Samb, 7-footer from Senegal, makes most of minutes as unlikely hero November 18, 2007 BY KRISTA JAHNKE FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER SACRAMENTO -- How unlikely was Cheikh Samb's 15-minute appearance in the Pistons' loss to the Lakers on Friday? Like finding a vegan at the butchers, a nun at a rave, a camel in the Arctic. There was no plan to feature Samb prior to Friday, and when he came in with 10:10 to play, he probably had the Lakers' coaching staff scratching their heads, wondering how they missed the 7-foot-1 center with arms to there in their scouting report. Samb was not expected to play, really, at all in the regular season, especially not before he went to the NBA Development League for some seasoning. But the perfect storm arose Friday, giving him a chance. First, Antonio McDyess sat out with his strained left shoulder. Then Jason Maxiell, starting in McDyess' spot, quickly got into foul trouble. Rasheed Wallace needed some rest, and Amir Johnson was already on the floor because coach Flip Saunders pulled center Nazr Mohammed after he turned the ball over too many times in his four minutes. With no other option -- and with Samb dressed only because the inactive list was filled with two other injured rotation players -- Saunders called on Samb. "The positive was, our young guys played well," Saunders said. "To put them in that situation, we just ran out of a few bodies." Samb's biggest developmental need is greater strength; he's a 7-footer with the frame of Richard Hamilton. Still, Samb more or less held his own. He demonstrated his knack for blocking shots with two swats and one more that was called for goaltending. Samb also finished with four rebounds, showing a surprising ability to at least fight for position despite his slim size. But Saunders said he wasn't surprised. "He's been great in practice," Saunders said. "Tonight, he took advantage of it and he did a nice job. He's still learning a lot." Samb is most comfortable speaking Spanish or Senegalese or French and declined to do English interviews. But his teammates spoke for him. "We have some young guys out there that play great for us," point guard Lindsey Hunter said. "But there will always be some little things, like time, knowing what to do and where to be. You can live with those because those guys play hard." Said Flip Murray: "He came in and clogged the middle for us, denied them from getting easy baskets and easy lay-ups. He played a great game." It was by no means a flawless game. Samb, who will likely depart for Ft. Wayne in the next month, was on the floor as the Lakers grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the second quarter. He had a welcome-to-the-NBA moment when Lamar Odom dunked over him. He sometimes looked lost on the offensive end. But it was a good start for a player no one expected to see much of this season. "He's a different kind of shot-blocker," Tayshaun Prince said. "He definitely gets unexpected blocks. He made some huge plays for us, gave us an energy boost in the second quarter." --

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