Impact of Dalembert

The Sacramento Kings were undoubtedly one of the biggest winners in the 2010 NBA draft, adding 6-11 DeMarcus Cousins with the 5^th pick and 7-0 Hassan Whiteside with the 33^rd pick. Cousins is a skilled big man, with great footwork and a 7-6 wingspan. He is also a winner – he comes from a successful and well coached Kentucky program where he played with the 1^st pick in the draft, John Wall. Whiteside has a 7-7 wingspan, had an 18 percent block rate - one in almost every five possessions, and has been compared to Marcus Camby. The Kings added size and are putting together the pieces to build around Rookie of the Year, Tyreke Evans. But one move the Kings made that should be getting more attention is the trade for Samuel Dalembert.

While Dalembert did not post huge numbers in the 2009-2010 season with 8.1 ppg and 9.6 rpg, he brings a defensive presence and seven years of experience to a young Kings team (average age is 25) that allowed its opponents to score over 104 points per game (6^th worst defensive team). The negatives that GMs have seen with Cousins are that he can be lazy on the defensive end and he lacks conditioning, while with Whiteside, the concern is lack of experience and maturity. These are all areas that Dalembert can serve as a great example for Cousins and Whiteside, pushing them to work hard and teaching them the ropes of the NBA.

The Kings have positioned themselves to be similar to the Oklahoma City Thunder of two years ago – a young team with all the right pieces. If they stay together, they have the potential to be a disruptive team in the Western Conference in the coming years.