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Samuel Dalembert May Be Heat's Target

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – Now that the NBA season will officially begin in December, it's time for the Miami Heat to figure out exactly what to do with its roster.

The Heat's biggest need is at the center position. Last season, the Heat put out a center by committee approach with NBA players from the seniors circuit like: Erick Dampier, Jamaal Magloire, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Each player tried to spark a big run for the Heat, but none had a significant long-lasting impact on the roster.

That's why the Heat could turn to former Sacramento Kings center Samuel Dalembert. The Haitian-native has said he would like to play for the Heat. He owns a home in South Florida and has approximately 50 family members who live here.

Dalembert stands 6'11" and weighs 250 pounds. For his career, he averages 8.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and nearly 2 blocks per game while playing roughly 26 minutes per game.

He's a nine-year veteran and would immediately fill a huge void the Heat have in their roster. But, the question is will he be willing to play for what the Heat could pay.

That's where the new collective bargaining agreement comes into play. The Heat will have a full mid-level exception to sign Dalembert if the team wants to use it on him.

But the Heat may not want to tie-up the full mid-level exception on Dalembert, especially on a multi-year contract.

Plus, Dalembert will also be coveted by Houston and possibly the New York Knicks.

Still, Dalembert would work perfectly in the Heat's offense. He would keep opponents honest on the outside to free up Dwyane Wade and LeBron James and also allow Bosh to move more freely instead of having to play the center position as often.

Signing Dalembert would also push Joel Anthony to the second-line to come in and play with Udonis Haslem to give Bosh and Dalembert a breather.

If the Heat chooses not to go hard after Dalembert, there are a few other options available.

The team could also try to acquire Tyson Chandler, Nene, or Kwame Brown. The Heat is also expected to offer a tryout to former Knicks bust Eddy Curry, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

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