Kaman's relationship with Mavs why he signed

Published Jul. 16, 2012 3:16 p.m. ET

foxsports

In terms of where he was going to play during the 2012-2013 season, Chris Kaman admitted over the weekend that his final decision came down to the Mavericks and Blazers. The Pacers were his first choice but that possibility fell apart when Indiana re-signed All-Star center Roy Hibbert.

During a local radio interview, Kaman said he ultimately chose the Mavs because of his relationship with Dirk Nowitzki, familiarity with team owner Mark Cuban and his fondness for the city and organization.

"Free Agency wasn't what I anticipated," Kaman told 103.3 [KESN-FM] in Dallas, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. "It went a lot slower than I thought. I didn't know what to expect. Last time I just did an extension and there wasn't a lot of negotiating going on. It was all new for me. I went through the teams. Back and forth, back and forth and I wanted to be somewhere I felt comfortable and obviously knowing Dirk, I've known Mark for a few years talking back and forth and just thought it was a good decision for me."

Kaman, a 30-year-old, 7-foot center, played with Nowitzki on the German national team that qualified for the 2008 Olympics. Because the two players are familiar with each other's playing style, Kaman sounded optimistic about the two being able to be effective together in Dallas.

"I think he's more outside first and then inside second," Kaman said. "I think they've always kind of spaced the floor and kind of stretched it a little bit because there's been a lack of scoring inside and I'm excited to see what Coach [Rick] Carlisle has. I know in the past he has had teams with good post players so I know he's a good coach and I know he knows what he's doing and I'm just excited to see what happens next with the team."

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