NBA Try-out ??!???!
NBA Try-out ??!???!
Kaman's NBA future looming on the horizon
Monday, February 10, 2003
By Gretchen Flemming
The Grand Rapids Press
MOUNT PLEASANT -- The first indication of Chris Kaman's potential basketball greatness at Central Michigan University didn't occur on the hardwood, but on the college's Lyle Bennett track.
Chippewas coach Jay Smith lined up his new team in the fall of 2000 for its annual mile run, a practice he valued from his days as an University of Michigan assistant coach. The run would tell Smith a lot of things -- speed, athleticism, endurance -- that would help him assess the team's talent.
What the freshman Kaman did caught his coach by surprise.
"He absolutely blew everybody away," Smith recalled. "He went by guys, passed everyone by about 80 to 100 yards, clapping his hands and laughing. And I'm thinking, 'This is unbelievable.'"
The fact that this 7-foot center could run a mile in 5 minutes, 22 seconds with ease also opened the eyes of his teammates.
"He did it with his shoes untied," said Grand Rapids Hoops guard Tim Kisner, who was a CMU captain that season. "He started running and separating himself from the pack, and his shoes came untied but he kept going. I said, 'Holy cow, this kid is an athlete.' We all knew he'd be extra special after that."
Kaman has proven more special than maybe anyone envisioned. The Wyoming native who began his high school basketball career at Tri-unity Christian as a 6-2 freshman now is a 7-foot college junior who's being mentioned as a future NBA lottery pick.
"It's overwhelming at times when people tell you these things," Kaman said. "But I just seriously try to stay out of it right now, because I don't want it to mess with my head. I want to finish strong and be in the NCAA Tournament. I really want to concentrate on basketball and worry about all that other stuff later."
The numbers Kaman is putting up are impressive. He's averaging 20.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, with 14 double-doubles this season. His .629 field-goal percentage leads the Mid-American Conference, while his league-best 55 blocked shots are more than seven entire
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teams in the MAC this season.
Kaman has moved into a leadership role for the Chippewas, who are 14-5 and are a half-game back of division-leading Northern Illinois.
"It's his opening now to kind of grab the steering wheel and drive the bus a little bit," Smith said. "I think he's relished the opportunity and taken it to another level for us."
Kaman's game certainly has reached another level, popping up on the radar screen of basketball scouts and analysts all over the country. He might not be on Dick Vitale's "Top 5 Toughest Mid-Major PTPers" list compiled before the season started (Ohio's Brandon Hunter and Kent State's Antonio Gates are), but since then he's caught the eye of ESPN's Andy Katz ("Kaman is the best big man on the mid-major level.") and Jay Bilas ("He's proof that all the best players aren't in the power conferences.").
Kaman is ranked as the nation's 15th best center by cbssportsline.com, a list topped by Missississippi's Mario Austin, and has been moving up the list of 2003 NBA draft rankings by nbadraftreport.com, now at No. 37.
NBA scouts can't officially comment on underclassmen, but it hasn't stopped them from regular attendance at CMU games this season.
"I've talked to some of them," Smith said. "They've all come in and liked what they've seen. They like his footwork, he's got left- and right-handed shots, he has a good feel for the game and a real passion to play."
The question no longer is if Kaman will be drafted, but when. Which brings him to the multi-million-dollar question he'll have to consider when the season is over.
"Every day, someone asks me, 'Are you going to stay, or are you going to leave?'" Kaman said. "I've decided at this point that I'm going to fulfill my four years of college. I think that's best for me.
"I'll get stronger with another year, plus I still have stuff I need to do. My one-on-one defense isn't very good. I need to work on my shooting a little more. At this point, I'm deciding to stay."
Of course, Smith would like Kaman to stick around for his senior year.
"He has NBA skills right now, no question," his coach said. "Are they top of the line yet? No. But they can be there if he continues to improve."
Kaman also will seek advice from his parents, Leroy and Pamela Kaman. His dad says ultimately, the decision will be up to Chris.
"I don't have a whole lot to say about it, I don't have the right to," said Leroy Kaman, a self-described huge Chippewa fan who attends nearly all of Chris' games. "I hope and pray he sticks around. I think he'll stick around."
Still, the NBA is something Kaman has to consider as soon as CMU's season is over, according to those who know him.
"My opinion is for him to go," said Kisner, a close friend and former roommate of Kaman who talks to him about twice a week. "Chris is focused on the season, he wants to have a good end of the year, and that really shows maturity. I think it's time for him to go, he's ready. That's a lot of money to pass up."
The money depends on where a player is selected. The top picks in the 2003 draft are slated to earn more than $3 million a year, the late first-rounders earn about $650,000 or a little less. Second-round contracts aren't guaranteed, either.
"At the end of the year, he's got to look at it," said Miami (Ohio) coach Charlie Coles, who tried to recruit Kaman. "He's got to do what the NBA general managers and scouts tell him. If they tell him to stay in school, he should stay in school. He'll have a feel for it at the end of the year."
Like many kids growing up playing sports, Kaman dreamed of playing in the NBA when he shot baskets in his back yard with his dad and brother Michael.
"We would always talk about how we would play in the NBA," Chris said. "Now it's a reality, it's really weird. But I never thought I would be seven feet tall, either."
The height comes from his maternal great-grandfather, who had five brothers seven feet or taller. "They were considered freaks back then," Leroy said.
Chris grew from 6-2 to 6-8 as a sophomore, then to 6-11 as a junior. At times, Tri-unity coach Mark Keeler wasn't sure Kaman would become the player his coach thought he could be.
"His junior year, I was ready to pull my hair out," Keeler said. "He couldn't stay focused, his ADD was a problem. By the time he was a senior, I knew the potential was there."
Kaman's Attention-Deficit Disorder was more under control his senior year, however, said his former coach. He didn't attract a lot of attention from the bigger colleges, and Chris committed to CMU before his senior season.
"I think Central is the perfect fit for him," Keeler said. "He has improved tremendously, and there's no doubt in my mind Chris could play at any university. I'm his fan now, not his coach. I like this role a lot."
Kaman has adjusted his role with the Chippewas, who are one of the MAC's top shooting teams at over 50 percent thanks to the double- and triple-teams Kaman draws that create open shots for the guards.
"I just try to concentrate on rebounding, and affecting more people's shots," Kaman said. "I don't shoot a lot outside, but I can if I have to, from about 15 or 17 feet. I work a lot on my free throws."
Smith said another year of college would hone Kaman's skills even further.
"Next year I think he can be even better," he said. "But I think it's important for Chris to realize he needs to play for Central, and not for an NBA team's attention, his senior year. I've seen a lot of players, including some here, that have played their senior year as a junior, then thought their senior year was for the NBA. You have to keep in focus that your first obligation is that your team wins."
Kaman's maturity will help him deal with the situation, said Smith.
"You have to look at those players who stayed for four years and really relished their opportunity to play and be a part of the college scene," Smith said, "because once you get to the next level, it's strictly business. You better perform, or you're gone."
Still, that next level beckons.
"If he doesn't come out this year, next year, he'll be a lottery pick," Coles said. "He can be a power forward or a center, he can play with another big guy or he can be a big guy by himself. He runs the floor so well ... there's just nobody out there like him."
Of course, his family already knew that.
"We just thank the Lord that he's healthy," Leroy said. "We're having fun with it. He's such an awesome person, and I know I'm his dad, but I'm not just saying that. He's a good boy."
And his boy's dream could be coming true.
"It's kind of a dream for all of us," Leroy said. "I work hard. We'd like to better ourselves. Chris has always thought about how he can take care of his mom and dad. It's kind of counting your chickens before they're hatched, but it's a dream that's becoming more of a reality.
"But even if he didn't make it in the NBA, he'd be the same person he is," his dad added. "Chris is just a good person."
