Why would the Rockets trade for Samuel Dalembert or any backup C when Greg Smith provides perfectly acceptable production for the minimum salary? Why do so many fans advocate shelling out $3-$4+ mil/year for guys who play maybe 10-15 minutes/game when there are comparable players who are willing to play for the minimum? Or when there is a comparable player on your current roster (Smith) who DOES make the minimum?
Because that money's not coming out of our pockets and his contract won't affect the cap which fits the Rockets' MO perfectly.
The "veteran backup C" acquisition would merely be to make a playoff run THIS season. Dalembert is that perfect combination of (a) a decent veteran C, (b) on the last year of his contract, (c) not getting much playing time on his current team, and (d) available in trades.
Because Smith hasn't provided accepable production lately and it's been killing the Rockets. Dalembert shouldn't cost a whole lot and would be a nice addition for a playoff run. Dalembert would likely be a bit to expensive for the Rockets to keep after this season, however you may be able to sign&trade him for something similar to what it took to acquire him in the first place, like the Rockets did with Camby, though that's gotta be considered the cherry on top of the cake.
Because Greg Smith does not perfectly acceptable production for even 10-15 minutes. That's why he's in the D-League. Dalembert is a significant step up from Smith. For one thing he knows where to go for defensive rotation.
aldrich sucks. hopefully this move to shop around doesnt cost the rockets a game or two. between smith and aldrich i'd pick smith all day every day and twice on sundays.
Sure, but what would Milwaukee be getting out of the deal? Why give up anything remotely valuable for a backup C who is going to be on the roster for 2-3 months? Even if all you'd have to give up to get Dalembert is, say, Marcus Morris, what if you could trade Morris for a second round pick? Wouldn't it make more sense to trade Morris for the pick? My guess is that Milwaukee would like to get a second round pick for Dalembert, and that somebody out there is going to be willing to give them a second round pick. And I don't think that team is Houston. I suppose Houston could be the third wheel in a trade between Milwaukee and another team, and that Milwaukee and the other team would need Houston to absorb $4-$5 mil (for example) in salary. In which case Houston could ship out Cole Aldrich and ship in Dalembert, for example. Seems like Daryl Morey can make better use of his unused cap space to me, though. For example: Josh Smith and filler (Anthony Tolliver) to Milwaukee John Henson and expiring contracts (Beno Udrih, Cole Aldrich) to Atlanta Samuel Dalembert to Houston This move saves Atlanta some money (since Dalembert costs less than Aldrich) so I believe Atlanta does this deal. I still say that Houston should be able to somehow use this cap space to acquire one or two valuable assets, or to transform one or more current assets into one or more valuable assets. Dalembert isn't an asset beyond this season.
He isn't making it any easier to acquire him from the Bucks. Samuel Dalembert happy to get off Bucks' bench St. Francis - Samuel Dalembert was at such a low point he didn't know how to react. In his basketball life, it was an unexpected drop into the depths of despair. But the 31-year-old veteran tried not to show it while still being a positive example for his younger Milwaukee Bucks teammates. He wasn't playing and felt he had no meaningful role with the Bucks, who acquired him in a June trade with Houston. But slowly he has begun to gain playing time under interim coach Jim Boylan. And Tuesday night in Denver, a strange set of forces collided. He scored 21 points in 9-plus minutes in the first half and finished with 35 points, his career high and the most by a bench player in the NBA this season. He made 17 field goals, tying LeBron James for the most in the league this season. He notched 35 points and 12 rebounds in just 27 minutes, the first NBA player to do that, according to Elias Sports Bureau. And he shot 81% by hitting 17 of 21 shots, the highest percentage in the league this season by any player attempting at least 20 shots. What a sudden transformation it was for the 6-foot-11 Haitian center. And his teammates loved it. "I feel like everything is a matrix, slow-motion," Dalembert said of his sensational night at the Pepsi Center. "You can see the action happen before it happens; you can see where the ball is falling before it happens. It was effortless for me, to tell the truth. It was a beauty. I was just striving. My teammates kept cheering on the bench and I didn't understand it." His teammates were happy because they knew he had been on the sideline for so long. "He's a warrior, man," said center Larry Sanders. "He's seen a lot of things. To survive this long in the NBA you've got to play through some tough situations. Being a veteran, not taking any frustration out on us. It feels good to have teammates like that." Dalembert admitted it wasn't easy to go from starting center at the beginning of the season to not playing in 20 games due to coach's decision. Ekpe Udoh and rookie John Henson moved ahead of Dalembert in the rotation under former Bucks coach Scott Skiles. "It's been a down side in my career, the lowest in my career," Dalembert said. "It takes a lot of dedication, a lot of focus to not be angry. You're upset, but you step back up and say, 'It's a new day. Let's get to practice. Let's be professional. Let's go, let's support.' A lot of guys in my situation can relate to that. It's not easy. When you're in it, in any business, you go crazy. But I feel like it was a blessing where you learn to mature. Everything in life is a test. . . . I wait, I wait and my opportunity shows up. I will continue to be a professional and continue to support a good team of guys." The unfortunate part of Dalembert's big night? The Bucks squandered a 17-point lead to lose to the Nuggets in the final minutes. And they lost again at Utah. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/buck...y-to-get-off-the-bench-to8n2il-190491071.html
His minutes have dropped quickly as of late so no wonder his number have been down. Smith is the best back up we have on the team so hopefully he picks it up and gets back quickly!
Oh noooo! I really like him. I hope this will not affect his confidence. I hope he will be back soon.
These reasons exactly! Good to see ya back! Haven't seen you post much recently. Maybe I've missed some.
It may be easier to get Camby back from the Knicks than Dalembert back from the Bucks. Sam has played really well recently upping his trade value a bit, I mean hell he scored 35 points 3 games ago against the nuggets. Plus if nothing else, Camby can replace Schaub. I heard he was pretty good at throwing Hell Marys.
Nothing wrong with this move, probably a little bit of humble pie, and he needs playing time. Maybe the team wants Royce to play with him and Tjones too, just to give him some more comfort? DD
I think Greg Smith is more of a PF than a true C. Rotating him with Asik was asking for trouble defensively. But I don't like this move because I think Greg Smith has shown enough potential to try and develop through this growing pains defensively. He has already dominated the D-League and going back there won't do anything for his development. If they can't find a place for him in the rotation they should trade him because there is already a backlog of PFs.
Lots of players handle it, but I can't imagine it's easy to stay focused on playing pro ball when you're a new dad, especially if there might be emotional demands on the home front. Hope the extra PT in the D-L works out well for him!
You make an excellent point. Agreed Smith is a 4. I'm not as sure as you are about the D-league having no value for Smiths development, but you're right that he might not have a place on this team. If they do trade him, I hope they get good value cause he's got great upside.
