Los Angeles Clippers Chris Kaman Gets a Well Deserved All Star Berth

The Los Angeles Clipper roller coaster ride continues to roll.

The season started with the high of learning they had landed the #1 NBA draft pick and selected Blake Griffin.

Then the coaster went flying downhill on word that Griffin's knee decided to break.

The team somehow rebounded after a tough start and was actually within breathing distance of .500 after beating the likes of the Lakers and Celtics.  The coaster was chugging back uphill.

A long road trip brought the team more losses than wins and cost the coach his job.  Remember to raise your hands high in the air on the way back down.

Today comes word that Chris Kaman was selected by David Stern to play in the All Star game.  A well deserved honor for Kaman and a much needed "up" for the Clipper coaster.

Kaman was tabbed to replace injured Brandon Roy.  Word of the news spread quickly and was less that positive.  Here is a sampling from a post on sbnation.com .

"... this makes no sense. No disrespect to Kaman and Clippers fans, but there's no way he's better than Boozer or Bynum."

Well, I don't feel disrespected, but I do feel the need to reply.  The All-Star game has never been about who is better as much as who is most deserving.  Especially when it comes to the commissioners picks.

Few would argue that Allen Iverson is better than Derrick Rose, but who got the starting nod?  Iverson, at least as far as the fans were concerned, was more deserving. 

Is Kaman better than Boozer or Bynum?  I'm sure you could make arguments on both sides.  Is he more deserving than either?  That's easier to answer, yes.

Boozer and Bynum are both on better teams, that's not debatable.  Heck, some might argue that Brook Lopez is on a better team.  But Boozer is a two-time All Star and Bynum has numbers working against him.  His personal numbers, his scoring, and rebounding averages are both less than Kaman's, and his teams numbers, the Lakers already have two All-Stars, both made his selection a long shot.

I feel for you Utah Jazz and Laker fans, but Kaman and the Clippers both deserved this one.

This falls short of the Saints winning the Super Bowl, but this is a feel good story. 

Kaman was drafted sixth by the Clippers in 2003 out of Central Michigan.  While those drafted ahead of him were drafted because they were good, he was drafted because he was tall.  Ok, Darko Milicic was drafted for the same reason, but see how that turned out?

Kaman was on the same road to futility as Milicic.  He was tall but not all that talented.  He seemed to pout when he was on the court when things didn't work out his way.  Didn't help that he was on a historically bad team.

Surprisingly, and much to Kaman's credit, he worked hard and things began to turn.  Both he and his team were getting better.  In 2006 the Clippers were within one game of the Western Conference Finals and people began to whisper that the NBA's best center might wear a Clipper jersey.

Sure, he will never be mentioned in the same breath as those now elite players taken ahead of him like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, but on Feb. 14 he gets to share the spotlight with them.  A testament to hard work and desire. 

A very well deserved All-Star berth!