Heat Still Tinkering, Move Erick Dampier Into Starting Lineup

Filed under: Heat, NBA Rumors

MIAMI -- Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra slyly made no mention of it before the his team faced the Sacramento Kings in their first game after the All-Star break, yet there was Erick Dampier's name up on the overhead screen before tipoff. After the game and without any prompting, Spoelstra explained his decision to insert his third center after Joel Anthony and Zydrunas Ilgauskas into the starting lineup this season.

"It's certainly not an indictment on Zydrunas," he said. "He'd been playing well. This is something that's best for our team right now. At the end of the day I still think we are a three center team, and Erick will be our starter for now -- but you can best believe Zydrunas will have a role and I already know which teams he'll have a role against."

Back in the locker room after the victory in which he was the only healthy player to not enter the game, Ilgauskas spoke about his new reduced role in the rotation.

"I think we'll take it game to game depending on matchups and everything else," he explained. "(As a player) you've got to help your teammates, stay ready and that's about all you can do."

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/02/24/heat-still-tinkering-move-erick-dampier-into-starting-lineup/

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