| Haiti's troubles worry Dalembert |
Philadelphia's 6-11 center Sam Dalembert, who has become a starter for the 76ers after spending all last season on the injured list, is the only Haitian playing in the NBA. Dalembert, who turns 22 next month, was born in Port-au-Prince and raised there by his grandmother, Hippomene Baptiste. When he was 14, he moved to Montreal to live with his parents. Dalembert, averaging 7.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in his third season out of Seton Hall, talked Thursday with USA TODAY's Bob Velin about the political turmoil in Haiti and the 76ers' season:
Q. Your grandmother still lives in Port-au-Prince. Are you afraid for her?
A. Yes, of course. She was like my mother. You worry something might happen to her, but you can only hope and pray. I try to call her as much as possible. Sometimes the line gets through, sometimes it doesn't. Like today, I tried to call her six or seven times before I finally got through.
Q. Are you surprised by what's happening in Haiti?
A. It's not surprising (because) it's happened before so many times you expect it. But you know what consequences something like this can bring to the people. That's why I'm afraid. As a little kid I saw it happen and I know how bad it was ... I can kind of picture what's going on.
Q. How do you feel about the Aristide government falling?
A. Innocent people were getting killed. You have to make the sacrifice. By him stepping down, you get relief from the rebels doing what they're doing.
Q. Do you plan to return to Haiti anytime soon?
A. That's always been one of my dreams. It's the country I was born in, and the weather, the beaches, they're nice. And the money you're making here can do so much for your family over there, and also for other people. ... You can only try your best. I'll wait until things get better and security gets better.
Q. Has the Haiti situation affected your game?
A. Yeah ... it's going to affect you somehow. You're human, you know. It's going to affect you subconsciously in not knowing.
Q. It's been a good year on the court for you, would you agree?
A. Yeah, yeah, it's been a great year. There could be a lot of improvement. But I'm always hard on myself. It's just me. But overall, coming back from injuries for a year and looking to come in and contribute to the team, I'm happy. But I'm still going to push myself.
Q. How has Allen Iverson's clashing with (coach) Chris Ford affected the team on the court?
A. It's affected it some, but there's not only one player on the court. There's five players, so if you've got one guy not focused or you have something going on, you have to sit down and talk about it. Four guys doing the right thing and one guy not doing it, at some point, we've got to get on the same page. We're all professionals, and we have to find a way to get it done. That's why they're paying us.
Q. Who is the toughest player you have to face?
A. Shaquille O'Neal. He's big and heavy. He's a good player and he's quick on his feet, too. He's one of those guys where it's hard for me to help off of him. If you're guarding him, that's your job for the night. But if I start going out there and helping, which is my mind-set, if you leave him, it's over. You foul him, or it's "and one."
Used courtesy of: USA Today |
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