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Just to save time:
*generic "Tim Duncan is black?" comment*
No hyperbole here, eh, Mike?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ers/index.html
Kaman able
Clippers center has bounced back with a vengeance
by Ian Thomsen
Posted: Tuesday December 18, 2007 11:02AM; Updated: Tuesday December 18, 2007 2:11PM
Never did I imagine there were so many Clippers fans until I left Chris Kaman off a recent list of most improved players. Their outrage was neither meek nor unreasonable, as Kaman ranks third in the league in rebounds (13.9 per game) and double-doubles (19) to go with his elevated 18.6 points a game.
Kaman's gains have been amplified by his slump last year to 10.1 points and 7.8 rebounds (he averaged 11.9 points and 9.6 rebounds in 2005-06). He was on the verge of earning a five-year, $52 million contract, but Kaman doesn't think he felt pressure to live up to the terms.
"I can't pinpoint one thing,'' he said. "I just know I sucked last year compared to the year before, and we missed by two games -- essentially one game [because the Clippers held the tiebreaker over No. 8 seed Golden State] -- from getting back into the playoffs. It was frustrating to have that happen.''
But Kaman has recovered to become the most efficient center in the West, ranking ahead of Yao Ming, Marcus Camby and Amaré Stoudemire in the key-indicators stat that includes points, rebounds and blocked shots (2.7 for Kaman, ranking him third in the league).
"All along," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said, "I've said, 'Chris, you're like the white Tim Duncan. The skill levels are there, you can shoot left-handed, shoot right-handed, shoot outside, rebound, block shots -- you can do everything. Now it's just a matter of understanding what are the good reads, and once you do that, then nobody can stop you.' "
Until now, it's been too easy to dismiss Kaman, with his floppy blonde hair and his friendly naiveté. His attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has complicated attempts to focus and be coached. But Dunleavy credits Kaman's work to overcome the disability, with improvements hastened by the torn Achilles tendon suffered by All-Star power forward Elton Brand last summer. Instead of being the Clippers' secondary option in the low post, Kaman has become the main target inside. Not that it matters any, but his hair is shorter too.
"He gets a lot more touches because of Elton being out, but it's more a function of him and his confidence growing,'' Dunleavy said. "It gets accelerated a ton by the opportunities he's getting now, but he is such a professional from the work-ethic standpoint. From the minute he gets on the airplane, he's studying film of his game that night to try to grow and improve.''
The 7-foot-2 Kaman recovered from last season's decline by humbly playing in the Las Vegas summer league against rookies and minor leaguers. He is 21 pounds lighter this season.
"I knew I put in the time in the gym every day, that I was in good shape and ready to play from running and lifting and all of those things I'm supposed to do,'' he said. "I knew it was on me, so I didn't have any excuses this year.
"When Elton went down, I knew I was going to have more of an opportunity. Even though I've played well and I'm having a good year, I'd much rather play with Elton. It's hard to lose a guy who gives you 25 and 10.''
Kaman admits he's still learning to deal with increased double-teaming in the second halves. That attention will decrease if Brand returns by March 1 as hoped, but Dunleavy doesn't think Kaman's numbers have to revert to the previous norm.
"The good news for us is we would never be on the floor without a dominant post guy,'' Dunleavy said. "If one was out then the other would be in, and we'd always have an anchor to go to.
"Elton is more comfortable playing away from the basket, facing up and playing isolations and pick-and-rolls. Now Chris is making the same conversion,'' added Dunleavy, who took over the Clippers in 2003-04. "When I got here I told Elton, 'In the post they double-team you to death, so we've got to be able to use you in the pick-and-roll, step off block and iso you so you can see the double teams coming and make plays.' Chris is in the first phase of learning those things.''
Kaman's remarkable development is further enhancing the 2003 draft class in which -- as the No. 6 pick -- he had been judged superior to Darko Milicic (No. 2) but levels below the rest of the top five of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.
"Coming out of college, I didn't have any idea what was going to happen,'' said Kaman, who played three years at Central Michigan. "I had to learn a completely different style and figure out how my game could match up with the NBA. I didn't know what to anticipate, how I would play or what I could do.''
At his current rate, Kaman deserves to join Yao and Stoudemire as West All-Star centers in New Orleans.
"I hope so, but I'm going to continue to play hard and not worry about it,'' he says. "If it happens, it happens. And if not, I'll go home for some extra vacation time.''
Just to save time:
*generic "Tim Duncan is black?" comment*
The Kaman love is getting out of hand. Bill Simmons called him a "darkhorse to become the white Moses Malone."
35. Chris Kaman
To everyone's perpetual shock, the K-Man has evolved into a low-post beast, a guaranteed double team and a darkhorse to become the white Moses Malone. So what if he sucks defensively? After a two-year hiatus when Brad Miller's career went in the tank, we finally have someone to claim the "Best White American Center" championship belt again.
(Note: The K-Man also emerged as a comedic tour de force when we were shooting my "E:60" piece two weeks ago, admitting he hates L.A., describing how he drives his boat into international waters so he can fire guns at fish, and even uttering my single favorite quote of 2007: "I promise to start reading your column as soon as I learn to read." He was joking. We think. I demand a Chris Kaman "Cribs" episode within the next 10 months.)
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...simmons/071218
oreo>white choc
I thought this thread was going to be about Spencer Hawes. That was the last "white Tim Duncan" I heard about. Kaman >>>>>> Hawes so it was better than I thought
However this does bring up a good question: Is Manu Ginobili white or Hispanic?
I don't think we ever figured that out
what color are you?
^^green with purple polka-dots
Well, Rasho limited him to 2 (two) points last night. And as much as I like Rasho, I doubt he will ever be able to limit Timmy that much.
Kaman is good, real good - but Timmy good?
Obviously the white Tim Duncan won't be as good as the black one.
I guess that proves that Rasho = nobody.
He's Argentinian,as simple as that.I thought this thread was going to be about Spencer Hawes. That was the last "white Tim Duncan" I heard about. Kaman >>>>>> Hawes so it was better than I thought
However this does bring up a good question: Is Manu Ginobili white or Hispanic?
I don't think we ever figured that out
A mix of European and Spanic blood,with a white kind of look.
And I know it's been talked about here for years though.
Oh, I thought it would make him the white Bill Russell
I rather have a white Tim Duncan than a Black Keith Van Horn
Good old Shoogar Bear always trying to prop up the white man. Shoog we don't like members of the KKK here, you're gonna have to change teh way you post here.
Kaman = good stats (temporarily anyway) on a bad team.
End of story.
If by white they mean butt-ugly and by Tim Duncan they mean Lamar Odom, then yeah.
Once again you see the problems with tranferring spoken word to paper. That should read he's like "the White/Tim Duncan," as he combines the skills not one, but two all time Spurs greats.
I love my Clippers (not as much as the Spurs), but Kaman is nowhere near Timmy! He is very good though. I love his game. I would not mind having him playing alongside Tim on the Spurs.
/fixed
while Rasho was on the court, Kaman scored 2 points.
He scored other 10, while Rasho was not in the game.
/unfixed
you are the Black Tim Duncan.
I thought this thread was going to be about Spencer Hawes. That was the last "white Tim Duncan" I heard about. Kaman >>>>>> Hawes so it was better than I thought
However this does bring up a good question: Is Manu Ginobili white or Hispanic?
I don't think we ever figured that out
Ginobili is a white Hispanic.
Kaman has absolutely nothing in common with Lamar Odom.
Anyone ever notice the Spurs have the whitest black people of all-time that have played for them?
#1 David Robinson
#2 Sean Elliot
#3 Tim Duncan
Name any other black guys in the NBA whiter than them. I challenge you.
Aaron Williams, jason Kidd
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