Thoughts on Chris Kaman

[dockingsched]

how is everyone feeling about chris kaman so far?

his play has been less than spectacular...to but it bluntly he looks like crap. shooting 31% from the field, can't rely on him to make a big bucket, and looking intimidated by the opposing center. his rebounding is still there though.

also, some of his comments all off season have left a lot to be desired. after the nuggets game he said some not so flattering things about the clippers reputation for losing.

just a phase he'll snap out of? he's not as good as advertised? poor attitude that needs to be moved? give him time, he'll play like a top center in no time? last year was a fluke, he's a 12/10 guy? expectations are too high? good guy, just needs a better mouth filter?

thoughts?

[loflin3hree5ive]

IMO, the jury is out until he gets to play with Camby whenever the hell that is.

[GuyverX]

Kaman has regressed. I don't know where the offensive player from the first half of last season went. I think he's still in Germany. That comment about the "same old Clippers" was incredibly stupid and he's a numb skull for even bring that stuff up when outside of 5 guys, everybody else is new.

One thing I can say is he is getting progressively better, bit by bit. He had a spin move and dunk against Okur during the Utah game that was positively reminiscent of last season. I hope he can get back on track asap and I have a feeling he will...eventually. If Baron comes back soon, it'll help his game a lot. They were having Tim Thomas feeding the post and we all know the outcome to those passes. Kaman on his game is a top 5 center....the Kaman right now is garbage outside of his rebounding and help defense.

[dockingsched]

are his comments about the franchise anything to get concerned about?

he doesn't seem to be the biggest clippers fan from the things he says. from the recent "same ol clippers, we're used to losing" to his comments about the franchise when eb left. is my memory right on that? i can't find some of his comments about that online but i recall him being somewhat critical then too.

[NYCF]

Kaman is, and always has been, garbage. I have always hated this guy. The first half of last season was a total fluke. With Brand out, Kaman was "the man" on a 23 win team. Big deal. Do you really think opponents could care less what he did when 90% of them knew they could destroy the Clippers even if they played at half-speed. I'm sure they could care less if Kaman got his points and rebounds but the Clippers still lost by 10 or 15 (or worse), night in night out. The proof is in how he has played in the 4 1/2 seasons other than the first half of the 07-08 season. I was appalled when Dunleavy "rewarded" this moron for his "stellar" play with a 5 year 52.5 million dollar contract. Good luck trading this garbage. Never gonna happen. Maybe we can pull a D'Antoni at some point and try to shame him into accepting a buyout like the Knicks are trying to do with Marbury.

[GuyverX]

Well, the thing about Kaman last season wasn't really his stats. They were nice but if you actually watched him play, he was making shots that only top post players could make down on there block. The same moves and shots that he kept bricking, the same 2 foot layups that he misses 2 years ago and now...they were going in. So it wasn't just a case of a mediocre player on an bad team getting their stats just because there is no one else. I can't believe it was all just a fluke and somehow the basketball fairy guided all of those great shots in the paint into the basket. Kaman had some mojo going down in the post last season. He really did break through offensively. His rebounds you can say "who else is there to rebound?" but he had it going on offense against pretty much the majority of defenders one-on-one.

If he even gets 12/10, his $50 million dollar contract would still be considered a bargain when you take into consideration what mediocre bigs get paid these days.

As far as his opinion of the franchise...I'm not sure if I'm worried just yet. Losing badly can bring out the worst in people. If they were winning I don't think if he would be acting this way. He did say something like "what did you do to me?" to Brand when he left though...so who knows?

[JJ LoDuca]

Hey, if Kaman told off Brand when he left, dude is up a notch in my book, regardless of his play.

I really like your take on this situation, Guyv. Kaman is not a complete waste of talent, although a lot of people seem to believe that these days. He showed us last season, even if it was only for a moment, the kind of thing that he's capable of. He still has those same capabilities-- I think it's simply a lack of drive. I don't know what else it could take to motivate a guy who just got duped by Brand and now plays with the best PG he's ever played with...but Kaman ain't smarter than the average bear. It's 3 games in, and I think his production will go up over time.

If not: torches and pitchforks, people.

[GuyverX]

Hey, if Kaman told off Brand when he left, dude is up a notch in my book, regardless of his play.

Well, I don't think it was so much telling Brand off as it was more like "I can't believe you left me alone with this mess."

I want to see how well he plays alongside Baron and Camby. That will be an eye-opener.

[dockingsched]

yeah, thats the way i remember his comments too. do u happen to remember where they were published? tried looking but can't find them

[JJ LoDuca]

Hey, if Kaman told off Brand when he left, dude is up a notch in my book, regardless of his play.

Well, I don't think it was so much telling Brand off as it was more like "I can't believe you left me alone with this mess."

I hadn't heard that part of his comments. Alright, on with the torches and pitchforks

[ClipperDomination]

Kaman's less than superb play can be explained by his lack of drive as Ms. JJ pointed out. It simply looks like he did not go to work over the summer and put in the effort to try to get better---instead it seems as if he took the whole summer off and regressed as a result. Missing easy layups, not catching easy passes, and his piss-poor defense further proves my point.

Is trading Kaman the answer? Probably not, but I think he needs to show some heart and willingness to succeed if he wants to improve as a player. B-Diddy, being the team leader he is, could/should talk to him about stepping his game up.

[dockingsched]

couldn't find his comments about the team after the brand trade but here are his comments about the clips regarding his playing for germany, again not that flattering:

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijin ... &type=lgns

“The Clippers made it very difficult for me to get over here, with the (medical) insurance and them not wanting me to go,” Kaman said. “They lied to me a couple times. I didn’t appreciate it.”

There’s a lot of stuff that went on that I had to fight about,” he said. “I’m just glad I’m here now. … There are so many things surrounding the Clippers, so many controversies. There’s always something going on.”

“If my player wanted to go play somewhere – and I have the right to do that – they should trust me by now,” Kaman said. “I’ve been playing for them for five years, and I’ve always come in shape. I’ve had pretty decent seasons. I think I’m worth every penny they’re paying me. Sometimes, teams are a little different than other teams, they run their organizations a little different.”

that part i bolded is consistent with his rather low view of the clips as an organization

[jgustav1]

I'm not a big fan of Kaman and don't really see a top 5 center like many of the posters on this board seem to think he is. He had been more productive last season than any other time in his career but I think he is going to be passed by in the West by players with better physical tools like Bynum and Oden in terms of making an all star team. NYCF made a legitimate point that he put it big numbers on a 23 win team when there wasn't much pressure to perform on most nights and the competition for points and rebounds with his teammates wasn't very strong. I don't think that a trade is likely though, given how few trades the Clippers have made over the past 5 years.

In general, I think expectations were probably too high for both Kaman and this team by most fans based on the offseason moves. I'm thinking this team will be improved, more competitive and entertaining than last year, but still fall short of the playoffs.

[thanumba2clippersfan]

I think that some of you are over reacting. I didn't think the season was over 3 games in. No one on this team has really played all that great these first 3 games. I know we're capable of playing much better. With Kaman it starts with his attitude and his focus. Even if our team wasn't that good last season Kaman was productive. It may just take a little time for some of our players to get into their groove. We had a number of players out in the pre season, so some may have not been as ready for the start.

Kaman has been improving some what through these games. Let's give him and the time more than 3 games to judge them. What matters most is how you play at the end of the season. We have the talent to make the playoffs, if we get it together at the end of the season we have a good chance of making the playoffs.

[mj_shoefanatic]

Kaman needs to be traded for Samuel Dalembert
btw I know it's a longshot but still.

[ClipperDomination]

Kaman showed that he's still the player of old last night. Let's all hope for no more let down out of our big man.

[JJ LoDuca]

As long as his teammates are creating shots for him, Kaman seems to be on his game. It seems that when he's on, all aspects of his game are on: rebounding, defense, hustle...all that. And when he's off...yup.

[jozef]

Would you trade Kaman for Okur and NY pick (Jazz have NY pick which could be lottery one)?

[thanumba2clippersfan]

I think we've gone over this one before. I'm not a fan of Okur and I wouldn't want him on our team

[realfung]

I think he is playing pretty good, what do you want from him?

20-10-5-5?