Ushering in a new era of Portland Trail Blazers basketball seems to be the theme of the 2015 NBA offseason. The Rip City roster no longer resembles the crew that had back-to-back 50-win seasons over the past two years, but one thing it can hang its hat on is that youth and potential have become the beacons of hope in an otherwise confusing time.
In a 15-part series, Oregon Sports News’ Bryant Knox and Jared Wright will be breaking down each player on the Trail Blazers roster. The series will conclude with an OSN Roundtable in October covering the state of the franchise entering the 2015-16 campaign.
In this edition of the roster breakdown, we take a look at one of the two big men who remain on this roster from last season. He was a player who made his Trail Blazers debut last season, and he’s set to take on a true veteran role on a burgeoning, if not unpredictable young squad
2014-15 Recap
After years of rumors that Portland had interest in center Chris Kaman, Rip City finally landed the then-32-year-old in free agency before the 2014-15 season. He was coming off a disappointing year with the Los Angeles Lakers, so there was skepticism among Trail Blazers fans (myself included) as to whether or not the two-year, $9.8 million contract would be a solid value or money that could have been spent on someone who wasn’t yet past his prime.
Who knows, #RipCIty. Chris Kaman could be a Robin Lopez-esque signing.
— Bryant Knox (@BryantKnox) July 4, 2014
Or Chris Kaman could just be this. You never know. #FreeAgency pic.twitter.com/EcEUS1ul1T
— Bryant Knox (@BryantKnox) July 4, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
As it turned out, Kaman became one of the most consistent and reliable role players on the roster. He played in 74 games after averaging just 50 contests per year since 2010-11, and he found a way to step up when big men Robin Lopez and Joel Freeland went down with injuries.
When on the court, Kaman was especially effective at the rim. According to NBA.com, nearly 50 percent of his shots came within five feet of the basket—a spot where he completed 59.6 percent of his attempts.
Away from the rim, Kaman shot 40.7 percent between five and nine feet. He also knocked down 45.1 percent between 10 and 14 feet, as well as 46 percent between 15 and 19 feet.
| GP | GS | MPG | PPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | BPG | APG |
| 74 | 13 | 18.9 | 8.6 | .515 | .706 | 6.5 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
Chris Kaman’s 2014-15 stats, via ESPN.com.
Although Kaman’s play on the court was efficient, the year as a whole was fairly unmemorable to casual fans largely because of his insipid style of play. That said, The Caveman did give both informal and avid fans alike a few things to remember him by when the year was said and done.
Take his YouTube series for instance.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrCQXLsKcg8]Or the time he exacted his revenge on Chris Paul following an apparent low blow.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vEIElUA0t0]And then there’s this. Note that the sweater seen below was not his idea, but he still deserves recognition nonetheless.
Overnight celebrity. pic.twitter.com/OMx9TfcZVW
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 31, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsKaman may no longer be an All-Star, but he fills one need that the Blazers should target with every acquisition: He keeps Portland weird. From a culture standpoint, he’s the perfect fit for a fanbase that loves to love its players, which is why Rip City should be thrilled to have the center back as one of the few familiar faces on next year’s roster.
What To Expect in 2015-16
The Trail Blazers could have easily let Kaman walk this summer and collected an extra few million in cap space. After all, the big man doesn’t exactly fit in with the current youth movement, and allowing him to find a team where he could compete for a championship late in his career would be the honorable thing to do.
Neil Olshey, however, had other plans—or more likely, Terry Stotts had other plans for the big man this upcoming season.
Report: Portland Trail Blazers “Likely” to Pick Up Chris Kaman’s Contract Option (via @jwquick) http://t.co/Ji2n0HI8Pe — Blazer’s Edge (@Blazersedge) June 30, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Consider Kaman to be two things at this point in the Blazers’ rebuild: insurance and leadership. In case you’ve forgotten, allow me to be the bearer of bad news that this franchise doesn’t have the best injury history when it comes to its centers. Visit any basketball city across the United States and they’ll gladly remind you of the names Sam Bowie and Greg Oden when they find out your allegiance is to Rip City.
But just as important as being an extra body, Kaman is going to be a body with a brain. He’s going to be another source of education for a group of young bigs looking to learn early in their careers.
Like injured centers, Portland has another lineage with its big men that carries a more honorable distinction. The Blazers have picked up a handful of veteran bigs over the last handful of years who have helped develop young talent late in their careers.
Remember Juwan Howard? How about Kurt Thomas? Then, of course, there’s Marcus Camby.
And although The Vanilla Gorilla Joel Przybilla spent a decent number of years during the prime of his career, his penultimate season was back in Portland as a veteran leader.
Kaman has some good basketball and at least one more contract left in him, and you can be certain there will be times when he’s the most consistent center in the rotation. But with his best playing days behind him and a new era set to being in Portland, Kaman will look to help the Blazers escape their rebuild with leadership and efficient play—two things this squad will desperately need during the 2015-16 campaign.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
