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Erick Dampier is expected to resign with the Atlanta Hawks for the remainder of the season after his second 10-day contract with the club expired.
The Atlanta Hawks will also be without Erick Dampier for Wednesday night's game against the Golden State Warriors after his second 10-day contract with the club expired. By rule the Hawks must now either let Dampier go or resign him for the remainder of the season which they are expected to do as soon as Thursday.
Erick Dampier has yet to re-sign with the #Hawks (for the remainder of the season), but he is expected to sign a contract on Thursday.
— AT - HawksPRGuy (@HawksPRGuy) February 29, 2012
Dampier has appeared in six games with the Hawks totaling 30 minutes of playing time. He has 11 rebounds, one block and one steal on the season. Atlanta signed Dampier to help provide depth for its front court after both Al Horford and Jason Collins went down with injuries.
For more on Jason Collins and the Atlanta Hawks head on over to Peachtree Hoops.
According to a report by WSB's Zach Klein, the Atlanta Hawks are expected to sign center Erick Dampier to a second 10-day contract.
Nothing is official, but #hawks expected announce later C Erick Dampier will sign another 10-day contract
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) February 20, 2012
The news isn't terribly surprising given the Hawks current center situation. Al Horford is expected out for at least the remainder of the regular season and Jason Collins has a torn elbow ligament that will keep him out of action for the next 2-4 weeks.
Zaza Pachulia is the new starting center but the Hawks are extremely thin behind him with 6-foot-8 Ivan Johnson getting most of the minutes as the backup. Dampier was signed to add depth and some size to the front court. He appeared in four games with the Hawks playing 26 minutes.
For more on Erick Dampier and the Atlanta Hawks head on over to Peachtree Hoops. For more news and analysis from around the NBA check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.
Erick Dampier's 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks expired after the team's 97-77 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday night. Hawks coach Larry Drew told the Atlanta Journal Constitution before the game that he and general manager Rick Sund would meet on how to proceed.
The Hawks can either sign Dampier to another 10-day contract or for the remainder of the season. They also can choose to go in another direction and have been rumored to be interested in former Utah Jazz big man Kyrylo Fesenko. For what it is worth, Dampier expressed his desire to remain with the Hawks prior to Saturday's game.
"It's been great so far, it's a great group of guys. I think they are trying to mix in some experienced guys in with this team."
Dampier appeared in four games with the Hawks playing 26 total minutes. He totaled 10 rebounds, one steal and one block.
For more on Erick Dampier and the Atlanta Hawks head on over to Peachtree Hoops. For more news and analysis from around the NBA check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.
The signing of Erick Dampier, a 36-year old center last season on the Miami Heat's inactive list during the 2011 playoffs, is hardly the type of move likely to excite the Hawks fan base.
Never the most skilled player, Dampier made nearly $100 million in his NBA career because of his size and athleticism as an interior defender. But after sitting out the first two months of the season, it appears size is all he has left:
Erick Dampier looks to be pushing 300 pds. Larry Drew: "He's not in best of shape. Still, his size is presence in middle."
— Michael Cunningham (@ajchawks) February 9, 2012
As Drew alluded to, the only reason Dampier is on the roster is to take up space in a match-up with Dwight Howard, and hey, six hard fouls from a 6'11 300 pounder will probably hurt.
With a matchup with Dwight Howard looming, the Atlanta Hawks finally added some length to its front court by signing Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract.
The #Hawks have signed C Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract.#NBA
— AT - HawksPRGuy (@HawksPRGuy) February 9, 2012
Atlanta had been searching for some depth after injuries to Al Horford and Jason Collins left them with only one true center on their roster in Zaza Pachulia. 6-foot-8 rookie Ivan Johnson had been getting most of the minutes at the backup center position.
Atlanta travels to Orlando on Friday for the first meeting between the two teams since Atlanta eliminated the Magic in the first round of the playoffs last season. Dampier likely won't have to wait long to make his debut as he is sure to get his turn at trying to slow down Orlando center Dwight Howard.
For more on Erick Dampier and the Atlanta Hawks head on over to Peachtree Hoops. For more news and analysis from around the NBA check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.
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Atlanta Hawks Sign Erick Dampier For Rest Of The Season
In a move that isn't exactly sending shock-waves through the NBA, the Atlanta Hawks agreed to guarantee Erick Dampier's contract through the end of the season:
Dampier, after spending the first two months of the NBA's lockout-compressed regular season "staying in shape", was signed by Atlanta team desperate for size with Al Horford until at least the playoffs and Jason Collins still down for 2-4 more weeks.
While playing under two ten-day contracts signed over the course of February, the 36-year old center has averaged 0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6 games.
But despite his meager production, he's a 15-year NBA veteran who hasn't shrunk from his listed mark of 6'11 265. If Atlanta were to face Orlando in the playoffs, Dampier would be one of the only Hawks strong enough from preventing Dwight Howard from pushing him under the basket and dunking on him.
A starter on the Dallas Mavericks' 2006 NBA Finals team, Dampier is best known for dubbing himself "the NBA's second-best center" behind Shaq in the middle of the decade and Shaq's subsequent declaration after a poor showing in a 2005 playoff game that he was "playing like Erick Dampier".
Mar 01 4:02p by Jonathan Tjarks