Chris Kaman Starts for Lakers After Arriving 10 Minutes Before Tipoff

Update March 27, 10:45 p.m. ET:

Following the Lakers' 108-105 loss in Milwaukee, Mike D'Antoni had this to say about Chris Kaman:

Original Text:

Warming up is overrated.

Well, for Los Angeles Lakers center Chris Kaman, it is. The journeyman veteran arrived to the BMO Bradley Harris Center in Milwaukee just 10 minutes prior to tipoff against the Bucks, and he got the starting nod from Mike D'Antoni.

Kaman didn't travel with the Lakers as they embarked on their road trip, as he stayed in L.A. longer for personal reasons, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles.

The team knew he would be cutting it close to arrive in Milwaukee on time, and it didn't rule out the chance he would start.

The fact that he started says a lot about D'Antoni's faith in the rest of the frontcourt, namely Ryan Kelly and Robert Sacre. I mean, a guy who recently missed a month of action and literally arrived to the arena 10 minutes before tipoff took a starting spot.

This rare situation is the latest oddity in a decidedly atypical Lakers season, and it's another peculiar story revolving around Kaman.

The 10-year veteran started out the campaign strongly enough, but he's just getting back into the swing of playing after riding the bench from the end of February to March 25.

With a slew of empty seats available for this less-than-marquee matchup in Milwaukee, we were reminded that this is just more room for Kaman to sprawl out in once he gets a breather:

Remember his infamous nap on the bench during L.A.'s short-handed win over the Cleveland Cavaliers? Here's a refresher in case you missed out on the fun.

Kaman hasn't enjoyed too much success this year, and he's certainly on the back end of his NBA career. But he's still good enough to show up a few ticks before tipoff and start for the Purple and Gold.

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