It boggles my mind that Mavericks Center Erick Dampier is not being fined by the NBA for his comments made postgame about Spurs Point Guard Tony Parker.

Dampier told the Dallas Morning News, “Every time he drives the lane, we have to put him on his back. The first foul has to tell him he’s in for a long night. My first foul Thursday night is going to put him on his back. I guarantee it.”

Hmm, that sounds like a Dampier is admitting that he is going to commit a flagrant two foul early in the next game. Maybe the NBA should slap him with a nice fine so he learns to shut is mouth and not have dirty intentions on the court.

Players get fined in sports for so much less in this day and age and when a player is talking about maliciously harming someone before it happens, then the league needs to take a stand to prevent further things like this from being said.

Maybe Dampier and the rest of his team should actually learn how to play defense and not let Parker penetrate every time the ball is in his hands.

What is really funny is that Dampier of all people made this comment. He is averaging 9.5 ppg and 7.5 rebounds in the postseason and is basically a non factor for the Mavericks. Maybe if a respectable Maverick like Jason Kidd or Dirk Nowitzki made these comments then it would have some more credibility, but wait, they are respectable players and would never say anything so stupid.

Dampier responded to all the media hype surrounding his statement by saying, “I probably shouldn’t have said it like that. Maybe the way it came out, it sounded bad. I’m just going to go out there and play the way I’ve been playing.”

Well that’s a nice little retraction from what you said earlier Erick. But have fun going out and “play the way you’ve been playing” because if you do that then you’ll only endure another 105-85 point spanking like in game two.

-Sam Gerb

Sam can be reached at sgerb@ut.edu