Advertisement - scroll for more content
If former NBA and Mississippi State star Erick Dampier and Karla McCullough have their way, a new development could transform South Jackson bringing visitors there from across the country. The plan is to redevelop 33 acres of the former Jackson Square Promenade on Terry Road into a work-stay-play area that focuses on sports tourism. When completed, the development, the Mississippi Athletic Center, would have 10 basketball courts that double as volleyball courts and 50 yards of turf that can be used for football, baseball and soccer. The entire development would cost $58 million. The MAC will be the anchor with small businesses and other opportunities for business surrounding the anchor.
Anthony Davis No. 44 in blocks now Moved ahead of Erick Dampier with 1,399 blocks. He’s now 4 away from Mark West
The following is an excerpt from "1996: A Biography – Reliving the Legend-Packed, Dynasty-Stacked Most Iconic Sports Year Ever" by Jon Finkel. The book is available now on Amazon. To borrow a song title from Green Day (the perfect mid-90s band), picks seven through 12 of the 1996 NBA Draft were a boulevard of broken dreams for NBA executives. They contain a collection of men that run the gamut from “solid pro” to “absolute bust” and no matter how defensible the selection was at the time, within 24 months it was clear that, to be blunt, these six franchises missed. This isn’t 2021 revisionist history. This is 1997-1998 near-immediate regret.
It’s one thing as a general manager to look in the mirror and know that taking Allen Iverson or Marcus Camby or Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Stephon Marbury or Ray Allen or Antoine Walker with one of the first six picks of the ’96 draft was the right basketball call at the time. They all made the ’96-’97 All-Rookie Team (1st or 2nd) and there were two bona fide Hall of Famers (Iverson and Allen) several all-stars (Abdur-Rahim, Marbury and Walker) and Camby was a 4x All-Defensive Team player.
It’s quite another thing to know that from the seventh through 12th picks, you took one of these half-dozen guys: Lorenzen Wright – L.A. Clippers Kerry Kittles – New Jersey Nets Samaki Walker – Dallas Mavericks Erick Dampier – Indiana Pacers Todd Fuller – Golden State Warriors Vitaly Potapenko – Cleveland Cavaliers Over Kobe Bryant. Or Steve Nash. Or Jermaine O’Neal. Or even Peja Stojakovic. That’s a clean 35 All-Star selections from picks 13 to 17 versus none from picks seven to 12.
Advertisement
Terry: My roommate was Erick Dampier, and Dirk's roommate was Darrell Armstrong. You can ask Dirk to this day -- that didn't work because Darrell doesn't sleep, and he couldn't get no rest. Those guys stayed up and watched TV all night. I don't know if that quite worked out. And mine was Damp, and Damp doesn't talk. So, here we were, trying to figure out how we were going to win Game 4 and we were in the room with guys who wouldn't rest or wouldn't hang out.
Cuban said he has no issues paying players such exorbitant salaries because that is the price of a championship. “What’s a championship worth?” he said. “I always look at it as a team. The biggest mistake people make in this business is they say this player is worth ‘X.’ That’s never the case. When you insert that player as one of 15, if he can increase the value of [the team], he’s cheap. “I remember back when we [acquired] Erick Dampier [in the middle of a $49 million contract] and everybody said we were idiots. Without that big body, we don’t go to the Finals, and we still should have won that Finals if it weren’t for three blind mice [i.e. the officials].”
Martin is one of many veterans — including Mike Bibby, Gilbert Arenas, Erick Dampier, and Troy Murphy — waiting for another NBA chance. According to an NBA source, the Celtics have considered bringing in Dampier for a look.
Michael Cunningham: #Hawks still expect to sign Erick Dampier today. Waiting on paperwork.
Marc J. Spears: Hawks sign center Erick Dampier for rest of the season, source says.
Advertisement
The Atlanta Hawks today signed center Erick Dampier to a second 10-day contract, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund. The 15-year veteran has appeared in four games for the Hawks this season, after signing his first 10-day contract on February 9, averaging 2.5 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.3 spg and 0.3 bpg in 6.5 mpg.
After using rookie forward as the backup to Zaza Pachulia for a week, the Hawks signed veteran Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract Feb. 9. He had played a total of 26 minutes in four games entering Saturday. After Dampier’s contract expires, the rules allow the Hawks to sign him for the rest of the season or sign him to another 10-day contract. Coach Larry Drew said he would meet with general manager Rick Sund after the Blazers game to make a decision.
Dampier, a 16-year NBA veteran, said he would like to stay with the Hawks. “It’s been great so far,” he said before the Blazers game. “It’s a great group of guys. I think they are trying to mix in some experienced guys in with this team.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement