Dikembe, though he had a solid career, was quite a pleaseant surprise at the center position for us. I have seen Dikembe Mutumbo play as if he is ten years younger. I pose this question to all Clutch BBSer's: "What was the turning point for Dikembe this year?" Was it the elbow to Lebron James' head? Was it the game in which he had a season high 6 blocks against Memphis? The fear that he imposed on the Miami Heat, forcing them to shoot jumpers? His season high 15 points in Portland early in the season? His 11 rebounds in 15 minutues versuses the Laker. What about the game versuses Amare and the Suns? This is my choice. Even though we lost, Dikembe was playing very good in this game. He was instant offense with his sweeping hook and putbacks. He was also a monster with his blocks, rebounds, hustle and defense (though Amare Stoudemire had a nasty dunk on him.) We lost that game, however.
The turning point in Mutumbo's career was being traded to the Rockets. For the last few years he's been unhappy with his role on the teams he's played for. He's been a backup to centers he feels he's better than. In Houston, he's backing up a center he respects and enjoying his role as a mentor to Yao. Apparently the team on a whole has a fantastic relationship. His happiness is the key factor in his turn around. Further, he just fits the system. He never lacked the ability to do what he's doing. He just didn't have the right situation for a little while there.
It's gotta be around the time the Rockets held their annual Tux 'n Tennies gala which ended up benefitting Deke's efforts to build a hospital in the Congo. It seems he started to play harder around that time.
Deke has found a role that he fits perfectly in this league. Between him and Yao, we have the best center rotation in the league by far and on that basis alone, we have a chance to go deep in the playoffs. Deke has been rock solid for us from day one and has been an exquisite yin to Yao's yang.
Dikembe has always been a great basketball player. When this season started, I was happy that we got him. While I did not think that he would be as good as his Denver years, I still felt he had a lot left in him. Dikembe is all over: grabbing offensive rebounds, scaring offenses away from the rim, and providing hustle. The most underrated part of Dikembe's game, however, has been his OFFENSE . Many times, Dikembe never gets credit of the offensive end, but his contributions are tremendous. Dikembe sets picks, puts the ball back in the basket, and finishes off penetrations. Importantly, he has a solid post game, mainly the hook shot. He has been SO underrated in this aspect of his game. At times Dikembe's hook shot can be very beneficial to the team, as seen in the game against the Suns. Dikembe used to be my second favorite player prior to Charles Barkley's retirement. Now, that he is on the Rockets, I am elated to see a basketball player whose been one of my favorites though not on the Rockets to be playing with us.
I love Deke, thought from day one he would contribute because he had some outstanding games with the Knicks last year and showed that he still had game. All those intangibles like mentoring Yao, his budding relationship with Yao wouldn't mean a thing if he couldn't play. I think the two can take us deep in the playoffs and if they both have unbelievable series, I think we can reach the NBA finals.
