With all the focus on the troika of Marc Gasol, Nene, and Tyson Chandler dominating the free agency talk these days, an old Rockets' target, Samuel Dalembert has seemed to have gone by the wayside. However, Dalembert has returned to the stage after an interview with Fox Sports Florida where he indicated that the Rockets are his personal favorite.
"Houston, that one is the best," said Dalembert. He later added, "I'm interested in the Rockets. They have a good team over there, a running team."
Dalembert is certainly no Gasol or Chandler, but he'd fill a gaping hole with a big body and bring some much needed defense and rebounding skills to a position currently held by the two-headed monster of Jordan Hill and Hasheem Thabeet.
At 30 years old, Dalembert would be nothing except a stop-gap at the center spot, but he'd be a pretty darn good one at that. He's not going to replicate the play that landed him his massive contract in 2005, but he's a pretty good bet to give you 8 and 8 with a block or two every night. He's a gambler who picks up a lot of fouls and goal tends, but he remains in the top tier of shot blockers in the NBA.
Though some would love to reach for the stars and try to land Nene (I'd still take a look at him), he and Tyson Chandler's price tags are looking pretty insane at the moment. On a one year deal in the realm of $7-8 million, he'd not only give the Rockets stability at a position of weakness, but the Rockets could maintain their payroll flexibility going into the free agency extravaganza of 2012.