Samuel Dalembert

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Samuel Dalembert Surprises Family In Need With A New Car

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Jonah Ballow

Moments prior to the 2014 NBA Draft, Knicks president Phil Jackson addressed the media to discuss Wednesday’s trade, Carmelo Anthony, and the draft process for his crew.

Jackson opened the media session by sharing his thoughts on the four players acquired from the Mavericks.  The main piece in the deal is veteran point guard Jose Calderon, who finished in the top five in 3-point shooting last year and is considered a heady floor leader.

“He’s got great control of the ball, pushes the ball up, accelerates it up the court.   He’s a very good 3-point shooter.  He organizes a team quite well.  We anticipate he’ll fit in with what we’re trying to do,” Jackson lauded.

While New York lost its anchor in the paint from a defensive point, the team replaced him with a shot-blocking 7-footer that will protect the rim.

“Samuel is a really good defender,” Jackson stated.  “He can replace Tyson’s defensive ability, maybe not the Defensive Player of the Year like Tyson was but he’s going to be a quality defender.”

The Knicks head man spoke highly of Wayne Ellington and the point guard out of Miami.  Last year’s No. 18 overall pick Shane Larkin is an intriguing prospect, which was evident in Jackson’s remarks on Thursday evening.

“Shane Larkin is a young player who really didn’t have a chance last year because of injury – a highly thought of young player – changes the speed on the floor.   I think he’s going to be effective doing that.  He’s kind of a change of pace guard.”

Jackson’s first significant roster move is a sign of a new direction.  He was candid and straight to the point when detailing the reasons for the trade that will re-shape the construction of the team for the short and long term.

“I think what we saw what we wanted to get accomplished was that we had to change some of the chemistry on this team and to do that we felt it important to get some new personnel, start with some character guys that could carry us forward.” 

He added, “We want to send the message to our players that we’re on the move and we’re making changes and we’re making changes to move forward in a direction where we want to go.”

Chandler earned a Defensive Player of the Year Award in New York and was a main cog on the 54-win team that reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the 2013 playoffs.  However, the center is entering the final year on his contract.

“We knew that was one of the things we didn’t want was another player go off, a quality player like that and not get anything in return so to speak,” Jackson confirmed. 

The trade, draft picks, and a whole host of factors will also play a role in Carmelo Anthony’s decision to either remain a member of the Knicks or ink a deal with a new team following the free agency moratorium period.  Jackson acknowledged his conversations with Anthony and categorized them as positive; “He saw the value in it and was appreciative of it.”

“I wouldn’t use the word consulted, I would use the word informed when we talked to Carmelo about this a couple weeks ago when we met with him,“ Jackson said.

There is no specific timeline for Anthony to make his decision, as the Knicks will continue to fill the coaching staff and roster for the Summer League team, which begins action on July 11 in Las Vegas.

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Phil Jackson Explains Trade, Updates On Melo

Amid all the trade rumors and free agent discussions, the Knicks completed a significant deal on the eve of draft night.  New York shipped Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to Dallas in exchange for Jose Calderon, Wayne Ellington, Shane Larkin, Samuel Dalembert, and two second-round selections in this year’s draft.  The two picks are slotted at No. 34 and No. 51 overall.

Let’s examine the key pieces acquired in the trade:

Jose Calderon is a pass-first floor general and a dynamite shooter from deep.  Over the course of an eight-year NBA career, Calderon dished out an average of 6.8 assists per game.  This past season, the 32-year old knocked down 44.9 percent of his attempts behind the arc, fourth-best in the league for point guards.  Calderon is an ideal fit for the triangle offense due to his high basketball IQ and ability to damage opponents with a precise jumper. 

According to Synergy, Calderon spent 30.4 percent of his time as a spot-up shooter last year, nailing 47 percent from the floor and 47.5 percent from downtown.  The Spaniard was especially deadly in the corners where he hit a combined 40-of-77 shots for an impressive 51.9 percent.  When presented with the straight-up 3-ball, Calderon posted a 50 percent clip on 44 attempts.  The former Mavericks signal caller owned a sparkling 108.6 offensive rating during the 2013-14 campaign.

Keep in mind; Calderon joins another sharp shooting point guard in the Knicks backcourt mix.  Prigioni was the league’s second-best marksman from the 3-point line this past season and offers a similar, steady approach to the position.

If New York decides to retain Larkin, it will welcome the No. 18 overall pick from the 2013 NBA Draft.  The son of Hall of Fame shortstop, Barry Larkin, the 5-11 guard is a tremendous athlete, terrific shooter, and is adept at finding daylight in tight spaces for scoring and/or playmaking opportunities.  His season was cut severely short by a broken ankle suffered during a Summer League practice.

Wayne Ellington spent his collegiate days at North Carolina where he captured a National Championship.  The Pennsylvania native earned a reputation as a silky smooth shooter from the 2-guard spot.  He continues to search for a consistent role after stops in four different cities since the Timberwolves drafted him in the 2009 draft.

The lone big man heading to New York is Dalembert.  Last season, the 6-11 center was Dallas’ best rebounder and shot blocker at 1.2 per outing. 

New York immediately jumps into the draft frenzy in what is considered one of the deepest classes in league history.  No. 34 and No. 51 will provide ample options for the Knicks to bolster their depth with young talent or continue to re-shape the roster by seeking additional trades. 

Stay tuned for more coverage of the trade and the Knicks draft picks on Knicks.com.  Visit the draft profiles hub for detailed reports on prospects that could potentially land in New York.   

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Examining The Deal: Calderon's Sharpshooting

Charlie Widdoes

NEW YORK, June 25, 2014 – New York Knickerbockers President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has acquired guards Jose Calderon, Wayne Ellington and Shane Larkin, center Samuel Dalembert and two second-round selections in the 2014 NBA Draft (34th &amp; 51st overall) from Dallas in exchange for guard Raymond Felton and center Tyson Chandler.

“The journey to build this team for the upcoming season and beyond continues,” Jackson said. “We have added players with this move that will fit right in to our system while maintaining future flexibility.

“We would like to thank Raymond and Tyson for their time and hard work with the organization over the past few years.”

Calderon, 6-3, 211-pounds, holds career averages of 10.2 points, on 47.9-percent shooting from the floor and 41.1-percent from three-point range, and 6.8 assists in 634 games (432 starts) over nine seasons with Toronto, Detroit and Dallas. He ranked in the top five on the NBA assist list in four of the last seven seasons and set a single-season NBA record by shooting 98.1-percent (151-154) from the free throw line in 2008-09 with the Raptors. This past season for the Mavericks, he averaged 11.4 points and 4.7 assists and hit a career high 191 three pointers (seventh in NBA) over 30.5 minutes in 81 games (all starts).

The 32-year-old Villanueva de la Serena, Spain-native played six seasons in the Spanish professional leagues before signing with Toronto on Aug. 3, 2005. His illustrious career with the Spanish national team includes winning Silver Olympic medals at the 2008 games in Beijing and 2012 games in London, and was a member of the 2006 FIBA World Championship team.

Dalembert, 6-11, 250-pounds, holds career averages of 7.8 points, on 52.3-percent shooting, 7.9 rebounds and 1.76 blocks over 24.7 minutes in 854 games (673 starts) in 12 NBA seasons with Philadelphia, Sacramento, Houston, Milwaukee and Dallas. He has ranked in the top 10 in total blocked shots in seven of the those 12 seasons. This past season, the 33-year-old averaged 7.8 points, on a career-best 56.8-percent shooting, 6.8 rebounds and 1.18 blocks over 20.2 minutes in 80 games (68 starts) with Dallas. The Port-au-Prince, Haiti-native, who played two seasons at Seton Hall University (NJ), was originally selected by Philadelphia in first round (26th overall) of 2001 NBA Draft.

Ellington, 6-4, 200-pounds, holds career averages of 6.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists over 17.9 minutes in 312 games (35 starts) over five NBA seasons with Minnesota, Memphis, Cleveland and Dallas and averaged 3.2 points over 8.7 minutes in 45 games (one start) for the Mavericks this past season. He was originally selected by Minnesota following his junior season at the University of North Carolina in first round (28th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft.

Larkin, 5-11, 176-pounds, was selected by Atlanta following his sophomore season at the University of Miami in first round (18th overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft before his draft rights were traded to Dallas. As a rookie, he averaged 2.8 points and 1.5 assists over 10.2 minutes in 48 games for Dallas and 15.3 points, 8.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds over 35.7 minutes in four games for the Texas Legends of NBA Development League this past season. At the University of Miami, he led the Hurricanes to the 2013 regular-season and post-season ACC Titles and on to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, while being named Lute Olson National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year and an AP second team All-American. He is the son of MLB Hall of Famer Barry Larkin.

Chandler, 7-1, 245-pounds, averaged 8.7 points, on 59.3-percent shooting, 9.6 rebounds and 1.15 blocks over 30.2 minutes in 55 games (all starts) this past season. He was acquired from Dallas, via a sign-and-trade, in a three-team deal on Dec. 10, 2011 and finishes his Knicks career as its all-time leader in field goal percentage (.638) in 183 games. In the orange and blue, the Hanford, CA-native, was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team twice and as a reserve for the Eastern Conference at the 2013 NBA All-Star game. He was named the 2012 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Felton, 6-1, 205-pounds, averaged 9.7 points, 5.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds over 31 minutes in 65 games (all starts) last season in his second stint in New York after a Jul. 16, 2012 trade with Portland. Over three non-consecutive seasons, the Marion, SC-native averaged 13.4 points and 6.6 assists (fourth all-time) in 187 games for the Knicks.

Samuel Dalembert