The Los Angeles Lakers did not look like its usual self last season and one reason may have been the presence of Dwight Howard, as the superstar did not like the media spotlight or playing with Kobe Bryant and now that he has left for the Rockets, the team has moved on with other players.
According to ESPN.com, the Lakers have signed former Clippers star Chris Kaman to a deal after losing out on Dwight Howard and now they have some toughness down low that the superstar lacked in LA. Howard is an elite player, but he is not a championship player and he is not a competitor like Kobe Bryant, which makes Kaman an upgrade in the toughness department at least.
Kaman is a solid rebounder and defender and now he will be on the team for the mini-midlevel exception amount of just under $3.2 million and should be a big force going forward next season. Last season Kaman played with Dallas and started in 52 out of 66 games and averaged 10 points and five rebounds and his numbers should go up with the Lakers.
Back when he was with the Clippers Kaman was an All-Star and in 2009-10 he averaged a career-high 18.5 points and he comes to the Lakers with career stats of 11.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks to give the team some size inside. The team is planning to use their amnesty clause on Metta World Peace and they also brought back former star Jordan Farmar, who played on championship teams with the Lakers. Peace has a $7.7 million salary and with the team dealing with a tough financial situation, he is likely to go.
Last season Kaman played off the bench and this year with the Lakers he will get the chance to start and that could be a big boost for Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, as they now are done with Howard, who clearly is not a professional and did not act that way while in LA. The team won more games the previous season without Howard and now they will get the chance to show what he will be missing in the future.
The team has also looked into possibly signing back Lamar Odom, who averaged 4.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 2012 with the Clippers and after everything that happened the previous year in Dallas, he may want to come back to LA. Another option is Elton Brand, but the Knicks have also shown interest in him after he averaged 7.2 points and six rebounds last season. Both players are older and could be used in reserve roles, but they would add depth to a team that needs it badly.
