getting what we bargined for

by jacksastud on Nov 17, 2006 9:39 PM CST

Watching Damp myself for an extended period for the first time this season and looking at his contributions of late, i wonder where this has been the last two seasons. If he can consistantly take advantage of the double teams Dirk is getting and the the easy put-backs he will get on the offensive rebounds... its scary what this team can become. I tend to agree with certain media outlets that we lack a slasher, the kind of guy that can drive the lane with nuthing more than his pure athletic ability and either get a momentum changing dunk/lay-up or at least draw contact and gets some free shots. I like this teams chances of making another deep run in the play-offs, but still feel we need that slasher(a jason richardson-desmond mason type). Stackhouse is good, not great in this area. Harris will be good, but needs to start nailing more jump shots if anything is to be nit-picked. All that being said, i am kinda questioning the Daniels-johnson trade. I understand the need the need to dump salary in order to lock up JET and dirk. what i dont understand is the contract he signed in the first place. But after seeing the other half of that trade(anthony Johnson), i wonder out loud about that trade. Where we that hard up for a third point man that we take a guy that cant shoot, hit a lay-up in the open court, or even show a minimal amount of athletic prowess? He seems adequate on defense and at handling the ball, but should not being seeing significant minutes in any situation other than injuries requiring him to. Now that i have that rant out of me i feel a lot better....

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Dampier

I think it's pretty safe to say that he won't be shooting 67% from the field all year. That's unsustainable. That, along with his comical assist rate, makes his offensive strategy obvious even if you've never seen him play: he waits under the basket for a dunk every time possession. I didn't think it was possible to halve the .6 assists per game he averaged last year, but he's doing it so far.

Really, the field goal percentage is the only area in which he's been better. His rebound and block rates are almost exactly the same as they were, as his foul rate and awful free throw shooting. The only other significant change is that his turnover rate has skyrocketed, which I'm hoping is only due to the small sample size.

by Ian Miller on Nov 18, 2006 1:36 PM CST reply actions

You make some good points

But I don't think the Dampier optimism is unwarranted.

Coming into the season there was all the talk that he was having his best training camp ever and looked the best he ever had in a Dallas uniform. Last nights game was better than any he had last season and his game against the Bulls would be on the list as well.

It might just be two games but it might be a trend as well.

by Wes Cox on Nov 18, 2006 6:04 PM CST up reply actions

the real reason for the optimisim....

Is the fact that he his in fact only taking advantage of his open looks caused by all the attention Dirk, JET, and Stackhouse are drawing. It is inevitable that Eric will draw some of the ettention that is going to dirk in the form of double-teams and such. At that point, u just hope that Dirk does what he has show that he has been capable of in the past... nailing open looks. The other thing i am really encouraged about is the fact that over the last season or so(including this season) is that dirk is accepting the double teams and attention and becoming a passer. This will be the key to him making a true run at an MVP season. When a guy like him is not only a player that gets his 28 and 10 every nite, but also makes the other players around him better by gettin them the ball with open looks(Eric Dampier).... thats when u consider them as being the amongst the most valuable players.

by jacksastud on Nov 19, 2006 10:24 PM CST reply actions