In a mere 27 minutes, Samuel Dalembert had 35 points on 17-21 shooting, notched 12 rebounds, dished out 2 and blocked 1. Slammy Sammy has been Silent Sammy for most of the year, with a 14/13 game on January 30 and 12/10 in January 29 being the highlights of the year. In fact, the 35 was a career high for Dalembert. If you’re thinking of getting your loved one a Vermont Teddy Bear, don’t, but also don’t get Samuel Dalembert. Like Haley’s Comet, we probably won’t see another performance like this for 90 years.
Brandon Jennings – He went for 12 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals and a block, although he was silent from behind the arc and coughed up the ball 7 times. He’s not usually that turnover happy.
Jeff Teague – On the night, Teague tallied 24 points, 2 boards, 8 assists and a steal. Based on his last 3 weeks of performances, he has 3 games of double digit points, then single digits, then 3 DD, then a single, so he is due for another big game followed by a smaller output. And that’s hard science, like creationism.
Jeremy Lin – He had a nice night with 28 points (including 5 of 8 from downtown), plus 9 assists to go with a rebound and a steal. Lin has not had the season some people hoped for, but has he really had a bad season? No, he hasn’t. Especially not like our next guy…
Andre Iguodala – His slump continues with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. The peripheral stats are acceptable, but 8 points? On 9 shot attempts? Kobe does that in 1 quarter…when he’s suffering from the flu.
JaVale McGee – He played on Saturday (January 26), notched 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. He did not play the next 3 games, then came out last night for 8 pints, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. If he sees even marginal minutes (which is all he’s been getting), he could suddenly become a very interesting character all over again.
Roy Hibbert – Although not close to where I wanted him to be, he has been giving his owners much more than he was, and last night produced 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists (!) and 3 blocks.
Earl Clark – I may have reached my limit for talking about him, but he had 14 points, 12 rebounds, a steal and a block, while Pau Gasol went for 15/4/2 with 2 blocks. The Lakers won, and Gasol left the game before it was over, so I expect we’ll keep seeing Gasol and Clark: The New Adventures of Superham for the foreseeable future. Good news: it is something Gasol has been dealing with. Bad news: “I didn’t feel anything like I did” last night. Aw, I bet he says that to all the ladies.
Brook Lopez – He had a monster night, earning 30 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Everything you could want from a Center, plus a fancy New York address without actually paying Manhattan prices.
