Canada - With minutes and stats down, Dalembert keeps spirits up

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All-Star wannabe Samuel Dalembert isn't having the kind of season he expected. But despite his statistical drop-off, he claims happiness in Philadelphia — and remains part of the 76ers' playoff push.

Last season, in a career-high 33.2 minutes a game, he was one of nine NBA players to average a double-double (10.5 points, 10.4 rebounds). A 6-11 center, he ranked fourth in the league in blocked shots (2.3 a game).

Those numbers are down to 6.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks this season, and he's playing nearly nine fewer minutes a game.

"Sometimes that's because of matchups, sometimes foul problems," coach Tony DiLeo says. "Sometimes (rookie forward-center) Marreese Speights is playing well, or (forward) Reggie Evans. But (Dalembert's) per-minute rebounds and per-minute blocked shots are very, very good."

Dalembert, in his seventh NBA season, is averaging 16.8 rebounds and 3.45 blocks per 48 minutes, up from 14.9 and 3.38 last season.
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"There's a lot you can do in (nine) minutes," Dalembert says of this season's numbers. "That isn't there for me for whatever reason, and it has kept me from producing and getting in a flow."

Other than his 90.5-inch wingspan, Dalembert's greatest asset is his ability to run the floor. But Monday his playing-time woes continued. He played 13 minutes in a 98-91 loss to the New Orleans Hornets.

Perhaps wanting to block shots too badly, he kept falling for Hornets forward David West's pump fakes. When Dalembert was on the floor, New Orleans outscored Philadelphia by 14.

After going 14-4 in their 18 games before the All-Star break, the Sixers have gone 2-6, and DiLeo might shake up the lineup.

While Dalembert's starting spot is probably safe, the team did explore trading him before the All-Star break. No deal was struck, but Dalembert said last week that he isn't unhappy in Philly.

"If I'm sitting out here complaining, somebody needs to slap me," he said. "I'm not here saying, 'Oh, this is so terrible.' It was a mutual thing. From my agent perspective, from the team perspective, everybody was looking at what's best for each other. At the end of the day, I'm still here. I still love my teammates, and we still hang out. I'm not mad at anybody. I still get along with the coaches. I still talk to (team President) Ed (Stefanski). Business is business. I don't take things personally. In this economy, I'm still employed. I have a friend who just lost his job after 12 to 14 years with the company."

If the Sixers are to improve their playoff standing — through Tuesday they were the East's seventh seed — Dalembert must be more consistent.

Scoring has never been his forte; before the season, he banked his All-Star hopes on being a Ben Wallace-type of defensive presence. Wallace has made four All-Star teams, though he's never averaged double figures in points. But DiLeo says he wants to get Dalembert more involved offensively.

"We're hoping he can give us a little bit of scoring," DiLeo says. "The team might be looking to get him some more lobs. But the biggest thing for him is to rebound, block shots and run the floor.

"When you play teams like San Antonio with Tony Parker or New Jersey with Devin Harris, you need to have your big guys getting back on defense to stop the penetration. He does a great job of getting back. He's the key to our defense, and we pride ourselves on defense. He anchors it."

Let's do it again:

After the USA's rousing gold medal success in Beijing, Team USA director Jerry Colangelo has his eyes on 2012. And the 2008 Redeem Teamers are all welcome back.

"I feel very comfortable and confident that most of the guys will want to keep going," Colangelo says. "But I haven't asked them, nor should they think about it now. We'll wait until the year is over."

With its title in Beijing, the USA has qualified for the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey (Aug. 28-Sept. 12). A win there means automatic Olympic qualification, so Colangelo would give players the summer of 2011 off. He previously asked for a three-year commitment.

Team USA last won the worlds in 1994.