Have you ever heard of Dusty Rhodes? Dusty Rhodes, the pinch hitter extraordinaire for the 1954 New York Giants, not Dusty Rhodes, the wrestler. That year Rhodes hit .341 with 15 homers and 50 RBIs: incredible production from only 164 at-bats. The Giants, with Willie Mays as their star, won the World Series that year.

We here at Dropping Dimes will not win anything like the World Series while our star, Dennis Velasco, attends to other matters. But the least I can do is pinch-hit for the guy. He made the pick; I wil provide the words.

Round 7, Pick 3: Samuel Dalembert, C, Philadelphia 76ers

On the plus side…

It actually is not that hard to find a difference maker in blocks on the waiver wire during the season. The problem is these guys have offensive game like House described one of his resident’s leadership skills: non-existent…otherwise excellent. Yep, you can get these guys to pinch-hit a bit during a roto season at times because their 3-5 blocks a game helps more than their 3-5 points a game hurt. If only there was a player with break-out potential who can swat three shots a game, go double digits on the boards, and maybe even score 10-12 points a game? Enter Dalembert.

This team already has Ben Wallace. Him and Sammy here could easily block 15-20 shots a week. And, oh wait, the Matrix is on this squad too! Up that shot block count to 20-25 a week. Count on even marginal production from the rest of the team, and in a head-to-head league, the letter of the week will be “W” more often than “L.”

On the flip side…

Now comes the potential part. Fantasy owners have been yelling “Sleeper!” from the streets for three years running. Remember back when he was getting picked as high as the fourth or fifth rounds? Although he played a full season that year in 2003-04, his dials did not go to eleven on either points or rebounds that year. Since then, his game totals have dropped from 82 in 2003-04, down to 72 and then 66 games last season. Health issues plus the lack of a consistently great track record make him a risky pick.

The superstars in the league tend to get scrutinzed with a fine-tooth comb as if they have lice. Well, if you are going to criticize Lebron James because of his FT%, then you should carry this critic’s attitude all the way down. So Dalembert gets no props for his low of 38.9% in 2001-02. None at all. Last year he improved to 70.5% but that is not going to make a positive impact, especially if you already have this guy and that guy on the team.

Finally Dalembert has a bit of the injury tag in the pre-season. Buyer beware.

The final score…

How many players in the league have the potential to get at least 10 points, 10 rebs and 2 blocks this year? Not many. Dalembert adds to the big man cats for this team. D now has his two center spots filled, which means he can sail through the middle and late rounds addressing his other needs.

Decide if you mind having Dalembert as your #2 or even #1 center. If the answer is yes, then do what D did in grabbing guys like ‘Melo, Baron and Wally in the early middle rounds. If the answer is no, then spend an earlier pick on a center so you can take part in the point guard run that seems to happen in the sixth and seventh rounds.

On an ending note, this team has a solid selection of nicknames. If Sean Combs went from Puff Daddy to Puffy to P. Diddy to now just Diddy, what is Baron Davis aka B. Diddy going to do next? I mean, “Diddy” is already taken. His fantasy owners probably want it to be “70 games at least Diddy.”

Peace.

Other team members:

1.3. Shawn Marion, SF/PF, Phoenix Suns
2.10. Ben Wallace, C, Chicago Bulls
3.3. Mike Bibby, PG, Sacramento Kings
4.10. Carmelo Anthony, SF, Denver Nuggets
5.3. Baron Davis, PG, Golden State Warriors
6.10. Wally Szczerbiak, SG/SF, Boston Celtics