PROTECT THE PAINT

Chris Kaman has let his game do the talking for him this season. Until now, telling NBA Fanhouse the following after his Clippers were defeated oin Denver:

“I don’t think Gasol should be in it at all,” Kaman said when asked if he would be disappointed if Gasol, who starts at power forward for the Lakers, is slid over to be the backup center when West coaches vote for All-Star reserves. “He’s only played like 20 games (he played Thursday in his 25th out of 42 Lakers games) this year. I think there should be a number of games you should play. I think you should have to play like 80 percent of the games.

I stated yesterday I think Kaman is an All Star and should have been named the starter. What I disagree with adamantly is how Kaman is throwing Gasol under the bus. There is no reason to campaign in this manner. Whatever happened to the humble athlete?

I think Gasol is clearly the better overall player. It is understandable that Kaman, who is averaging more points (20.4 to Gasol’s 16.8), has a legitimate argument. However, Gasol is on a superior team, sticking to the team dynamic, and sacrificing personal statistics for the overall benefit it has for the Lakers.

Kaman needs to act like an All-Star. (Credit: picapp.com)

If you can imagine what sort of damage Gasol would do in a Clippers uniform, you start to understand how much better Gasol is than Kaman.

Kaman also stated “I don’t think he’s a center.” Well,standing at 7′0″ tall, Gasol sometimes will play the center position. Clearly, there is a discrepancy in this logic.

Obviously players who have missed time will be scrutinized if they get selected over players who have not missed a lot of games. This logic can be tossed out when you consider that Allen Iverson is somehow a starter.

The thing that bothers me about Kaman’s statement is how unprofessional his words come across. Throwing another colleague under the bus is never wise, regardless of profession, especially when it is done so publicly over personal accolades.

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