Dalembert has mixed feelings about trade, but ready for Sacramento

THIS HAD BEEN going on for more than a year, maybe close to 2 years. The 76ers and the Sacramento Kings would talk about a trade involving Samuel Dalembert, but they could never come to an agreement.

For a time, Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski laughed and described himself as "0-for-29" in talking to NBA teams about making a trade for the Sixers' center. There were times Dalembert wanted to go, upset with what he termed "inconsistencies." There were other times he would shrug and say he could be happy here.

But he was never totally happy, and neither were the Sixers.

It remains to be seen how happy all parties will be in the coming season. The Sixers, yesterday, sent Dalembert to the Kings for young center Spencer Hawes and rough-and-tumble 6-7 swingman Andres Nocioni.

To make the deal happen, the Kings had to pay the 15 percent trade kicker in Dalembert's contract, a payout of about $1.95 million. He will make a base of $13,012,823 next year plus the kicker.

"It's going to feel a little weird putting on a different jersey, but it's a fresh start, a chance to finally see what I'm made of," Dalembert told the Daily News on the phone from Florida.

He had played all of his 8-year career with the Sixers, for seven head coaches. He can run and jump, he can block shots, he can rebound, he can even hit a midrange jumper with some level of consistency. You could even make the argument that he was the team's most consistent player during the recently completed 27-55 nightmare. At the same time, he never developed a go-to post move and was rarely fully involved in the offense.

But Dalembert has no illusions about his career.

"There were times we were losing, times we were winning, times things were upside-down," he said. "There was always a new coach, a new system. But it can't be 100 percent because of the coaches. Somebody had to step up and take responsibility. There were times I wanted a new start with a new organization."

Sometime Wednesday, he began to hear things from Marc Cornstein, his agent, then from the Sixers.

"They let me know something was going on," Dalembert said. "I'm always skeptical, because I had heard these things before and, for some reason, it didn't happen and I didn't know what truly happened."

One thing he almost always heard: The trade kicker was an issue.

"Eventually, it wasn't 100 percent the trade kicker," he said. "This could have been done 2 years ago."

Kings president Geoff Petrie said the two sides began talking again "maybe 10-12 days ago."

"It was one of those things that probably smoldered off and on," Petrie said. "The last couple of days, we looked at each other and said, 'Do we want to do that?' "

It's likely that this one finally came together because 1) Dalembert has just 1 year remaining on his contract, and 2) Nocioni had been lobbying to move on, and neither the Kings nor Hawes were enthralled with each other.

"This is one time where you can say it makes sense for both sides," Cornstein said. "It makes a world of sense for Sacramento and for the Sixers. I totally get it. We've been talking about [something like this] for over a year. It's not like it came out of nowhere.

"At the end of the day, I'll remember Sam's time with the Sixers as mostly positive. He was there a long time. There were some down times, but I'm looking forward to seeing him expand his game and become even better. The earthquake in Haiti had a profound effect on him, but he has been very appreciative of everything. It's time for a change, and I only have positive memories. I'm very optimistic."

Dalembert, 29, said his initial reaction was: "It's like, wow, a fresh start, a team really wants me. I believe I can help [the Kings] tremendously. Philly never said 'You can really do this.' I never felt I had a chance to be the player I'm capable of being."

Petrie said the Kings were getting "a proven rebounder, defender and shot blocker who still has good years in front of him. We need him to come in and be part of the group and, hopefully, improve us in areas that have been a source of some concern."

"I had a great conversation with him," Petrie said. "He's not ambivalent at all."

Petrie also said, "It's hard to find a player who addresses every need. In this case, it was both teams wanting change in different areas."

Dalembert averaged 8.1 points and 9.6 rebounds this season, playing in all 82 games, starting 80. He started all 82 the previous three seasons and four of his eight seasons. He averaged 1.9 blocks in 582 career games, leaving with other career averages of 8.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 52.7 percent shooting from the floor.

"It's a mixed feeling," Dalembert said. "It's great, but part of me will always be in Philly. It's a mixture of happiness and frustration. Frustration when I think 'Why couldn't it work in Philly?' There was always that question. I'll never know the answer.

"I had told myself if [I'm staying in] Philly, I'll make the best of it. That's why I always kept my professionalism. I knew Philly was trying [to make a trade], but I didn't let it affect me."

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