In the off-season, the Los Angeles Lakers chose to sign veteran center Chris Kaman with the mini-midlevel exception. Kaman will earn a little under $3.2 million this season with the Lakers as a result of signing the deal last summer.
Despite paying Kaman over $3 million this season, the team isn’t using him the way the veteran anticipated when he signed. Kaman has publicly expressed his frustration with the Lakers over the course of the season and reiterated that frustration on Tuesday night.
Kaman didn’t get the nod from head coach Mike D’Antoni once again on Tuesday and as a result was unable to face his former team in Dallas. After the game, Kaman was clearly unhappy about another game he was forced to watch from the bench saying the following via Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News:
Someone just asked former Maverick Chris Kaman why he hasn't played tonight. "I don't know," Kaman shrugged. "Same (bleep), new city."
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 8, 2014
With Kaman having no problem venting his frustration about the lack of playing time, it may be only a matter of time before he’s sent elsewhere. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kaman embrace the team putting him on the trading block as it’s clear at this point in time not much is going to change moving forward.
The only way Kaman gets more playing time with the Lakers this season is if Jordan Hill or Pau Gasol go down with injury. If Gasol had been traded for Andrew Bynum recently, Kaman would’ve more than likely have shouldered the load in the frontcourt, but now he’s in limbo once again with an uncertain future.
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