Spurs' Dewayne Dedmon: Expected to head back to bench

Pau Gasol (finger), not Dedmon, is listed as the Spurs' starting center for Friday's game against the Clippers, Paul Garcia of Project Spurs reports.

Analysis:

Gasol appears to have fully recovered from a fractured finger on his left hand that sidelined him for 15 games, and after the big man was able to practice without any complications earlier this week, it appears coach Gregg Popovich has no qualms about moving the veteran back to his normal starting role. While Gasol figures to see the majority of the playing time at center, Dedmon may have made a compelling enough case to eat into his workload through his strong play over the last six games. During that span, Dedmon averaged 8.0 points (on 71% shooting from the field) and 11.7 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per contest. He'll continue to offer a more defensive-minded alternative to the more offensively-inclined Gasol.