The 6′11″, 250 lbs. Samuel Dalembert may not ever be an offensive force, but he really does a great job rebounding and anchoring the 76er’s defense.  Dalembert is only averaging 7.5 points, but he plays just 26 minutes per game and averages 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks.  His 2.2 blocks per game is 3rd best in the league, behind only Dwight Howard (2.7 bpg) of the Orlando Magic and Josh Smith (2.22 bpg) of the Atlanta Hawks.  He has also been playing with a very heavy heart lately, as Dalembert is a native of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti which was devastated by a 7.0 earthquake on January 12th.  The 76ers give up 100 points per game, and without Dalembert it would be a lot more.  So, I don’t think the 76ers should trade Dalembert, as he is one of the few players on the Sixers’ roster that plays good defense.  They do need some more scoring from the low post though, so I understand why they would put him on the trading block.

Allen Iverson is no doubt a future Hall-of-Famer and the 34-year-old still has a lot of game left, but he is past his All-Star days and definitely does not deserve to be a starting guard on this year’s Eastern Conference All-Stars.  Iverson was voted in by the fans because of his popularity, but his numbers are not worthy of his selection.  Iverson has only played in 21 games this season, averaging 14.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 31.2 minutes.  There are plenty of guards in the East that are more deserving, like Joe Johnson, Stephen Jackson, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Mo Williams, and more.  This has been Iverson’s worst season and he has barely played half of it, but the fans are still showing the 11-time All-Star love.  Still, I think the classy thing for Iverson to do is to not accept and let a more deserving player take his spot.

The Philadelphia 76ers (5-14) fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder (10-8) last night for their 8th consecutive loss.  The Sixers shot the ball well and had five players score 13 or more points.  They went 50% from the field and were red hot from three, hitting 61% of their threes.  Andre Iguodala played great, finishing with 28 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 blocks.  The Sixers did not play well defensively and did not rebound well.  The Thunder shot 51% from the field and had 14 more rebounds than the Sixers.  Kevin Durant lit them up for 33 points and Russell Westbrook dropped 15 dimes on them.  The only good news for the 76ers is that Allen Iverson signed with them this week and will be in the line-up Monday against Denver.

Allen Iverson signed a one-year non-guaranteed contract with the Philadelphia 76ers this week, and head coach Eddie Jordan says the 34-year-old guard will start.  Iverson may not be the player he once was, but the guy can still score and the Sixers could use the extra offense.  Iverson is also bringing some much needed positive attention to the 76ers, who have lost 8 games in a row and have been losing faith with the Philly fans.  I’m not so sure Iverson will make the Sixers that much better, but he is still too good to retire and it is nice to see The Answer back home in Philly where he belongs.  He is expected to start at home for the Sixers on Monday against his former team the Denver Nuggets.

The Philadelphia 76ers (5-13) dropped their 7th straight game, losing a heart-breaker last night to the Dallas Mavericks (13-5).  Mavericks’ guard Jason Terry hit a fade-away baseline jumper with 1.4 seconds left.  The Sixers still had a chance though, but Andre Iguodala’s last second three was off and the Sixers lost.  Iggy finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.  Iggy is a stud, but he hasn’t really been the best go-to-guy down the stretch, something the Sixers are lacking (hint to Allen Iverson).  The Sixers out-rebounded the Mavs 60-37, but that’s about the only thing they did well.  They had 17 turnovers, shot 40% from the field and only hit 4-16 (25%) from the charity stripe.  You’re not going to win too many games when you turn the ball over that much and shoot that poorly from the free throw line.  Dirk Nowitzki led the way for the Mavs, dropping 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.