, they could use a post up big man to slow down the game al ittle bit but they can still win without it
I think both of them are pretty much at the same level. I'd try to split minutes as much as possible, but I'd probably start Damp just because of his experience level.
I am going with Diop. He is much more active on the defensive end which Dallas needs and he gets along better with his teammates than Dampier.
