My View: Marcus Camby Joins Los Angeles Clippers Print E-mail
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Written by Ben Weixlmann   
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
My View: Marcus Camby Joins Los Angeles Clippers


I know it might be hard for some of you to believe that an 11-year NBA veteran could be considered underrated. In my opinion, though, that’s the operative word when describing Nuggets’ center Marcus Camby.

He gets his accolades for being a defensive juggernaut, but hardly ever gets proper acclaim for his offensive abilities. Camby has put up some incredible numbers in his last four seasons on the defensive end. He has averaged over three blocks per game in each of the last four seasons, coupled with almost 10 defensive boards per contest during the same span. 

What surprises me, though, is the way in which he conducts himself on the offensive side of the ball. The Denver Nuggets already had two of the most dangerous players in the entire NBA in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, but Camby provided a formidable third option, not only for his nearly 10 ppg, but also because he dishes the rock well for a big guy (3.3 apg), but also because he hits the glass hard (3 offensive rpg).

This season, though, after being signed by the LA Clippers, Camby will pair with Chris Kaman to complete one of the best center duos in the Western Conference.

Don’t expect Camby to play second-fiddle to the grudge-looking Kaman, though. He has shown in the past that he can hold his own against some of the best in the game’s history, including Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal.

With Baron Davis and Eric Gordon roaming around the perimeter, look for Camby’s offensive numbers to jump. Why? It’s pretty simple: Gordon and Davis are long-range bombers and once the defense tries to recover to respect the outside shot, Camby will be open down-low for an easy two.

As I mentioned in my piece about Theo Ratliff, Camby will also be a great leader in the locker room. There are some talented big men on this Clippers roster, most notably Al Thornton and DeAndre Jordan.

Camby’s eleven years in the league make Thornton and Jordan’s combined one year look like babies.

Perhaps the one thing that Camby is even more skilled at is his ability to stay out of foul trouble. Most logical thoughts would correlate players who lead the NBA in blocks with a large number of fouls. That’s the opposite for this Massachusetts product, though. Camby averaged just 2.7 fouls per contest in his 34.9 mpg last season.

No one in the NBA is perfect, though, and Camby is no exception. He shoots just 45% from the field, a number that has to go up if he wants to see constant playing time in the same frontcourt as Kaman.

The only real excuse I can offer is that Camby attempts a lot of the mid-range jumpers that Duncan patented back in the late 90s.

Overall, this offseason has been a busy time for the Clippers, and despite losing their best player in Elton Brand, Camby will be a surprisingly attractive player to the Staples Center fans.



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