I wonder if Sam has been Doc's first choice all along but went to House because Sam's back was hurting him to the point of not being able to play. So Sam took 3 games off and Eddie did well but if now Sam is feeling better he will once again get the minutes.
Just a theory.
Sam was the first choice coming into the playoffs. I don't know if that's changed. But Doc didn't sit him because of his back, or else he would have said so to media. Sam had become a defensive liability and Doc said as much. Couple that with not hitting shots (among other things), I think it became painfully obvious to Doc that he had to sit Sam and use Eddie.
I don't know what to make of Sam's statements. Doc must have spoken to Sam about Eddie playing the remaining two games against Cleveland but I doubt Doc assured him of minutes in the next series regardless. My take is that it's just Doc massaging Sam's ego and Sam may have misinterpreted whatever Doc said to him. Thing is, Sam talks a lot and he talks about what he wants--in this case, getting his minutes. I generally don't have a problem with him saying things but not when it handicaps the team.
Doc should now have a better handle on the Sam/Eddie thing, having seen both play in these playoffs. Personally I cannot advocate playing Sam over Eddie anymore when our biggest problem this postseason has been offensive execution. When I see Sam running point, I'm not seeing the offense that's gotten us the best record in the regular season. It's transformed too often into one that comes down to whether Sam's making shots or not. I was hoping Sam get more integrated as he gets to play more games but it's not just happening.