Intense FIBA EuroBasket taking its toll on Los Angeles Clippers centre Chris Kaman – NBA Update
The games are coming thick and fast in the EuroBasket tournament and Chris Kaman revealed in an interview that he is finding it hard to keep up pace. Kaman is representing Germany in the premier European Basketball tournament that
offers a birth in the 2012 London Olympics.
Chris Kaman plays for the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA. The player is an accomplished centre and considered an all-star level athlete by most quarters. His performances over the last year have been somewhat hampered by injury
and the emergence of younger players in the Clippers side, but there is no doubting Kaman’s pedigree.
Chris has been a pillar of strength for Germany in the EuroBasket so far and leads the tournament in rebounding. He has formed a formidable pairing upfront for the Germans with Dallas Mavericks stalwart Dirk Nowitzki.
Kaman though has been out of action for quite a while now and revealed that he is feeling some strain. The Los Angeles Clippers did not make the playoffs last season in the NBA, meaning that Kaman hasn’t played competitive basketball
for longer than some of the other players in the tournament.
"Five games in six days is always tough," he said. "That's a lot of games in a short amount of time. Ultimately, I'm just trying to do what I can to help the team win.
"I haven't played basketball since April. I'm getting there. But there aren't a lot of games, so you have to be on your toes and be ready to play. It's a long tournament. It's tough to be away from home sometimes. You just have
to push through and play the best you can."
Other players in the tournament, who are based in the NBA, have almost all been in action longer than the Clippers big man. His German teammate Dirk Nowitzki went all the way to the NBA Finals. The Gasol brothers of Spain, Marc
and Pau, both made it to the second round of the playoffs while Serge Ibaka played in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Many leagues in Europe, such as the Spanish league, also ran until quite recently so most players at the tournament are in better shape than Kaman.
However, so far the Los Angeles Clippers centre has not shown too much fatigue out on the court. Although Germany have perhaps not lived up to the high expectations made of them at the start of the tournament, they have qualified
for the second phase.
German fans will be hoping Chris can muster up some more strength and keep performing at a high level so that the German basketball team can have a realistic shot at winning the title.
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