Pretty much from the first week of the season on, informed —or perhaps just curious— Spurs fans have been clamoring for Dewayne Dedmon in the starting lineup instead of Pau Gasol, with their reasoning that the younger, bouncier Dedmon would serve as a better defensive anchor than the aging Gasol, who’s more of an offensive specialist in his golden years. We’ve seen Dedmon play quite a bit instead of the veteran Spaniard in certain match-ups, but the idea of displacing him in the starting lineup permanently was always a long shot.
To be fair to Gasol, the Spurs starting lineup as a whole has been pretty solid.