Round 4, Pick 130: Samuel Dalembert
With my first homer pick of the draft, I'm taking the Haitian Sensation, Slammin' Sammy D. Ok, I admit, I don't know too much about role players in the 80s and early 90s, but looking through b-ref, I couldn't find any big men left with the defensive resume that he has already put up. The numbers speak for themselves: double digit defensive win shares four out of the last five years, a career two blocks per game, 10 boards per 36 minutes every year he has played, and a d-rating hovering in the high 90s/low 100s, all while hardly playing with defensive stalwarts in Philadelphia. He has also shown the ability to stay healthy after having some problems earlier in his career by starting every game the past two years.
Forget his respectable TS%, improved jump and free throw shooting, and a reasonably effective hook shot. The only thing I'm really going to need him to do in my offense is finish, something he can do extremely well with his lanky frame, as he has shown by being among the leaders in dunks recently. I have enough players who can create, and as long as he can slam the ball down when he gets it deep in the paint, the team should be great on that side of the ball.
I am continuing my trend of picking tall, athletic players who can run if necesary. Dalemebert has proven he can do that in last year's fast-break Sixers team, where he posted his best numbers of his career. I already have multiple options for going small because Kobe and Rashard can play the 3 and 4 effectively, while still having a very solid base defense in my standard lineup. My gameplan will be more defined once I pick a point guard and fill out my bench, but expect me to push the pace a lot with such an energetic team.
Team so far:
Kobe Bryant - SG
Al Jefferson - PF
Rashard Lewis - SF
Samuel Dalembert - C