Hoops Habit
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The most overlooked Los Angeles Clippers of all time

By Aymin Bakr

LOS ANGELES - NOVEMBER 11: Chris Kaman #35, Sam Cassell #19, Corey Maggette #50, and Quinton Ross #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers take the court after a timeout during the second half of their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples Center November 11, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2007 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - NOVEMBER 11: Chris Kaman #35, Sam Cassell #19, Corey Maggette #50, and Quinton Ross #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers take the court after a timeout during the second half of their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples Center November 11, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2007 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Photo by Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images /

3. Chris Kaman

Sharing the floor with the likes of Elton Brand, Sam Cassell and Corey Maggette for most of one’s career doesn’t always bode well for individual performance.

This one may be a little more debatable, as Kaman never had team success as a top-three option and didn’t really come into his own until five seasons down the road, but it comes down to the bottom line. When you think of All-Star caliber players, someone like Chris Kaman almost never comes to mind, even though he was selected to an All-Star team.

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I understand, random All-Star appearances happen all the time. Kaman wasn’t able to lead his team to significant success as the first scoring option, but I’m not advocating for people to call him amazing. One doesn’t need to be extremely good to be underrated. However, he was a lot better than people give him credit for.

As the sixth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, the young center faced superstar expectations. While he never lived up to those standards, many people don’t realize that he was much more than just a role player. As opposed to his roles with teams like the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks, Kaman was able to average some pretty notable stat lines at the time.

During his time with the Clips, he posted career bests in points, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage, with 18.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, a whopping 2.8 blocks per game and 52.8 percent shooting from the field. Those numbers didn’t come in the same season, but he was an elite rebounder and a solid scorer with a serviceable mid-range shot.

Kaman did make an All-Star appearance in 2009-10 and has done a lot more than most people realize. No, he wasn’t a superstar and he didn’t really ever contribute to much overall team success for the Los Angeles Clippers, but he was a good player.  He’s undervalued simply in the sense that people forget how well he could play when given the chance.

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