Chris Kaman

[tsherkin]

Alright, so I'm doing that big monster article of doom on the young bigs of the league and Chris Kaman is obviously standing out this season and I want to poll you guys. Or not poll so much as pick your brains.

I've seen a bunch of Clippers' games and come away impressed but I'd like to get a more thorough description of his game.

He's having a Hell of a rebounding season and looks better as a passer (though still turnover-prone and not a real stunner like a Webber or a Divac).

So could you tell me a bit more about how you see his offensive game? Obviously, he isn't a stunner about drawing fouls but what kinds of looks is he getting most often?

Obviously close stuff and some scattered jumpers from mid-range. He's getting a bunch of shots around the paint and a bunch inside (most of them from like 8 feet out and in, right in the paint it looks like).

But how is he getting them?

I saw him posting up a bunch and I saw him firing up some righty hooks but does he get a lot of assisted buckets in transition? Does he come into the offense late or does he set up and seal off position early? Does he use both sides of the key effectively? How's his left hand?

What's his defense like? Looks to me like he's been a great shot-blocker so far this year but how are his other rotations? Does he contest a lot or only chase what he thinks he can block? How well does he defend the pick-and-roll?

And so on and so forth, anything you can think of would be appreciated.

Thanks guys!

[JJ LoDuca]

As nice as his game is, the most interesting stuff about the Vanilla Gorilla comes OFF the court. That said, he doesn't get a lot of looks in transition (most of those buckets go to Maggette or Mobley), but he's an able finisher most of the time. As for his left hand-- let's put it like this, he might as well be listed as a left-hander. It's safe to say that neither hand is his off hand. Once Kaman posts up his man, one of the Clip's wing guys usually gives it to him on the block, where he'll back his man down to where he wants him, then spin once, maybe even twice, and finish with either hand. Grace doesn't come to mind when describing his offensive game, but it's smooth enough.

On D, he's agressive as it relates to blocking shots. He often leaves his man to go block another player's shot in the paint. I'd say he doesn't discriminate much when it comes to blocking shots-- if its in his general area, he wants it. As far as pick & roll defense goes, I think he's one of the finest big men in the league at defending it. I'm sure Dunleavy & Clips assistant Kim Hughes have spent ample time telling him how to get it done.

[mkwest]

JJ gave a great description of Kaman's game.

Kaman has shown great improvement this season in comparison to years' past. You may want to read up on the latest news on the whole misdiagnosis of ADHD. That'll give you the details of any mental transformation and development that have occurred this season. After receiving treatment from the Neurofeedback training, his performance on the court just clicked.

Chris is averaging almost twice as many blocks this season than throughout the rest of his career. His previous best was last year at 1.6 per game. His weakside defense is much improved this season, as he's more likely to drift away from his own man to help. If he's in close proximity to the ball and feels he can alter the opponent's shot, he will put a hand in their face looking to make a block.

Offensively, Kaman does most of his damage from the right block as opposed to the left. He's pretty much ambidextrous, but prefers to use his left hand. His hands mixed with his footwork make him dangerous in the post as you can expect an array of spin moves followed by a hook shot off of the glass. His jumper that extends out to 15 feet or so is getting better but it's still a work in progress. I'd like to see it develop more when Elton returns (who'll actually crash the offensive glass). His passing is not on the level of say a Divac, but it is improving. He's had to work for most of his baskets this season, as he doesn't get too many easy looks. He's constantly facing double teams being the primary option. He's become more aware of foul situations on both sides of the ball. He is more likely to not complain about non-calls than in years passed, and just keeps it moving (in other words, he is staying focused on the game rather than the refs). He's also avoided getting into too much foul trouble. There's been a few games where he has picked up fouls early (3 in the first half) and he'll play smarter in the 2nd half, maintaining aggressiveness but avoiding fouls . Although this a more statistical observation, but he has yet to foul out of a game while he fouled out 6 times last season. He's averaging the same amount of fouls in 10 minutes more playing time.

[ClipperDomination]

JJ gave a great description of Kaman's game.

Kaman has shown great improvement this season in comparison to years' past. You may want to read up on the latest news on the whole misdiagnosis of ADHD. That'll give you the details of any mental transformation and development that have occurred this season. After receiving treatment from the Neurofeedback training, his performance on the court just clicked.

Chris is averaging almost twice as many blocks this season than throughout the rest of his career. His previous best was last year at 1.6 per game. His weakside defense is much improved this season, as he's more likely to drift away from his own man to help. If he's in close proximity to the ball and feels he can alter the opponent's shot, he will put a hand in their face looking to make a block.

Offensively, Kaman does most of his damage from the right block as opposed to the left. He's pretty much ambidextrous, but prefers to use his left hand. His hands mixed with his footwork make him dangerous in the post as you can expect an array of spin moves followed by a hook shot off of the glass. His jumper that extends out to 15 feet or so is getting better but it's still a work in progress. I'd like to see it develop more when Elton returns (who'll actually crash the offensive glass). His passing is not on the level of say a Divac, but it is improving. He's had to work for most of his baskets this season, as he doesn't get too many easy looks. He's constantly facing double teams being the primary option. He's become more aware of foul situations on both sides of the ball. He is more likely to not complain about non-calls than in years passed, and just keeps it moving (in other words, he is staying focused on the game rather than the refs). He's also avoided getting into too much foul trouble. There's been a few games where he has picked up fouls early (3 in the first half) and he'll play smarter in the 2nd half, maintaining aggressiveness but avoiding fouls . Although this a more statistical observation, but he has yet to foul out of a game while he fouled out 6 times last season. He's averaging the same amount of fouls in 10 minutes more playing time.

Great post.

JJ and mkwest have basically said everything you need to know.

[tsherkin]

Sorry I took so long in replying to this.

Thanks for your feedback guys, I appreciate it a lot.

Can you give me a better feel for how and from where he's making his passes? I've got some stats that say the vast majority of his assists are on jumpers inside the arc and about 3:2 as far as 3-balls to close shots otherwise.

Does that square with what you guys see? Who does he seem to hit most often? Maggette? Cat? Sam? Tim T? And where?

If he's doing most of his passing from the right side, I guess you're seeing a bunch of baseline and elbow shots, yeah? Some pocket threes and some cutters pulling at the line?

Thanks again!

[ClipperDomination]

Chris makes most of his passes from the post position, or when he gets the ball outside at the top of the key to dish it to another player (who is usually outside the three point line as well).

The reason why you see his assists coming from players who shoot inside the arc is because he gets stuck with non-three point shooters in the inside/outside game a lot of the time (Q-Ross, Brevin Knight, Al Thornton). The only real three point threats on our team are TT and Mobley (sometimes Cassell as well), so obviously odds are that Kaman isn't dishing the ball to them when in the post.

Most of our players love to create shots on their own. The Clipps are in the middle of the pack in APG as a team, and with players like Maggette, Mobley, Cassell, and Thornton, you aren't going to see many nice dishes being thrown out from guys like Kaman, but he is a good passer nonetheless.

He is taking more 15 footers this year(from both the baseline and from the elbow). He is consistently hitting them with no hesitation (unlike last year), so there is no reason as to why he shouldn't continue to take those jump shots.

Our stagnant offensive has been a huge problem this year as well. You barely ever see movement without the ball, resulting in many contested, bad shots where the shot clock is running down.

Hope this helped.

[ClipperDomination]

Also, as sad as it is to say, Kaman's production has partly been due to Brand's injury. When Brand comes back, expect Kaman's numbers to go down (but not plummet) as you will see Brand become our #1 scoring option. But with Kaman's great year, he and Brand will make a great PF/C combo.