Bledsoe, Kaman Looking Good
by moKi on Mar 12, 2011 11:53 PM PST
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PrintWhen Chris Kaman is healthy and not the first option, he rocks.
Eric Bledsoe is the most impressive Clipper's rookie point guard I have ever seen (Sorry Shaun!). And he's supposedly a 2 guard, just learning how to run the point. Wow. Not too shabby.
CHRIS KAMAN - A BARGAIN KEEPER
I have been a Kaveman Fan since the early painful days. I always thought he was a perfect fit alongside Brand. In 05-06 you could see flashes of how great he could be alongside a star PF.
As a diehard Clipper fan I have always appreciated, more than winning (obviously - sorry Charlie Sheen), a team that plays hard, has fun, and beats teams the "experts" say they can't.
With that said, for most of my time as a Clips fan, they have been an earthbound, set shot, layup type of team. Dunleavy, at his peak had them playing great defense and I loved watching them shut teams down. Back in the day, the Phoenix Suns were the "exciting" team. Nash throwing lobs to STAT and Joe Johnson or the MATRIX. 3 balls and dunks. 3 balls and dunks.
Fast forward to now and holy cow! - the Clippers have taken over the league! They are by far the most exciting team to watch! Watching other teams on TNT or NBATV are a yawn fest now. One or two dunks a quarter or half? Boo.
Bynum had a dunk tonight and I thought Joel Meyers was gonna poop his pants. It's so sad how he has to scream about a pedestrian lob finish, but that's as exciting as it gets for other teams. A jump straight up, lob catch and put-through on the way down is impressive for fans of other teams. But not us. We get a dunk contest EVERY NIGHT! Twisting, 360, one handed, tomahawk jams at 50 miles an hour from a break-away lob thrown by a guy 50 feet away - that's something to scream about!
Blake and DJ - WOW! But the other guys? Gordon has been inspired to dunk more it seems. Bledsoe can out rebound 7 footers at least twice a night and throw it down on put backs or breakaways. Moe and Aminu CAN dunk. Moon looks like a cartoon, his dunks are ridiculous!
SO WHY AM I HAPPY ABOUT KAMAN?
Because when you play the Wizards, you can dunk 20 times during a game and win easily. But if you play the Spurs or Celtics or any other team that plays defense with any kind of pride you need players that can make jump shots at every position. The best defensive philosophy is to force your opponent to take lower percentage shots and that's what good teams do. They block all lanes to the rim and push the big men out as far away from the rim as possible, usually around 12-15 feet. Or play zone.
You know who has no problem shooting over other bigs from that distance? Dirk Nowitski, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudamire and oh yeah Chris Kaman can do it fairly well also. Pick-and-pop, small and big - when run properly can beat even the most athletic opponents. It's a staple of championship teams that force opponents to choose between the lesser of two evils. DJ is fine in the pick-and-roll but definitely not the pick-and-pop.
Teams can't win with a toolbox full of hammers. You need a variety of tools to be successful.
DJ - definitely a hammer. Blake is a a hammering type of multi-tool, I think. But Chris is definitely not, which I think makes him awesome for this team now.
Some think that somehow Kaman "ruins" Blake's game, but I believe Chris is great for Blake because: A) He typically sets up and is comfortable away from the basket, leaving more room for Blake to operate closer to the rim where he dominates, B) Barring a "bad shooting night", which every player has once in a while, he's pretty good with that fall-away and more importantly he's comfortable shooting it over and over again, easing the double team on Blake and C) Chris is a willing and decent passer. True, he has his "what-in-the-world-was-he-thinking?" moments but tonight's bounce pass to a cutting Bledsoe showed his vision and willingness to not force things anymore. He can just as easily pass to Blake and help him get easier looks.
With all his positives at his reasonable salary I just don't see how you break up the most versatile three man big rotation ever. Clipper Nation please welcome back Chris with open arms. DJ is great, but Kaman adds a third and necessary dimension this team NEEDS.
ERIC BLEDSOE
Let me start off by saying I loved Shaun Livingston. The idea of a 6'7" point guard with Magic-esque no-look passes, incredible lobs and quick, quick, quick was uber exciting! But Shaun's jump shots were shaky and didn't always finish at the rim. But the worst thing was that he seemed to get flustered at important points in games and breakdown mentally.
Eric Bledsoe. Wow. Has he made a jumper when the Clips needed it badly? Check. Has he made clutch free throws? Check. Has he made clutch three pointers? Check. Does he ever look overwhelmed or even fazed by any big moment in a game? I haven't seen it.
Even keel. Steady. Those are not words I thought I would ever use when I saw him play in those Summer League games. OUT OF CONTROL and WAY TOO FAST seemed to be the evaluation of the day.
But now, heading toward the summer of 2011 Bledsoe has been mostly impressive and only occasionally disappointing, and that mostly due to typical rookie mistakes. Remember how Al Thornton used to look totally lost out there? And he was a 24 year old rookie! But not E-Bled. He exudes great confidence and seems to know where he's supposed to be and where everyone else should be too.
But most of all I am impressed with his aggressiveness. He shoots when he's open, drives when there's a lane, dishes when a big's open, and kicks out to guys on the arc. What more can you ask for out of a rookie point guard who played the 2 in college??
So as we ALWAYS say here in Clipperland. Next season's gonna be awesome!
I think I might actually FULLY believe it this time.
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i missed the last 8 minutes because i was called in to work on my day off. I missed the EBled show!!!!
We need to keep kaman. They’ve played like 5-6 games together and already the negative verdict is out. We are 6-1 people. probably 7-0. We need to keep both players. Aminu is fantastic in my opinion. He’s a rookie making rookie mistakes. GET OVER IT! just like bledsoe. I also like how griffin, moon, aminu, williams, everyone was smiling. I felt like i was watching mo with the cavs and lebron last year. They seemed so happy. if i didnt know basketball, i would’ve guessed that team is a playoff team. This team is growing very quickly and the players are learning. Enough trade talk. Let them play. I understand a SF is a dire need and maybe a stretch 4 (not you brian cook) but understand that it’s like a whole new team from scratch. New coach, new players, new management (oshley). So, let’s sick back, enjoy our twin towers who are completely different players in every aspect on/off the court, our rookies doing a fantastic job making their way into the roatation, welcome back eric gordon who hasnt been here for a couple of games and were still winning. Finally, let’s rise together and stand tall for our beloved clipper team. :)
"Put the icing on the cake ladies and gentlemen" - Ralph Lawler vs. The Grizzlies
by In GrIfFin We TrUsT on Mar 13, 2011 12:14 AM PST reply actions
E.Bledsoe has definitely shown promise of a great trade for the Clippers
While it can’t be certain that he’ll continue to develop this nicely, the Clippers definitely got value for a mid-round pick that honestly is a hit-miss proposition in any draft.
I must say, I think the front office is underrated. They’ve made some really good moves, especially given the constraints that may come with D.Sterling as the owner.
Bledsoe is cool under pressure
His decision-making is suspect, but I have to say that he does not seem remotely flustered in big moments (e.g., the two made FTs at Utah early in the season). My theory is that he’s too dumb to get nervous. Maybe a more euphemistic way of saying it is that he doesn’t overthink the game.
ive always thought the game needs to slow down for him,
But under pressure, he doesn’t get worse. It doesn’t get to him at all. Hearing him talk in postgame interviews may strengthen your “too stupid to get nervous” thing.
I just hope he becomes a decent strategist. PGs need to be able to play chess with defenses.
by indy818 on Mar 13, 2011 9:08 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
i wouldnt say he's dumb
he’s no politician like Baron though. Personally, I prefer his interviews. No bull in them
he's not dumb
he’s just a southern boy from Birmingham, Alabama. remember how bad EJ used to be with interviews his first 2 years? all the press during the Team USA run polished him up a bit. EBled will get there with some practice (interviews, not Team USA that is)
OK, maybe he's not dumb
But he’s extremely inarticulate and he (allegedly) had to cheat to pass high school.
Good analysis
I am hugely looking forward to next year. We may be able to swing an upgrade at SF, but other than that this team is ready to charge through next season and make some noise in the playoffs.
My only concern is if Kaman will be starting or on the bench.
I don’t think he will embrace the bench role at all. He’s said “I’m DEFINITELY a starter” numerous times in interviews.
Proud member of Club FTR. falconPUNCH! for president!
Kaman off the bench
Maybe VDN can sell the Manu/Jet sixth man off the bench thing. I don’t think Chris will mind if he’s still getting big minutes and most of all, THEY WIN GAMES. Ginobili and Terry are excellent examples of guys that could be starters but come off the bench and play starter minutes. Plus with DJs free throw percentage, Chris would probably still get the big fourth quarter minutes.
I like Kaman on the team except
for that injury thing. He seems to be the slowest healer on the planet.
His 3 weeks always seem to turn into 3 months.
by thewhiteshadow on Mar 13, 2011 12:03 PM PDT reply actions
Definitely
But I think what we are starting to see is that the Clips can now win games without Gordon. I think that has a huge part to do with Kaman and of course Mo. But now the Clips actually HAVE A CHANCE of winning with one guy out. You’re complaining about Chris being out for a long time but heck, Griffin was out ALL YEAR. Was that his fault? It just happens. If Eric Gordon wasn’t out for so long they might still be in the playoff hunt.
Yes, Chris’ injuries take way longer than “most” guys it seems. But look at this way – he could be Greg Oden.
It's definitely nice to have multiple contributor's w/ different skill sets
Good post Moki, I’m all for keeping these bigs around for as long as possible, and that includes Craig Smith as a 4th if possible…
Bledsoe keeps reminding me of Rondo minus the court vision. I thought Livingston was always in great control with some explosiveness…hard to pick for me right now, but no qualms giving the edge to Bledsoe.
"The need to be right - the sign of a vulgar mind."
by ghost_ride on Mar 13, 2011 12:33 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Yup
Nice post moKi.
Now that we get to see it in action, the three-headed monster and keeping Kaman almost seems to be a no-brainer. There are all sorts of factors and things to like, and this is a great start towards complete analysis.
One way to look at the effectiveness of the Clipper big man rotation is the reduction in minutes for the guys who were on the floor all through the earlier part of the season. We were getting by with and starting to see the virtues of Brian Cook, if you can believe it. We celebrated finding a high quality player like Ike Diogu on the scrapheap. Along with Craig Smith, those are all nice guys, but it would be a real pleasure to see their time reduced by a good 1000 minutes or so, and give that time to Kaman. The 3 guys are all quite complementary, without a whole lot of overlap. Any collection of two legit big guys combined with Blake Griffin is going to look good, but DJ and Kaman really are high quality pieces. Kaman looks great coming off the bench. He’s pushing DJ, who is responding with more active play. DJ and Kaman look good playing together, giving Griffin a rest. It’s all good.
And it’s also prime insurance against injury. Obviously the Clipper season couldn’t sustain the 40 game absence of Kaman, although it accelerated the progress of Griffin and DJ. But the smaller injuries, or even a mini-major (10+ games?) should be manageable, with this solid trio. Kaman’s injury risk is lessened with him in reduced minutes and usage too.
Also add in the continuing improvement of both DJ and Griffin to the equation. My sense is that Griffin is going to be an absolute monster in almost unimaginable ways relatively soon. You can see it in the precocious arrival of his offensive game, which didn’t exist when he was drafted in anything resembling what it is today, and even more so in his mid-year free throw improvement. It’s obvious that he’s an 80% free throw shooter now, as his percentage has climbed from a very bad and troublesome early-season 58% to right around 65%. With a bullet, as they say, as the rise was held back by some really bad FT games during the transitional period. The increase is a couple of hundred points over the course of a season. No one expected him to score this way. What comes next is the Kaman-style mid-range jumper and, a bit more gradually, the 3-pointer. And don’t let me forget the assists, that go along with the increasingly comfortable ball-handling skills. The Beast not only lives, it mutates and improves rapidly.
DJ, as befits a sidekick, is going to get better too. He’s starting to put up the big rebound games. 60% from the line would be a phenomenal and crucial improvement for him, and he’s got to get there. I forget about comparing the sequence of Kaman’s slow progress to DJ’s evolution, as Kaman got to good rebound proficiency pretty quickly while playing beside Brand and with Sam Cassell. And Kaman was a starter for his first two years, logging minutes similar to what DJ has gotten this year and for a short part of last year. But DJ is going to get there soon enough. And it would be nice if Kaman is still around.
The key comparison is to Bynum-Gasol-Odom. Hard to say that the Clipper trio is superior, but it’s a great matchup and they’re competitive. As good as Gasol is, he’s the Lakers version of Eric Gordon, while Griffin is clearly the Clippers Kobe. Still just hanging around these days waiting for Gordon to come back, but it’s nice to get wins and see some of the pieces come together.
I think your comparison is on point!
I think DJ=Bynum, Kaman=Gasol, and Griffin>Odom.
The first two are arguable, but close enough to have that discussion. Odom? No way is he better or even equal to Blake.
Let’s go OPTIMISM!
Eh
no way Kaman is = Gasol. I like the Kaveman but that’s a huge stretch. I hate Bynum but he’s also further along than DJ. Griffin is better than Odom.
Help us Altered Beast you're our only hope.
by ClipperChuck on Mar 13, 2011 7:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Judging more by their roles
Kaman is playing Odom’s role coming off the bench. Pretty comparable, I’d say. Griffin has to be pretty close to Gasol, which leaves the Bynum/DJ matchup. With DJ on the upswing and Bynum’s injury history I think our front line stacks up pretty well with LAL. Their bigger advantage has always been Kobe over Gordon, though that gap is closing some. Their SF position is better, but then so is our PG situation.
"The need to be right - the sign of a vulgar mind."
by ghost_ride on Mar 13, 2011 8:30 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Hey Clipper Chuck!
You’re right but I don’t think it’s a huge stretch anymore. Chris had a good year with Gasol type of minutes. I think they have similar capabilities – back to the basket, 12 – 15 foot jump shot, hook, fairly mobile, blocks… If you look at Kaman’s 07-08 season avgs it’s pretty impressive. But of course he’ll never get back to those kind of numbers playing with Blake and DJ.
And as far as Bynum being further along, you may be right there too. Looks like all that work with Kareem paid off in a sweet hook that seems virtually indefensible. HOWEVER his attitude seems suspect to me and he seems to get injured more easily than DJ. That being said what good is better if he’s not on the court? DJ has been relatively injury free so far (with far fewer minutes of course) and I think for right now his athleticism and aggression makes up for his lack of skills.
So in general I agree you’re right but I think as a collective our big three are just as potent and intimidating as the Fakers. Maybe just not as polished.
Just like Baron finally realized
before he got traded, I think Kaman’s time off made him realized his role is no longer the #1 option on the court. Last year when Blake was out and EJ was “shut out” Baron and Kaman pretty much played pitch and catch all game. Kaman can and should be an important complement to Blake, Mo, EJ and DJ.
These two are very important to the Clips recent Success
I get tired of hearing that the Mo trade is the reason for the clippers recent success. I think that the trade made sense for the organization, so I support that. But these comments take away from the excellent play that Kaman has brought from the bunch. Even though +/- does not provide a complete picture, Kaman has the highest +/- since his return to the lineup, which was when BD was traded.
Therefore, comments that Moo has lead the clippers to wins is not accurate, and it takes away from Kaman’s contributions
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