Monday, November 28th, 2011 at 9:00 am  |  115 responses

Samuel Dalembert Wants to Play for the Miami Heat


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Once the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is ratified by both players and team owners, the NBA’s free agency sprint is going to be one wild ride. Under League rules, players are the only ones allowed to discuss the matter at the moment, and they haven’t held back.

Samuel Dalembert tells Fox Sports that he’d like to join a title contender this season, and for a number of basketball and person reasons, the Miami Heat would be his top choice:

The team desperately needs a center, and the 6-foot-11 Dalembert is a free agent. And the Heat is high on his list as the free agency signing period is expected to begin Dec. 9 following a five-month lockout. Joining the Heat “would be fantastic,” Dalembert said Sunday night from Haiti. Miami is where more than 50 of his relatives live and is about one hour south of his home in Boca Raton.

As for the volunteering part, Dalembert likely would require a big pay cut to join the Heat, which will be over the salary cap. Dalembert, who made $13.43 million last season for Sacramento, might have to sign for the $5 million mid-level exception. Dalembert wouldn’t say he would agree to that. But he did say “what is best for you might not be for the most money.” And he definitely likes the Heat. “I’m keeping all my options open, but Miami could be a good fit for me,” Dalembert said.

“If you look at the playoffs with Dallas, you saw what Tyson Chandler did,” Dalembert said, referring to the 7-foot-1 center who helped the Mavs beat the Heat in six games for the title last June. “He was basically a key ingredient for them to win a championship. And Miami didn’t have somebody like that. Somebody able to stop (foes from) getting second shots and somebody able to rebound and finish. I could fill that role and be an asset for that team.”

Other cities the 30-year old Dalembert could see himself playing in also include New York and Houston.

The linked article is a worthwile read, as it delves into Samuel Dalembert’s charitable work in Haiti, with the country trying to rebuild following the January 2010 earthquake disaster.

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  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    The real story is Dalembert made 13.5 mill last season, WTF?

  • MUBWAR

    and the heat want you 2 dalembert. just not that 14m yearly salary

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Can’t afford you, son.

  • Yann Blavec

    The rich getting richer, except for Dalembert.

  • cramzy

    you stay away from my heat dalembert, ya hear?

  • Byebye

    Sammie wasn’t gonna make even 8 mil so do what u gotta do son

  • Logan

    Any real Heat fan would love to have this guy on our team. The whole basis of this Heat team is taking a sacrifice to create a winning team. Im sure Sam will be willing to do this.

  • T-Money

    E: i think it’s nene that miami can’t afford (unless pat pulls another jedi mind trick). everybody knows how much is on the table for Miami: full MLE and that’s it. i’m pretty sure an offer was laid to him through back channels. i know of sam because he played high school ball in montreal, the guy is set for life and then some because he just doesn’t spend at all. his family is there, he lives in boca, he would be a short flight away from haiti -i think it’s a done deal.

  • Rik Smits Mullet

    You join my heat dalembert, and keep cramzy away, Ya hear. lol

  • Young 23

    Life is nice for Dalembert. 13+ mil?

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Don’t count on it. I know Pat REALLY wants Battier but has a ton of competition for him and they have designs on Grant Hill too. I like those two moves better than spending the money on Dalembert.

  • yes.we.did.

    @Eboy does that mean we would be amnestying (Baron Davis word of the day) Mike Miller then? Because otherwise they would just be stockpiling old people.

  • http://Slamonline.com Caboose

    With Chalmers and Dalembert, the Heat could have the two lowest basketball IQ players in the league in their starting lineup. Dont forget when Sammy blocked Iggy’s (his teammates) game winning shot with offensive interference.

  • eZ

    Considering Marc Gasol, Tyson Chandler and Nene will probably be too expensive, Dalembert would really be the best option for Miami. He has proven that he can play defense, block shots, and all they need from him is keep bodies out of the paint and grab defensive rebounds..oh yeah and give EFFORT. This would be great for them and would put them closer to a title than a point guard IMO.
    Eboy why o why would that team spent its precious options on even more swingmen, smallforwards? They need balance in their lineup. A big and a true playmaker is what they need!

  • robb

    who else is on that list?

  • Vince5

    2 canadians on one team? That must be some kind of record!

  • eZ

    And if I were Miami I would go hard after under the radar but promising big men like Semih Erden and Mozgov. Boston and New York were fools to get rid of them and it basically cost them in the playoffs. They can be had for relatively low salaries but give them a true hardworking 7ft big in the middle that boxes out and rebounds.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    I’d rather have Battier in place of Miller all day and Grant is a bench player who stabilizes the second unit….something they didn’t have last season. Those aren’t wasted moves. They are going to have a healthy Haslem to run out instead of the corpse of Juwan Howard. That’s significant. If they can just get a big body that can rebound, they’ll be fine. They don’t need to overpay for Dalembert.

  • T-Money

    caboose: they will not be asked to make ANY decision with the ball in their hands. actually they may be forbidden to do so. / E: mike miller is not getting amnestied and is apparently healthy again. there’s only 20 minutes to give behind wade and bron. where’s the need for another wing? i see it as:

    rio
    wade
    bron
    bosh
    dalembert
    -
    ud
    miller
    norris cole
    joel/eddy curry

  • http://nba.com GP23

    Heat should go for Allen Iverson, he is a free agent, and they can pay him the veterans minimum. For a center, why not trade for Greg Oden or Al Horford.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Norris Cole won’t make the roster. Don’t even try to be funny about Curry. That’s a nightmare.

  • T-Money

    vince: 3 canadians. dalembert, magloire, anthony. / e: dalembert can give you 10-10 with 2 blocks. 5 mil is a BARGAIN for a center that can do that. and miller is not coming off the books, what i could see is maybe a haslem-miller for nene trade. although it would be very cold to ship haslem out after he gave hometown discounts to miami TWICE.

  • Zabbah

    Dalembert, please don’t compare yourself to Tyson Chandler. Your basketball i.q. is poor and you can’t rebound, defend or do all the other intangibles than Chandler brings to the table.

  • Overtime

    @ Eboy, I see the sense in your Battier/ Hill arguments. I just hope it doesnt happen

  • a_whiteman

    i like the battier/hill combo for depth but they really need that C spot to step up and dalembert would be a better fit starting then anthony

  • T-Money

    finding a center is the top priority because miami simply can’t go into this season starting joel anthony at the 5, that’s just unacceptable. dalembert has a very low basketball iq but he rebounds, blocks shots and defends the block – that’s undeniable. / e: you’d rather have mike bibby’s corpse as the back-up point?

  • Holiday

    Dalembert and Bosh down low, not very intimidating. Imagine a big front court Combo just tossing them around like Gasol/Bynum, Ibaka/Perkins, Randolph/Gasol… To name a few!

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Hell no, I don’t want Bibby back. Matter of fact, I don’t think he’s even going to be entertained. I wouldn’t be mad at them if they let Chalmers walk too if he got an offer.

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    Rik Smits’ Mullet and Chris Mullin’s Accent are brothers.

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    Dalembert would be a better Center than Joel Anthony at least. But yea, unless he takes a paycut, not even worth mentioning.

  • http://www.slamonline.com megatron

    Holiday, do you really think pau gasol is pushing people around?

  • http://www.slamonline.com megatron

    or “tossing” in your words

  • http://360special.blogspot.com/ dev0

    That’s weird because I think the Canadian national team would trade Sammy D for Joel Anthony any day. Dalembert has some issues, and while he would provide depth, he’s not an adequate out-right replacement for Joel Anthony who was underrated last year. Just wait until Dalembert starts shooting mid-range jumpers and Heat fans will realize that they don’t need their 5 to be an offensive threat, they need him to go for 0 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks like Anthony does (on a good night, of course). Simply, I kind of lost my faith in Dalembert after the Team Canada debacle, and don’t think he’s the answer for Miami championship aspirations

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    You know the center position sucks when people are talking about Dalembert like he’s Prime Deke.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Battier, Grant Hill, even Baron Davis, are more likely to get the mid-level money than Samuel Dalembert. Atleast (imo). The Heat will be able to add a pretty good player this summer though, without having to try and sell a pay-cut. (Mike Miller has reportedly already been told he will be bought-out with the Amnesty)

  • http://www.slamonline.com megatron

    dev0, The Heat dont need a center who scores 15 points a game but they do need someone that can’t just be completely ignored by the defense. When joel was on the floor last year, they were almost playing 4 vs 5 on offense..

  • T-Money

    e: well then, who runs the point?! the fa market is very thin at the 1. / i don’t get the sammy slander. he’s a legit 7-footer and has proven himself as a rim protector in the nba. his rebounding per minutes stats are off the charts and he gave you 8-8-2 in only 24 minutes last year. and he shoots over 70% from the line so you don’t have to hide him late in games. i know he didn’t win a ‘chip last year but his career numbers are IDENTICAL to tyson chandler.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Statistically they were playing 4 on 5. Joel Anthony was the least involved with the Heat offense of any player of any position in the last 30 years. lol

  • T-Money

    dev0: don’t get me started on team canada. that’s on leo rautins. he did the same thing to kris joseph. / nbk: that was before they agreed on the cba. miami thought they would have to amnesty mike miller to get under the cap and use the mle. turns out they can keep him AND use the mle.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Word T-Money you’re right. I saw a report yesterday, just went back and checked it. I misread, the Heat planned on using the Amnesty and letting Miller know through back channels, before they found out they would still have a mid-level. Got it.

  • cramzy

    Numbers tell you Dalembert is a decent big man but if you watch this dude play you’ll understand he will be more liability than asset for your team, hence my stay away comment. Like Devo said, wait til he start launching mid range jumpers all willy nilly. He’s not the solution.

  • ab40

    what makes you think players want to go to miami? they invite players through twitter. LeBron is more involved with his off court friends than his teammates and Dwayne has n.ever won by himself. Bosh is an overratted player. Wilt, West and Baylor never won together and I will not be surprised if this trio never wins or starts winning when one of them retires/is traded.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    It’s obvious why & that guys want to go to Miami.

  • http://www.tumblr.com arthurissupreme

    chalmers, wade, bron, bosh and dalembert. nice squad

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    The heat will be so disappointed with this dude. He only plays three out of fi e games

  • http://slamonline.com tealish

    He made $13.5M last year? What? Oh, that’s why the lockout happened.

  • http://nba.com GP23

    As long as the Heat acquire either AI or Nash, them I’m cool. They both need that championship.

  • Holiday

    Megatron, he does outweigh Bosh by about 15 lbs but honestly no, Pau is soft. But he’s better than Bosh and his length would be too much for him. I just think the Heat would be better off with a larger center than Dalembert alongside a frail Bosh.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Miami is going to pick up the pace this season (supposedly). I don’t think a “big” center will really work. Nene is the perfect fit. If they could afford him, that’s the first player they would add. It’s more than likely going to be Shane Battier. Baron Davis and Grant Hill also in play, but more for the veteran minimum then the mid-level exception.

  • T-Money

    pau’s length is too much for bosh? did you even watch the miami-lal games last year? cb actually beasted on pau both games. your bias is showing like crazy!

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