Le Basketbawl

Unfortunately one of the “True Good Guys” in the NBA Brandon Roy will not play this Sunday in Arlington, Texas when the NBA All-Star Game takes place. Roy announced last Saturday that his sore hamstring would keep him out of action until the All-Star break and rather than risking missing more time with the Portland Trail Blazers he will sit the game out. However as bad as New York Vinnie feels about the Portland star missing the contest a deserving player will be taking his place. The “Los Angeles Times” reported Monday that NBA Commissioner David Stern named Los Angeles Clippers Chris Kaman to take his spot on the roster.

Back in December New York Vinnie was pushing pretty hard for Kaman to be named to the NBA Western Conference All-Star Team. New York Vinnie is a guy who likes to see people rewarded for dedication and hard work and Kaman’s numbers are certainly a reflection of that. Kaman did not allow himself to stagnate and just get by. He dedicated himself to being a better player and eventually that will pay off either with the Clippers or as a Free Agent for another team. So New York Vinnie is very pleased that Kaman was given his propers by the Commissioner and will get to shine in the spotlight!

New York Vinnie truly likes visiting the West Coast because there are some Frickin incredible cities there. New York Vinnie loves Seattle and San Francisco; outside of New York City they may be the two best cities in this Great Nation of ours. San Diego is Frickin beautiful and Los Angeles is Frickin whacked but it is a fun town.

However New York Vinnie would never want to live on the West Coast even if they somehow could duplicate New York City and put it there. The reason is the time zone; everything in the USA is based on EST. You who live on the West Coast unfortunately get the short end of the stick. Yes we follow the Lakers and the Dodgers and Giants when they are hot but for the most part the rest of the West Coast teams do not get a lot of play on the Eastern Seaboard.

The last couple of years the Portland Trail Blazers have started getting a little East Coast Love due to the play of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. They thought they had the third part of a trio in “MR.RICKETS” the number one pick in the 2007 NBA Draft center Greg Oden but he physically falls apart every year.

The Golden State Warriors had a taste of success a couple of seasons ago upsetting the Dallas Mavericks but other than that they have not had real good teams since the Chris Mullin years in the nineties. The Sacramento Kings had a good run a few years ago now they are trying to rebuild if they can ever keep Kevin Martin Frickin healthy. New York Vinnie still does not understand why they traded Miller and Salmons to Chicago last year.

And then we get to the other team in Los Angeles; the homely step-sister the Clippers. However the Clippers did not look like a two-bagger when they defeated the Boston Celtics Sunday night at the Staples Center by a final of 92-90. The team pulled the upset basically due to the efforts of two men; point guard Baron Davis and Los Angeles center Chris Kaman.

If you are a regular here at “The House That New York Vinnie Built” Le Basketbawl you may be familiar with a couple of columns I have written. Who Is The Biggest White Stiff Of All Time In The NBA? and Even More Of The Biggest White Stiffs To Have Played In The NBA! When Chris Kaman came into the NBA in the 2003-2004 season New York Vinnie was certain he would eventually end up on one of those lists. The first few years of his career in the NBA looked like that was the Frickin route he would end up taking. But things started to turn around in the 2007-2008 season.

That season was the best of his NBA career as he showed he had the ability to be a legitimate force in the middle. Kaman averaged a double-double for that season with career highs 15.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. Things looked like they were finally coming together for the big man but an injury last season allowed him to play just 31 games and he averaged just 12.0 points and 8 rebounds per game.

This season would be the telling season for Kaman; was his career year a fluke or was he the real deal. Well 30 games into this season and Kaman has been one of the few bright spots on the Clippers roster. The center is averaging 20 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and was a key reason that the Clippers beat the Celtics on Sunday.

New York Vinnie is a guy who likes to see people rewarded for dedication and hard work and Kaman’s numbers are certainly a reflection of that. Now he will not get voted in by the fans; however does Chris Kaman belong on the NBA West All-Star Team in Dallas this February?

As far as New York Vinnie is concerned he does. Kaman did not allow himself to stagnate and just get by. He dedicated himself to being a better player and eventually that will pay off either with the Clippers or as a Free Agent for another team. But in New York Vinnie’s mind Kaman should be picked by the coaches and get his propers in February.