一篇关於 Dampier 的好文章。^^ http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~10835~1787326,00.html Center Dampier comes up big after front-line mates go down OAKLAND -- It's time to stop complaining about the apathy on his face. It's time to stop picking nits about what he can't do. It's time to stop staring at his ghastly white stockings. It's time, finally, to get off Erick Dampier's case. No more whining about his contract, because he has grown into it. No more moaning about his attitude or his work habits, because they have improved. Dampier, formerly the No.1 whipping boy of Warriors fans everywhere, sometimes deservedly, has moved into the upper tier of NBA centers. He's easily in the top 10, and if he continues the way he's going, he'll glide into the top 5. While part of this has to do with the overall quality of the position, most of it is Damp. He's consistently doing what you'd want your center to do. No, he's not Shaquille O'Neal. Nor is he what Yao Ming will become. But Shaq aside, no classic center in the NBA is giving his team any more production than Damp is giving the Warriors. The closer you scan the NBA, the better Dampier looks. Tim Duncan, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace and Pau Gasol are power forwards. Alonzo Mourning ain't what he used to be. Neither is Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Or Vlade Divac. Or, for that matter, Dikembe Mutombo. Chicago's Eddy Curry and Cleveland's DeSagana Diop are babies. Minnesota's Michael Olowokandi is more athletic than Damp, but he's less effective. Utah's Greg Ostertag? Washington's Etan Thomas? Jake Voskuhl in Phoenix? I'll take Dampier, all 6-foot-11, 265 pounds of him, over these stiffs 99 nights out of 100. I certainly would have taken Damp on Sunday, when he waged a rather lonely, heroic battle against Portland's imposing, athletic front line -- and somehow willed the Warriors to a 78-72 victory at the Arena. While the Blazers don't start a true center and don't have much of one coming off the bench, their tendency to play three power forwards is in some ways more challenging for a man in Damp's predicament. On one side of Dampier was Cliff Robinson, who is 6-10 and weighs 240 but spends quite a bit of time out near the arc. On the other side was Mike Dunleavy, who is 6-9 but lacks the makeup -- or at 230 pounds tops, the body -- to wage war with the titans. The two players expected to provide the muscular assistance, power forward Troy Murphy and backup center Adonal Foyle, were sitting on the sideline in street clothes, as they have all season. So it was up to Damp to deal with Zach Randolph (6-9, 256). And Dale Davis (6-11, 250). And Rasheed Wallace (6-11, 255). "I kind of like it that way," Dampier said, a sly grin crossing his mug. "I know I'm going to be out there and I know I'll get a chance to do the job." Dampier, who entered the game averaging 12.8 points and a league-leading 13.8 rebounds per game, did what he has been doing all season. He fought for rebounds, scratched for loose balls, hustled on defense. He played 41 minutes, finishing with 11 points and 17 rebounds -- his league-high 12th double-double in 13th games -- with two blocked shots. The Portland trio outrebounded Damp, combining for 23, but it took them a cumulative 99 minutes. Though Damp shot poorly (3-for-11), his tenacity was evident, despite the fact he was whistled for only one foul. At one point in the third quarter, after a fierce, protracted battle in the paint, Damp earned a standing ovation. Earned it through sheer relentlessness. "That felt great," Dampier said, aware of those days when he was the subject of catcalls. "It's just a confidence-builder for me. It makes me feel good to know that they appreciate what we're trying to do." To reiterate and emphasize, Dampier worked and worked and worked, rebounding and shooting and rebounding and shooting until he was hacked by one of the six arms waving at him, stopping play and compelling fans to rise in appreciation. Of course, he missed both free throws. Still, coach Eric Musselman called it "the turning point in the game." "It really gave us extra energy and some extra momentum," Musselman said. Damp? A source of energy? A motivator? "Hey, my body feels great," he said. "We've got some new players, some new faces, guys who have been in the playoffs and a lot of other big games. "Plus, I know I'll have to play at least 30 minutes. And that's the best feeling. When I'm out there, I know I'll be out there for a while, as long as I'm working." It's as if losing Murphy (6-11, 245) and Foyle (6-10, 270) has forced Damp to unleash his inner beast. He's the team's only legitimate "big." "Troy would be playing 30-plus minutes and (Foyle) would play 20-plus," Musselman said. "That's 50-something minutes from that spot that's gone. Cliff is playing more minutes than we had envisioned and Damp is, too. But now somebody has to steal his minutes, because he has earned the right to play more than half the game." Dampier, 29, has become the center the Warriors hoped they were getting when they acquired Dampier for an aging Chris Mullin back in August 1997. "I think this is something I could have been doing for all the time I've been here," Dampier said. "It was a matter of me getting my confidence and getting my minutes on the floor." Understand, he's not the perfect center. He could see the floor better; an assist for Damp is a treasured rarity. He could cut down on the turnovers, too. As it is, he's the best rebounder in the league. He's shooting 50 percent. He's averaging nearly two blocks. He's playing heavy minutes, and loving it. Part of the credit for the elaborate production that is the New Damp goes to assistant coach Keith Smart, who has established a relationship with the big man. There is, also, the influence of credible veterans like Nick Van Exel and Calbert Cheaney and Robinson. Most of the credit, though, falls squarely in front of Dampier's size 16 Nikes. And to think, not all that long ago, who would have thought? --

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