Where Have All the Minutes Gone?

Posted by Rob Mahoney on March 24, 2009 under Commentary | 4 Comments to Read

The center position is tricky for the Mavs.  Erick Dampier is effective in spots, but the bench lacks a go-to backup center with size for the situations when Damp isn’t bringing the funk.  As such, Brandon Bass, James Singleton, and Ryan Hollins are left filling in the void at center, the few minutes behind Dirk, and very rarely, at the 3.

All three give the Mavs something unique: Brandon Bass provides scoring and strength, James Singleton provides defense and rebounding, and Ryan Hollins provides size and athleticism.  But while they all have their own individual strengths, each is flawed in a way that prevents them from grabbing a stranglehold on the backup 5.  Rick Carlisle’ had to use some creativity in his rotations to get the most out of this bunch, and he doesn’t seem to have settled on any concrete rotation, even 70 games in.  Take a look at the minutes of each of the four centers on the Mavs roster charted over the course of the season:

Erick Dampier:

Brandon Bass:

James Singleton:

Ryan Hollins (minutes as a Maverick only):

More to come this week on concrete rotation vs. fluid rotation, but what do you guys think of this?  Singleton’s minutes have been especially troubling, considering that he’s done little to merit random DNPs or drops of 15 minutes or more.  Superficially, Bass’ minutes seem to be the most consistent of the bunch, while Hollins’ goes from contributor to benchwarmer by the day.

You are an enigma, Carlisle.  But I will solve you.