The Houston Rockets got a big man. Finally.
It’s not the All-Star they had hoped for (Nene or Pau Gasol) but they have a deal with defensive stalwart Samuel Dalembert, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.Sources told ESPN.com that Dalembert has agreed to a two-year deal. The value of the contract was not immediately known.
Fox Sports Florida reported Tuesday night that Dalembert was on the verge of re-signing with the Sacramento Kings, but the Kings issued a news release Wednesday afternoon saying they had withdrawn their offer to Dalembert.
Twenty-four hours ago it had been the Rockets that said they were out of the running for Dalembert, who then seemed destined to return to Sacramento. Money was the issue for the Rockets, so either they had a change of heart or Dalembert saw what the Kings had to offer and suddenly the Rockets offer didn’t look so bad.
Houston is a borderline playoff team in a deep Western conference with Dalembert. He is a physical presence in the paint who provided the Kings 8 points and 8 rebounds a game last season. Houston will get scoring out of Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry, they have the athletic Chase Budinger on the wing and now a solid front line with Luis Scola and Dalembert.