Dalembert was always an enigma

Considering the general sentiment most fans express concerning Samuel Dalembert, it could be said that the Sixers got something for nothing in the trade of the baffling center to the Sacramento Kings.

And not to be literal, but that's not so far from the truth.

Dalembert has been an enigma inside an enigma during his eight seasons with the Sixers.

Drafted after his sophomore year at Seton Hall in 2001, Dalembert, who didn't start playing basketball until he moved from Haiti to Montreal at age 14, has occasionally displayed some of the promise then-Sixers president/coach Larry Brown saw in him when he reached with the 26th overall pick to select the near 7-footer.

But more often than not, Dalembert has been the source of angst because of his unfulfilled potential — emotions that have been only amplified since the Sixers gave him that $68 million extension four years ago.

To be blunt, Dalembert never learned how to play organized basketball.

He was simply an extremely athletic big man who tantalized with what he might be should he ever put it all together.
Not that Dalembert is stupid, because just the opposite is true.

He's highly intelligent, but his basketball IQ barely registers a blip.

Worse than anything, Dalembert never seemed particularly interested in learning the things that would make the situation better.

For the most part, the maddening mistakes he made last season were the same ones he made as a 20-year-old rookie and in every season since.

On the court, Dalembert was the poster child for inconsistency.

For his career, Dalembert averaged 8.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots in 562 career games. He committed 1,844 personal fouls while earning just 1,216 free-throw attempts.

Those aren't horrible numbers for a serviceable big man who was making $5 or $6 million a year, but when he's on the books for a salary-cap-crunching $12 million, it's officially a really bad deal.

Even with Dalembert going into the last season of his deal, I'm a bit surprised that Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski found a taker, considering a 15 percent trade-kicker pushes Dalembert's salary to $14 million.

But the fact that Stefanski got more than a bag of balls with an extremely bad contract attached borders on amazing.

Swingman Andres Nocioni is a decent role player who's been a double-digit scorer for most of his career. He's a veteran who gives the Sixers experience and a degree of toughness they severely lacked.

He's owed more than $13 million over the next two years, with a team option at $7.5 million in 2012-13, but his $7 million cap hit is not a killer.

What's incredible, however, is that Stefanski convinced Sacramento to include 22-year-old center Spencer Hawes in the deal.

That had to be the key. The Sixers could've kept Dalembert and had his contract come off the books after the season.

They could've easily traded him come next season's deadline.

But this deal was clearly about getting Hawes and not just getting rid of Dalembert.

In a league devoid of young big men, Hawes, at 7-1 and 245 pounds, is a legitimate center with a nice upside.
In 2007, when Hawes left the University of Washington after his freshman season, he was a player I thought the Sixers should've taken with the 12th overall pick.

Sacramento drafted him 10th overall.

After struggling as a rookie, Hawes averaged 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds in 77 games for the Kings in 2008-09 Last season, he averaged 10.0 points and 6.1 rebounds while making 59 starts for Sacramento.

Hawes has had his toughness questioned and he seemed to fall out of favor with Kings coach Paul Westphal.
Still, considering Hawes' age in conjunction with his physical skills, it's worth it to see if he can be a part of the Sixers' rebuilding program.

And since it only cost the Sixers Dalembert, it is a high-reward/ low-risk situation.

What this also does is guarantee that the Sixers are going to select Ohio State guard Evan Turner with the second overall pick in next Thursday's NBA Draft — unless, of course, the Washington Wizards get him with the top pick.
But because the Wizards would be complete idiots not to take Kentucky point guard John Wall, Turner will be the Sixers' guy.

Trading for Hawes pretty much eliminates the Sixers' other two candidates — Kentucky freshman center DeMarcus Cousins and Georgia Tech freshman power forward Derrick Favors.

Hawes is the Sixers' big-man project.

They don't need two — not when Turner will be the best player available and fulfils the desperate need for a two guard to team with second-year point guard Jrue Holiday.

In eight seasons, Samuel Dalembert never fulfilled the promise the Sixers saw in him. His trade to Sacramento opens the door for someone else.