18 games into the season we have a pretty decent sample size of Sam Dalembert as a Houston Rocket. He looks to be rounding nicely into basketball shape. Prior to signing the Bear this board was basically split on whether to sign him or not. We debated his value vs. the value of signing someone like Tyson Chandler. Most thought Chandler to be far superior, some thought the Bear bought most of the same things that Tyson did but not quite as good while others thought it was basically a wash. The detractors claimed that: - He was overweight and out of shape - He was a liability on offense - He had a Low basketball I.Q. - He did not have the good intensity on the court - He blocked shots but did not play good defense - He was foul prone - He took bad shots on offense - He was not a good locker room presence I think it’s fair to say that Sam has been a surprise of some degree to all of us, certainly including me. Sam has dispelled all of those negative perceptions up to this point. I don’t think anyone can claim he has not had a monster influence on our defense in the paint. He is a defensive rebounding and shot blocking machine. At the very least he is a huge bargain with the contract that Daryl Morey signed him at when compared to the contracts of guys like Darko Milicic, Kwame Brown and even Tyson Chandler. Even though a lot of posters did not want Sam, most posters wanted Tyson Chandler even though both have almost identical career numbers and are the same age. Per Game Stats Code: Season Age G GS MP FG FGA FG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS 2011-12 30 18 11 25 3.6 6.5 0.556 1.7 1.9 0.912 3.4 5.4 8.9 0.4 0.6 2 1.5 2.5 8.9 Career 680 548 26.1 3.3 6.4 0.521 1.4 2.1 0.702 2.7 5.6 8.3 0.5 0.5 1.9 1.5 3.1 8.1 Per 36 Minute Stats Code: Season G GS FG FGA FG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS 2011-12 18 11 5.2 9.4 0.556 2.5 2.7 0.912 5 7.8 12.8 0.6 0.9 2.9 2.2 3.6 12.9 Career 680 548 4.6 8.8 0.521 2 2.8 0.702 3.7 7.8 11.5 0.7 0.7 2.6 2.1 4.3 11.2 Per Game Stats as a Starter This Season Code: GS MP FG% FT% TRB AST BLK STL TOV PF PTS 11 29.8 0.557 0.913 10.9 0.6 2.2 0.7 1.8 2.7 10.8 So how do you like him now? After 18 games has he won you over?
I see energy, hustle, defense and leadership. I don't see how anyone can hate on this signing from an on court, win-now perspective. His rebounding in particular has really impressed me. I was happy when we got him, finally a legitimate presence in the paint who is demanding more respect with each game. I was expecting a 15-20 minutes of some good defense and some put back buckets. Dude is dropping 15-18 footers and moving well off the ball, not to mention making a meal of the glass. I hope his quality play continues. A players intensity, desire to win and play their hardest shouldn't be questioned as often as it is in this league, it's almost as if it's a skill instead of a prerequisite. The Rockets are fortunate to have players who give it their all right now (Scola, Lowry, Parsons), and Bear is in that group. It's a pleasure to watch them leave it on the floor. Win or lose.
I didn't have a strong feeling one way or the other, but have been won over for sure. It's a shame we didn't have someone like him 5 years ago. Heck, even 3 years ago when we took the Lakers to 7 games. Considering the contract he signed, fantastic move. If they can't get a Dwight type player, and refuse to "tank", which, then the team needs to add an all-star to the starting lineup and have a deeper, better bench, and hope for some deep playoff runs. Dalembert is a great center for that strategy.
good post crash5179. I didn't really have a take. I remember loving him a Philly, but hadn't seen him enough lately to have an educated opinion. Still, I am amazed at his play. I like him.
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He's showing all of us what we've been missing, the effective big man in the post. I'm surprised, and not afraid to admit it, at just how good he's been. You get a different feel for a player when you see them from game to game, and I watch all the games. I simply didn't realize Dalembert was this good. Kudos to Morey for actually signing him. A lot of teams could have used the big guy, but Morey took the prize. Dally has had an enormously positive impact on the team, and he just seems to be getting more comfortable in his role as time goes on. Nice thread, crash. - (just saw that I essentially said what HeyPee just said!)
Sam has a PG (and others) that get him the ball were he can be successful. Look at how good Tyson Chandler was with Kidd. Tyson, I feel, is working a lot harder now in NY than he was in Dallas without a pure PG running the O. Sam is underrated and a surprise, but i think they are both the same player; Tyson is younger and more athletic but Dally has a better Back to the basket game maybe even a better shot.
i thnk a lot of people didnt know about him, but they listened to the criticism of a select few and ran with it. He's doing basically what should have been expected, near a double double average and 2 blocks. His shot selection, or his accuracy really, has been the only real surprise IMO.
I was all for signing him and thought he could do a lot of the things on the floor that Tyson could but just had not seen enough to know about the intangables. I have to admit that I did not expect the type of games he seems to be having on a nightly basis now.
Dalembert has been fantastic the last few weeks. He's arguably been our best player during the win streak (in terms of overall impact on the game). At least, its a toss up between him and Lowry.
I have always liked him, the problem I have is in that he slows the process of us becomming a contender because we might squeak into the playoffs. But hey, loving the way he is playing now. DD
I always thought Dally was a good fit, I just didn't want to overpay for him. When I heard the contract numbers, I was ecstatic. I always thought people expected too much from him because of his contract. He is pretty much Deke 2.0 but Philly and Sactown wanted him to be Dream.
I knew Dalembert was the perfect fit for this team and was mystified more fans on here didn't feel the same way. I have followed his box scores the past 3 seasons as part of fantasy bball. The dude has always rebounded and blocked shots - exactly what people here whined about missing all last season. And on this contract? Amazing pick up. I swear people here won't be satisfied unless we get Dwight Howard for Jonny Flynn - ridiculous.....
It's never bad to get a good player on a favorable contract. If Morey wants to rebuild, Dalembert can always be traded for a draft pick or a young player. Never a shortage of teams in need of a good big man to add to their roster for a playoff run.
We need to go Sam more down low. They are times when he gets so close to the basket with a smaller guy behind him - like really close to the basket, he waves his hands around but no one sees him. Ive seen him sprint up and post up before Lowry gets to the 3 pt line but he keeps being ignored. Instead they then proceed to move the ball to the open man who is the furthest away from the rim. Dalembert is no 20 point threat. But there are so any times where he would have been a far better option then some of the meaning-less shots they jack up just because they are open.
If you know you need to get a good draft pick, and you have, on paper, one of the best drafts coming up, then the first part of that statement is sadly false. I guess I am a "detractor" from early on, but my main point aligns with what DaDa said: the Bear could help us be an 8th seed or, worse, a 9th or 10th, out of the meat of the lottery. But that said, he has been so much fun to watch and cheer for, that I can shrug and live in the season for now, as a fan.
I still think Chandler is a tad bit better when they are both at their best but Sammy is beasting it right now. Good call on picking him up Morey.
