The Los Angeles Lakers added center Chris Kaman this offseason after Dwight Howard decided to take his talents to Houston. Even though Kaman will not have the same pressures to win as Howard did, he is still expected to contribute at that position.
The Lakers were able to sign Kaman for the mid-level exception worth $3.1 million, which is a great price for a center of his caliber. Kaman will be backing up Pau Gasol this upcoming season, and he has shown that he is still a capable player on the court.
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There were some teams going after Kaman in free agency, and his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, decided not to bring him back this offseason. Owner Mark Cuban spoke to KTCK-AM in Dallas, and he talked about why the team went after Samuel Dalembert over bringing back Kaman.
Norm Hitzges: It was hard to put Kaman and Dirk on the floor at the same time defensively. Do you believe this year’s team fits better than last year’s group?
Mark Cuban: I don’t think it was so hard to put Dirk and Chris on the floor together defensively. I think where we ran into problems … we couldn’t convince Chris not to put the ball on the floor. When Chris would just pick and pop, he was a top-five shooter in the NBA. Dirk and Chris playing pick and pop, pick and roll was lethal. No team could stop it. Chris had his own way of doing things, and that created some issues. It just didn’t work. Dirk and Brandan Wright played a lot better together. That’s one of the reasons we went hard after Samuel Dalembert. Sam is much more of a rebounder and he’s also a good shot blocker and rim defender.
Cuban is someone who speaks whatever is on his mind and criticizing former players is nothing new for the owner. However, the past is the past, and Kaman is now on the Lakers and looking to surprise people with a successful season.
So Lakers Nation, what are you expecting from Kaman moving forward? Voice your opinion in the comments section below.
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