Chris McCosky: Around the NBA
Hey, don't look now but Central Michigan's Chris Kaman might be one of the top three or four centers in the game.
He is averaging 18.6 points and is third in the league in both rebounds (14) and blocks (2.85) for the struggling Los Angeles Clippers.
"I just know I sucked last year compared to the year before and we missed by two games -- essentially one game (they held the tiebreaker over No. 8 seed Golden State) -- from getting back into the playoffs," Chris Kaman told Sports Illustrated. "It was frustrating to have that happen."
Some scouts believe Chris Kaman has been allowed to flourish because of the injury to all-star Elton Brand, and those same scouts wonder if the two will cancel each other out when Elton Brand returns -- like Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph appear to in New York.
Elton Brand, who hopes to be back by March, doesn't see it like that.
"Two years ago, when we really played well and had a great playoff run, we were a top team in blocks, top in rebounds and field-goal percentage," Elton Brand said. "We were high in all those stats and that was because of myself and him -- a lot of it. And now he's elevated that even more. I definitely see us being a tough post tandem."
Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, for now, is focused on the players available to him now and he's loving what he's getting from Chris Kaman.
"All along, I've said, 'Chris, you're like the white Tim Duncan. The skill levels are there, you can shoot left-handed, shoot right-handed, shoot outside, rebound, block shots -- you can do everything. Now it's just a matter of understanding what are the good reads, and once you do that, then nobody can stop you,'" Dunleavy said.
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