Over the past couple of weeks, Chris Kaman has been dealing with back issues and fell out of the rotation in favor of Robert Sacre. When he was finally healthy enough to play, head coach Mike D’Antoni still couldn’t find any minutes for Kaman and he naturally expressed frustration about his limited role.
With Jordan Hill not playing well, D’Antoni decided to play Kaman for the first time in three games. In 16 minutes, the center had six points and three rebounds, including an impressive block in the first quarter. After the 104-91 victory, D’Antoni said he liked what he saw and expects Kaman to be in the rotation according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Mike D’Antoni says he liked what he saw from Chris Kaman and expects him to continue to be in the rotation.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 21, 2013
With numerous injuries, Kaman will finally have the opportunity to be part of the rotation. While most don’t expect the Lakers to win many games without Kobe Bryant for at least six weeks, D’Antoni is trying to find new combinations to keep them in playoff contention.
Without Bryant, the Lakers reverted back to run-and-gun and played with good defensive energy in the second half. While Sacre will continue to get minutes, Kaman provides much needed offense in the frontcourt moving forward.
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