A Little Love For Sam
Samuel Dalembert has been more productive recently for the 76ers than he's been getting credit for.
A Little Love For Sam
This is for all of you emailers and commenters (you know who you are) who have gone to great lengths this season to bust on Samuel Dalembert.
And, OK, there have been enough games when he has been a total puzzle, not just to you and me, but to the 76ers. His offensive game has all but disappeared for long stretches. He and Elton Brand seemed to struggle to find ways to complement each other. But he has also had 12 games of at least 10 rebounds. And he has also been their leading shot-blocker.
And lately . . .
He deserves some props.
Over the last four games, he has blocked 14 shots, taken 27 rebounds and scored 20 points. His early one-on-one defense against Greg Oden last night was a big factor in the 100-79 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. By all accounts, Oden did a nice job establishing himself early in the post Monday night, helping the Blazers win in Chicago.
Dalembert, who has started every game for two seasons-plus, finally figured out that if he was going to play fewer minutes he had to find a way to make a quick contribution.And as rookie Marreese Speights began to come on, and as the veteran Theo Ratliff emerged as a situational defender, Dalembert's minutes were definitely going to go down. And they could go down again as Brand returns from the inactive list, probably playing some center when they go ''small.''
''I just realized what was going on,'' Dalembert said. ''My time got limited. I just try to start the game, find a way that I can contribute and do the things I usually do in a longer period of time. (Fewer minutes can) make it very difficult to quickly (have) an impact on the game. I didn't want to point fingers or say anything, I just (felt) if I'm going to play 18 minutes, if I'm going to play 20 minutes, this is what I'm going to have to do, try to make an impact very quickly, before I get back on the bench.''
His 30 minutes against the Blazers were the most since the 32 he played in the Dec. 23 blowout loss in Boston. But he was a real factor in this one, guarding the paint, blocking three shots and taking 9 rebounds. He had four blocks each against Atlanta and Charlotte, and three against Milwaukee.
His preference is to defend one-on-one, rather than depending on a teammate coming to double.
''When I've got a guy who's going to be touching the ball a lot on the post, I want to make my job a little easier,'' he said. ''I don't want to go out there and let the guy get too comfortable, or before you know it we'd be (in) for a long night . . . Since we struggle as a team to really keep guys in front of us, the last thing I want is for a full (defensive) rotation, somebody coming to double-team and help me out, and I will start running all over the place.''
Neither Oden mor LaMarcus Aldridge nor Joel Pryzbilla did much offensive damage for the Blazers. Tomorrow night, though, could be very, very different with Tim Duncan posting up for the Spurs.
At the same time, no one is suggesting that Dalembert has been terrific or dominating. But let's be fair. He's been better than he has been getting for.
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Simple: Games are not won through the 5 position. The 5 guards, mops up, and defends somme more. Few exceptions in the league for that rule.— starman- LISTEN SAMS A GREAT GUY BUT HE IS NOT A TRUE CENTER MY OPINION IS THAT HE WOULD MAKE A GREAT POWER FORWARD.HES MORE SUITIBLE FOR USEING THE WHOLE FLOOR BECAUSE HES LONG INSTEAD UP TRYING TO POST UP OR DEFEND MOVEMENT TO ME IS HIS BEST ASSET I THINK HE COULD BE A BETTER PLAYER IF GIVEN THAT OPPERTUNITY SAMIR A PHILA FAN IN ADOPTED SANDIEGO DIE HARD FAN FOR LIFE— SAMIR
- I am glad Sam is adjusting to a new role. He is still a starter and he also realizes that he need to contribute asap by blocking rebounding and defending the paint. He needs to look forward to the next game and do his best. That is a good attitude he need to maintain without looking over his shoulder as he did in the past. I credit DiLeo for staying confident and managing the team as well as we can read the past 5 games. Sam will be fine and possibly re-energized for good. Remember as a confidence builder he is the 2d vote getter for C in the entire East after Howard.— titaneek1
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- Are Sammy Dalembert and LJ Smith the same person? I'm tired of waiting for either of them to fulfill their "upsides." "Over the last four games, he has blocked 14 shots, taken 27 rebounds and scored 20 points." Wow, an average of 3.5 blocks (that's good), 7 boards and 5 points per game...Springfield's calling, no doubt.— MG44
- Great Article guys! Hate in 08' is over! Time 4 a change Philly....Go Eagles Go Sixers!— titaneeksixer
- Next we're going to hear about the great series he had against the Pistons in '05.— joeyjoejoe
- Sam's been in the league for YEARS, often getting tutored by ex-NBA legends, and still has no offensive skills. It's unacceptable! What does he do every off-season???— tumasjam
- Phil...I would agree with you 100% if Sam was in the mid-level pay grade. However, he is getting paid handsomely and so, we expected so much more from Sammie (in the development area). He has so much potential and at times, plays like the 2nd best center in the East (per fan all star voting). But those performances are few and far between. Perhaps we have to come to the realization that Sam has reached the summit of his potential and will never improve on his game beyond what we are seeing now. If that is the case, either trade him or maybe...just simplify the game for him. He even admits himself that he gets confused with rotations. Try to keep the game simple for Sam and maybe then he can concentrate on playing the game (for example, like keeping his hands up and catching those sweet dump off passes he keeps dropping under the basket).— Fo Fo Fo
- Probably nobody is still reading this somewhat-outdated post, but I'll agree that sam does deserve some praise for his play lately - but it has nothing to do with his numbers. They are nice, but not really that impressive, especially when you realize that his rebounding total needs to be adjusted by -2 per game to account for the rebounds that he promptly turns over (by forgetting to keep the ball over his head, trying to handle it, or doing pretty much anything besides kicking it out). To come to the point, he deserves praise for adjusting to a more limited role. I forget which game it was, but he said in a post-interview that he was happy accepting this role (ie, none on the offensive end, short of the odd put back or lob) "as long as you dont blame me" if they lose. I'm perfectly happy with this pact. Fo Fo, i agree that his salary rankles in light of the strictly-defensive-role-in-limited-minutes, but i cant really hate on him for taking the case when BK gave it to him..hell, i would have too.— K,M
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Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
