Dalembert, Korver In The Fold

Korver, King and Dalembert met with the media on August 2. Sixers Photos

Audio: King on Green | Press Conference | Allen Iverson
Video: Press Conference | Photo Gallery: Signings

Samuel Dalembert and Kyle Korver recently spent 13 hours flying to China to participate in the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders outreach program there, and 11 hours flying home. That gave the two restricted free agents plenty of time to think about their futures in the NBA.

On August 2, Dalembert and Korver were back in Philadephia at the Wachovia Center, meeting with the media after both signed long-term contracts to remain in a 76ers uniform.

“We set out when we started this process to re-sign our own free agents because I look at them that they were the best ones out there, and why go sign someone else?” King said. “It gives me great pleasure to have Sam and Kyle re-signed because I think they’ve earned it. I think they were a big part of our success last year and I think they’ll be a big part of our success for the future.”

Willie Green Green Suffers Injury The Sixers plans for restricted free-agent guard Willie Green will be up in the air for a while after Green suffered a knee injury while playing in a pickup game in his hometown of Detroit. “Right now Willie will need surgery,” King said. “We do know there’s cartilage damage, and we’ll know more at the time of surgery. We do not know when the surgery is going to be. It’ll be done in Philadelphia, and then we’ll discuss everything at that point in time. He wants to get the surgery going so he can get into his rehab as quickly as possible.” Green’s teammates expressed disappointment when they learned of the setback. “I just heard about it yesterday, and I went and saw him,” Allen Iverson said. "His spirit was up, but I don’t know how much it could be. It was just rough, because I love him as a person and a teammate. I just hope he does what’s best for him."

Korver, a 6-7 forward entering his third NBA season, and Dalembert, heading into his fifth year, were both restricted free agents. Sixers President Billy King had long said he would match any offers made by other teams to either player, but it turned out he didn’t have to.

“I’m really excited to be back here,” Korver said. “There’s some other opportunities maybe you look at, and think about yourself in different situations, but when it comes down to it I think this is where I’m supposed to be. They gave me a shot when no one else really would, and the people here have been awesome to me. I don’t want to be one of those guys that just travel all over the place. I’d like to be here for another 12 years.”

Dalembert was one of the more highly coveted free agents on the market this summer, due in large part to his excellent play in the last part of the 2004-05 season and the playoff series against Detroit. In the end, he decided that he didn’t want to leave Philadelphia.

“I’m loyal,” Dalembert said. “Sometimes we can lie to ourselves and say having one, two, three million more is not a lot of money. But at some point, when you reach certain numbers, it doesn’t really matter [when compared to] things you’re leaving behind. For me, I had to sit down and say yeah, I probably would have been paid more money. But I love it here, and maybe I wouldn’t have had that there. I wouldn’t know what type of people I was dealing with. I feel the love here.”

King expressed his love for the wide variety in the games of both players.

“Sam has his athletic abilities, he’s blocking shots, and his offense has grown,” King said. “The thing we like about Kyle’s game is that its’ more than just shooting the three. He’s a real basketball player. I think that’s what Kyle wants to express and that’s what our team wants to express, that he can do more than that. I think having these two guys to go along with the player we’ve signed, we have a bright future.”

Allen Iverson showed up at the gathering to support his teammates, and discussed his happiness at having both players signed up for the long term.

“This is what you want,” Iverson said. “You want the big contract, and you want the people to show how much they want you. That’s what Billy did today with those guys. He accepted them. It’s important, because have some chemistry with each other. Sam and Kyle, they’re starters on the team. I like the look of our team, and I like the direction we’re heading. I’m just looking forward to trying to win a championship with them.”