Second Best Center?
This from Marc Stein at ESPN.com's the Daily Dime:
"Second-best center in the West?
One month into the season, it's a pretty wild conversation.
You'd have to favor Denver's Marcus Camby at this point.
You'd likewise be wise to pay attention to that Amare Stoudemire kid in Phoenix, although the league's most famous microfracture patient is starting to show signs that his recovery just might put him back in contention someday for far bigger accolades than this one. (Anyone else notice that Amare's critics have suddenly gotten awfully quiet?)
However ...
Two names that have to be included -- names that wouldn't have been nominated by their own families when the season began -- are Golden State's Andris Biedrins and Dallas' Erick Dampier.
Biedrins has hyperbolic Warriors coach Don Nelson comparing the Latvian to Dave Cowens and calling Biedrins his best center since Bob Lanier ... and Biedrins' amazing start actually justifies some of that hype. His truly horrific free-throw stroke is an affront to lefties everywhere, but everything else looks great, with the energetic 20-year-old averaging 11.1 points and 9.8 rebounds, shooting 65.2 percent from the floor and impressing countless observers with his eye for passing and ability to catch all kinds of passes.
The best part? Biedrins wouldn't even be playing if Mike Montgomery were still coaching the Warriors. Team insiders note, furthermore, that Biedrins was always restricted to low-block duty on the rare occasions Montgomery did try him. Under Nelson, not surprisingly, Biedrins has been converted to a high-post center whose quickness and agility allow him to speed past bigger defenders and get to the rim.
Dampier regressed to the point last season that coaches and teammates stopped expecting anything from him. An improving DeSagana Diop was presumed to be this season's starter. But Dampier quietly worked out in August and September as hard as any Mav -- even running sprints with little guards, on occasion -- and just completed his best month since signing his regularly slammed seven-year, $73 million deal.
Even as the league's field-goal percentage leader (.690), and with seven double-doubles already compared to just four last season, Dampier will have to do this for more than a month to hush the skeptics and win back frustrated fans. History, furthermore, says he can't (or won't) keep this up. But Dampier really hasn't gotten enough credit for the offensive rebounding and shot-blocking he's supplied Dallas during its 11-game win streak, especially since no one was really expecting dramatic improvement even after his summer of hard work."
"Second-best center in the West?
One month into the season, it's a pretty wild conversation.
You'd have to favor Denver's Marcus Camby at this point.
You'd likewise be wise to pay attention to that Amare Stoudemire kid in Phoenix, although the league's most famous microfracture patient is starting to show signs that his recovery just might put him back in contention someday for far bigger accolades than this one. (Anyone else notice that Amare's critics have suddenly gotten awfully quiet?)
However ...
Two names that have to be included -- names that wouldn't have been nominated by their own families when the season began -- are Golden State's Andris Biedrins and Dallas' Erick Dampier.
Biedrins has hyperbolic Warriors coach Don Nelson comparing the Latvian to Dave Cowens and calling Biedrins his best center since Bob Lanier ... and Biedrins' amazing start actually justifies some of that hype. His truly horrific free-throw stroke is an affront to lefties everywhere, but everything else looks great, with the energetic 20-year-old averaging 11.1 points and 9.8 rebounds, shooting 65.2 percent from the floor and impressing countless observers with his eye for passing and ability to catch all kinds of passes.
The best part? Biedrins wouldn't even be playing if Mike Montgomery were still coaching the Warriors. Team insiders note, furthermore, that Biedrins was always restricted to low-block duty on the rare occasions Montgomery did try him. Under Nelson, not surprisingly, Biedrins has been converted to a high-post center whose quickness and agility allow him to speed past bigger defenders and get to the rim.
Dampier regressed to the point last season that coaches and teammates stopped expecting anything from him. An improving DeSagana Diop was presumed to be this season's starter. But Dampier quietly worked out in August and September as hard as any Mav -- even running sprints with little guards, on occasion -- and just completed his best month since signing his regularly slammed seven-year, $73 million deal.
Even as the league's field-goal percentage leader (.690), and with seven double-doubles already compared to just four last season, Dampier will have to do this for more than a month to hush the skeptics and win back frustrated fans. History, furthermore, says he can't (or won't) keep this up. But Dampier really hasn't gotten enough credit for the offensive rebounding and shot-blocking he's supplied Dallas during its 11-game win streak, especially since no one was really expecting dramatic improvement even after his summer of hard work."
posted by DailyDub at 11:58 AM
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