Importance of Erick Dampier
Taking a step away from the perpetual articles on the NBA Finals, I’d like to spread some love on one of the most hated Mavericks, Erick Dampier.
After averaging a surprising 12/12/2 season in 2004 with the Warriors, Dampier was a hot commodity in the free agent market – teams such as the Knicks and Grizzlies were fighting over him. Ultimately,
Dampier was hailed as the first great center for
The Mavericks then signed supposed-project DeSagana Diop in the hopes he could turn into a serviceable backup. Midway through the season, Diop replaced Dampier in the lineup (and
Looking at his stats, he seems worthless. Why pay a big guy $8 million a year to play 23 minutes and score a measly 5 points and grab 8 rebounds? Luckily, there’s more to basketball than statistics. Dampier boxes outs, and rebounding has been one of
Everyone who’s watched a single Mavericks game this year knows the most relayed stat in the NBA, the Mavericks are 25-0 when Josh Howard scores over 20 points. Well here’s an interested stat,
Since Erick Dampier arrived here, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks are having two of the best seasons in franchise history. Nowitzki has established him as one of the best in the league partly due to the ability of Dampier. Damp allows Dirk to roam the perimeter which helps the defensive matchups. He keeps defenses honest and forces opponents to guard the Diggler with a power forward since he is capable of scoring. He creates space on offense for teammates who drive, something the Mavericks have relied upon since Johnson became coach. Another great thing about Dampiers game is his improved offensive rebounding, he consistently allows
His defense is relatively astounding as he can mark the premier centers in the league (to a certain extent). But most importantly, he can play Shaquille O’Neal as good as any other big man in the league. His fast paced footwork and huge frame provide the basics for stopping one of the most dominant players ever, who hates to admit it, but knows Damp can do a good a job as anyone against him. Since Dampier’s arrival in
Someone reading this article may think he urinates holy-water the way I’ve been raving on about him – but he’s not. There’s a reason he was relegated to the bench and there’s a reason he’s one of the most hated players in Dallas – he can’t hit his freethrows (on the bright-side, at least he did not go 1-9), his offensive repertoire is redundant (at least he has one, Diop) and he picks up ticky-tack fouls which generally set the Mavericks off for a sub-par game. He only played in 2 games in the