Disappointed at his limited role and the 76ers' struggles, Samuel Dalembert asked to be traded by last February's deadline. Team president Ed Stefanski wasn't able to move the Sixers' starting center. Stefanski reportedly looked into dealing Dalembert again this summer, only to not receive a decent offer for an inconsistent player with two years and $24.5 million left on his contract, as well as a $3.7 million trade kicker. Midway through training camp, Dalembert liked that new coach Eddie Jordan involved big men in the Princeton offense, but wasn't overwhelmingly optimistic about life in Sixerville going into his ninth season. For example, informed that Jordan and Stefanski had called Dalembert the "X factor" if the Sixers are to have a successful season, Dalembert replied, "I've been hearing that for so many years." "You can go out there and choose five of my games and see why I don't produce -- you cannot produce when you're not on the floor," he said. "It's tough to be the 'X factor' on the team not knowing if you're going to play 12 minutes or 17 minutes."
Questioned on media day if Philadelphia is the place he wants to be now, he said, "This is where I am right now. It's not bad or miserable or anything like that. It's where I am."
Dalembert pointed out that he averaged his fewest minutes (24.8) since his rookie year last season, He also had second-lowest totals in scoring (6.4), rebounding (8.5) and field goal percentage (.498).
For his part, Jordan remained upbeat that Dalembert would be willing to contribute the defense and rebounding, and also be a contributor on offense.
"Whether it's in the high post or the low post, I like the fact that Samuel can make shots from the elbow, the top of the key or the free-throw line," Jordan said. "That puts a lot of pressure on the defense. He has to be a willing passer. We'll see if he is. We'll try to make him understand that the more he passes, the easier it will be for him to score. He's been around the NBA long enough. If he believes and trusts in what we believe in, he'll make his teammates better and himself better."
