Enough time has passed for everyone to process that Samuel Dalembert is, for the first time in 9 years, no longer a Philadelphia 76er. TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMikeBourne, from Liberty Ballers, SB Nation's 76ers blog, reflects on Dalembert's tumultuous time in Philly, and what it means for everyone:
Year in and year out we would see the same mistakes over and over again. Samuel Dalembert and "maddeningly inconsistent" became inextricably linked to one another, and no amount of coaching changes (Brown-Ayers-Ford-O'Brien-Cheeks-DiLeo) could unlock the true potential of this kid. Around mid-season of the '08-'09 season, Sam started complaining about low playing time, claiming he deserved at least 30 minutes per night. With three years remaining on his contract, erratic play, an attitude, and the emergence of rookie Marreese Speights, Sam was getting pushed out the door. There were some even debating a Dalembert for Eddy Curry swap. The smiling kid from Port-Au-Prince was no longer the darling of Sixers fans.
But all was forgiven yesterday afternoon, when Chad Ford reported the Sixers had sent Dalembert to the Kings for Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni.
There wasn't anyone hoping we got Eddy Curry for him instead. Samuel was a cornerstone of this franchise for the greater part of the decade. And while this blog certainly isn't a sentimental one with teary goodbyes to every player that came through here, Sam's been through it all here, and it's certainly a shame we couldn't win a championship while he was around.