I don’t know who that guy is, but he doesn’t get it. Chris Kaman wanted to play this summer and possibly play in the Olympics. He was not invited to play for the American team. The guy who wrote that article should learn about the difference between patriotism and nationalism. To cheer for Americans solely because they are Americans, to indulge in “medal count” nonsense is pure nationalism and ignores the spirit of the Olympics… which is supposed to be about individual athletes meeting on a world stage. It’s stuff like this that makes me dislike the Olympics. Was it correct for Jimmy Carter to deny American athletes a chance to compete in 1978? No, it was a stupid mistake, made for all the wrong reasons. Was it significant that Jesse Owens was an American and won four gold medals under Adolph Hitler’s nose in 1936? No. It was significant because Jesse Owens was a black man, competing in a place where black men were derided as inferior. To call Chris Kaman a sellout is stupid, shallow, and lacks a basic understanding of athletic competition… it’s American chauvinism at it’s worst. Chris Kaman is playing basketball… that’s all.

Just finished watching the opening ceremonies, and after that extraordinary, amazing, spectacular show, you have to give Kaman all of the credit for making the effort to get there and be a part of the Olympics. If the US team wanted him and he made some bizarre Kaman-like decision to play for Germany instead, it would be a different story. But instead he made a great decision for himself as a person and as a basketball player, and he’s taking the opportunity to be a part of something that’s truly special. At a certain point, the Olympics comes down to being an athlete and competing in your chosen sport. That’s what he’s doing, and it’s great for him and also for us, his fans. Nicely done.

How does he think the US ever fills out its national soccer team?

this guy obviously has got a lot of hatred in his heart

maybe he needs a reminder that the Olympics are games, not a war

I was just reading this article from the rocky mountain news where he said:

“The Clippers made it very difficult for me to go over here, with the insurance, with them not wanting me to go,’’ Kaman said. “I was a little disappointed in that at the time with the way they handled stuff. They lied to me a couple of times.”

http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/nuggets/archives/2008/08/chris_kaman_is.html

team usa is dumb for not letting him backup bosh and boozer.. hes a better rebounder and shotblocker than both of them, and now thats he skinny enough to run the floor he wouldve been a perfect fit. he can also finish around the basket with the best of em (using both hands). kaman just wants to pursue a gold medal and compete in the biggest tournament in the world cuz hes a competitor like that.

people think its such a big deal to seek other citizenship but people do it all the time, its not illegal or anything, this is america, everyone has roots that they can identify with. there are americans all over the olympics playing for other countries (jr holden in russia for example). athletes want to compete first and “honor their country” second, which i think is perfectly understandable since its the former that makes them who they are.

For starters, money is not really an issue here, at least not for Chris. Perhaps it is a little unpatriotic to represent another country but actually he’s so far removed from his German heritage is makes it pretty obvious he just wants to be part of the spectacle. If he was say half german and raised in the US I think we would all find it more insulting, but he simply wants to be part of the Olympic experience even if its for another country. Hey if China called me up today and asked me to be their starting PG I would answer the call too.

His complaints about insurance etc. is one shared by pretty much every team. If these guys get hurt playing in the Olympics then their teams still have to cover their salaries. The insurance premiums for each guy has to be pretty hefty. These owners are ultimately running a business so I understand how they aren’t thrilled with footing the bills at times.

At least we now have a more balanced perspective… which I think should have been the case all along…

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/clippers/la-sp-olykaman13-2008aug13,0,1793695.story

As for whether management deserves to be bashed or not, none of us are anywhere near the actual events and the people involved to make that call. But I’ll say this… anybody can say anything and try to spin it in the press (or these boards) to their advantage… or they can just say something in a knee jerk reaction and it gets taken out of context of what someone thinks when they take a steop backward and think about it (which is what I personally believe happened with Kaman)... I think they’ll be Clipper naysayers until they start winning again… and even then there will still be Clipper naysayers… but personally it would be my preference to find the positives in what managment has done this summer, rather than dwell on what each of us thinks they could have done better.

As my mom says, “if you don’t have anything nice to say…”

This thread was about Kaman…

The dude is gone, gone, gone… let him go. It’s ancient history. If you want to post about that guy, at least put it in the right thread so guys like me don’t have to read rehashes of the same negative stuff. Whether it’s true or not does not matter – it is repetitive for those of us who want to turn the page.

And Jax, it’s not ignorance. It’s about focusing on what we have – not on what we don’t have.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too. It’s always the same speech from you. Incompetent management, bad coaching (BTW I think it’s downright silly that you always bash MDSr and Elgin/Roeser but think that DTS smells like roses). Anyways, why do you criticize management for the Kaman-playing-for-Germany issue (on topic here) before the “whole story” is out, but you will defend Brand’s fleeing asking us to “wait for all the facts”? Your philosophy is so inherently inconsistent, which leads me to believe you are exactly what you accuse us of being: your ignorance is blissful too.

I was adamant about not extending MDSr, especially after the way the playoff run ended (the Ewing/Bell fiasco). I am the biggest critic of his offensive “scheme” if you can even call it that. But the fact is MDSr has been extended and will be here for the duration of his contract. And despite his many many shortcomings as a coach, he has been a magnificent representative of the Clippers organization this entire offseason, both in command and in battle. He has all but proven that Brand betrayed the Clips for whatever reason(s). The whole “low ball offer = insult” argument is equine feces. You think Brand chose to move his family to Philly, away from Hollywood, just to prove a point…but had the Clips offered him similar money (easily done if Falk asked for it), he would have gladly stayed? Brand wanted out, period, but wasn’t man enough to say it. You can believe wahtever you want to believe too. I have some magic beans for sale, if you’re interested.

On a separate topic, are the Clippers the only organization that has such a strange chain of command? DTS is the owner, but aside from signing the checks the only input he gives is “I heart Maggette, you can’t trade him!” Roeser is the “Exec VP” – what actual duties does he perform? I wouldn’t be surprised if DTS found him in a Craigslist ad for a personal assistant. As far as our GM Baylor, doesn’t it feel like “Weekend at Elgin’s” for 20 years already? Would he flinch if I stabbed him? If he’s a puppet, who has their hand up his butt? Finally, Dunleavy’s title is “Head Coach” but we know he orchestrates most of the personnel moves. The problem is he doesn’t have free reign and still has to answer to somebody (who?) Which is why sometimes he gets the green light (Korolev) and sometimes the red light (Maggette for Miller vetoed twice).

That’s my biggest concern with Clippers management. We don’t know who does what, so we can’t assign responsibility to any of their actions. Maybe that’s the whole intent.

I think the wacky devolution of this thread, from Chris Kaman being called a “sellout”, back to the Elton Brand defection, finally to legitimate (and endless) questions regarding Clipper management illustrates two things, first we all care desperately about this team (even when they don’t deserve us), second, we will all miss the opportunity to see a maturing Chris Kaman next to a healthy Elton Brand in the front court. Al Thornton on the other side? Baron Davis at the point? Baked potato or you want fries with that? We had it and we lost it and none of us are over it.

Read my post titled “Why are we even talking about EB again?”

I’m totally “over it” and full of enthusiasm for the talent we have for the upcoming season… and I think many on this site share the same sentiment.

The only reason why this thread went back to EB was because one person pushed it there. I’ll say it again. It’s done. Get over it

Interestingly, Kaman’s weak effort against Greece is a reason to remember that FElton’s departure will hurt the Clips. The German team and coach aren’t exactly a cohesive unit, but Kaman found an opportunity to struggle and do a no-show against Greece. He cut down on those to a remarkable extent last year until he got banged up, and he should be more consistent within Dunleavy’s system and better than last year getting help on defense and the boards from Camby, as well as benefitting from BDavis’ passing and offensive creativity. But FElton’s consistency and effort will be missed, and Kaman has a bigger role on the team, which isn’t ideal.