THIS KID CAN BALL! It's so nice to have another "low post" scoring big! He's great at rebounding and position defense as well. I think he's going to benefit just like Lopez with Aldridge on the floor. Also, it's going to be awesome for Stott's to have a Double Jeopardy attack with Aldridge and Kaman on the low block! What a great fucking pick-up!
I think we all forgot how good he was. To be honest, we got lucky that Hawes decided to sign with the Clippers instead of the Blazers. Right now Kaman is far superior of a player and on a much better contract. Great pickup.
That's what I'm hoping for. The other team's bigs can't let up and cheat. They have to defend the low post and perimeter on every possession.
I have been a big fan of the Kaman signing since day 1. He has been totally misused the past two seasons. People keep talking about how many games he's missed and attribute it all to injuries. He racked up a lot DNP-CDs in both NO, as they wanted to play their young guys, and in LA because Mike D'Antoni has never been able to utilize more than one big man at a time. Kaman didn't get any PT in LA until Pau got injured and then he had some huge games. Even being misused by D'Antoni, Kaman's per 36 numbers last season were still outstanding - like All Star level good (19.8 PTS/36, 11.2 REB/36, 2.0 BLK/36). I mentioned it a while back, but his 19.8 PTS/36 last season is more than any Blazer big man off the bench since Sabonis was a rookie. The guy is a skilled, veteran big man that makes our bench so much better. Now we don't have to cringe when Rolo picks up that second foul in the 1st quarter. If anything, this will allow Lopez to be more aggressive on defense, as he knows he has a more-than-capable back-up. It also allows guys like Freeland and TRob to play their more natural back-up 4 position and means Aldridge never has to guard opposing centers. Great get by Neal, and one that wasn't greeted with a lot of enthusiasm here and didn't get much attention in the national sports media. It makes us better all around. We now have a huge front line with two solid true centers to play beside Aldridge. Remember when Aldridge wanted a legitimate center to bang down low? Now he has two. Less wear and tear on Aldridge is another positive of this signing. BNM
I didn't realize how big he was. Dude is downright scary looking. It's great to have another post player that can hold his own down low. Agree he's a better fit than Hawes would have been.
I was happy with the Kaman and Blake signings. I was never excited by the Hawes and Frye chatter. It seemed like Kaman was always very effective against the Blazers when he was with the Clippers. That's the Kaman I remember. That's the Kaman we got, I hope. We have our home runs in Lillard and Aldridge. Now it's a matter of filling out the band with players who fit. These guys fit.
I was positively livid at the signing, but I must confess he's probably been our best player in pre-season.
This. Is. Huge. One reason why Lopez got so abused by Howard in the playoffs was because he knew we couldn't afford to have him foul out by playing aggressively.
Haha, wow, it's great to see people so high on Kaman. Kaman has never been known as a defensive anchor, but can clog the lane with his sheer size. I haven't watched any games thus far, has LMA and Kaman played together in the low post?
obligatory "White centers cant play" post...( qualifier: unless they are European) naw man..Kaveman is going to work out fine
I never did. When I saw him DESTROY the DPOY I was sold that he could still be effective. @ 1:04 GIT SOME JOAKIM!!! Look at the Dream Shake he gives Taj Gibson at 1:26! [video=youtube;ePEdJowGxwo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePEdJowGxwo[/video]
D'Antoni may never coach again. Not only did he ignore Kaman, he ignored Gasol with his game plan. Gasol is thriving in Chicago now and Kaman is going to to the same here
Air Sasquatch has been awesome so far. His offensive game is ridiculously good and versatile. Him and LA together might not be anything special defensively, but offensively it has the potential to be hell for opponents, especially with shooters around them.
Here is the thing about that clip: its all still VERY possible. Meaning its not like some players game who is built on athletic abilities that can fade. All of that was craftiness, good footwork and touch. There is no reason think that Kaman wont be very solid off of the bench and will likely have nights that he gets hot like that and stays in longer. I wasnt sure what to think at first but I am very pleased so far and hopeful that we are about to see drastic changes in our bench production. I am hopeful to the point of wondering if we could by the end of the year have one of the BETTER benches in the league if CJ and/or Will take that next step.