Golden State Warriors starting center Andris Biedrins was held out of Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers Monday night due to illness, pushing second year big man Ekpe Udoh into the starting lineup against guys like Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Udoh made the most of the opportunity, finishing the game with 19 points and eight rebounds, playing a huge role in the W's 104-97 victory.
But with the almost invisible performances that Biedrins has been putting up for over a season now, should Mark Jackson look to leave Udoh in the starting lineup full time, or keep him as part of the energetic and often effective 'dubstitutes?'
Golden State has a serous lack of depth in their front court without Kwame Brown, and Biedrins is their biggest body height/length wise. He's also arguably their least effective player, while Udoh brings energy on both ends of the floor, and has really been finding his offensive game as of late. Coach Jackson said he'll take his time before naming Udoh the starter but has played well enough to demand more minutes, and that Monday's performance was the "icing on the cake" of his improved play over the last month or so.
Ekpe banged his knee on Randy Foye's late in the game, but hopefully won't be a serious injury. If he's good to go, he could likely be the starter once more in Phoenix on Sunday. Here, Ekpe talks about his performance against the Clippers as well as his growing confidence thanks to Coach Jackson:
Staring or not, Udoh should be seeing his minutes continue to increase.
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