There’s one thing you can say about Chris Andersen that even he’d have to agree with: In NBA history, there’s truly never been anyone like him.
Sure, there have been rugged, high-energy big men who know how to bang around the basket. And the league has seen a pretty sizeable influx of ink over the past few years. But the Birdman takes it to another level.
Over the course of his 14-year NBA career, Andersen’s never stuffed the stat sheet or filled the SportsCenter highlight reel.
But if you’re looking for a mobile big man who knows his place in the paint – from offensive efficiency on one end to the ability to lay the lumber on the other – the Bird is the word. And when the 6-10, 245-pounder checks in at the scorer’s table – tats, Mohawk and a mountain man’s beard – he must look as much like a character from “Fury Road” as one from (the group of ‘characters’) on the Cavaliers bench.
But Birdman’s more than just the look. The Long Beach native has been going at it back to the days when he was a fresh-faced kid from tiny Blinn College on the Cavaliers Summer League squad in 2001.
After a short stint with Phoenix later that fall, Andersen became both the first overall draft pick of the NBA’s Develop League (Fayetteville) and its first-ever call-up, joining the Denver Nuggets after just two games with the Patriots.
Andersen quickly became known around the league for his relentless energy and toughness. In 2004, he signed a multi-year deal with the New Orleans Hornets and had a pair of solid seasons before a two-year suspension nearly sidelined his burgeoning career.
But when Birdman – (a nickname he earned for his massive wingspan during the 2002 Rocky Mountain Revue) – was reinstated before the 2008-09 season, he was a new man – signing a one-year deal with Denver and finishing second in the league in blocked shots despite coming off the bench.
After three seasons with the Nuggets, Andersen joined the Miami Heat in 2013. He revived his career on South Beach, especially during Miami’s title run – hitting his first 15 shots of the Heat’s Eastern Conference Finals matchup with Indiana and eventually setting an NBA record by shooting .807 (46-for-57) from the floor over Miami’s 20-game Championship run.
Over the course of his NBA career, Andersen has averaged 5.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per. And in 73 career postseason contests, it’s been 5.3 points on .631 shooting from the field to go with 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.
As the Wine and Gold look to stay perfect on the young season when they welcome the Hawks to Cleveland on Tuesday night, Birdman took a minute to sit down with Cavs.com and talk a bit about his thoughts on Cleveland, his unique training methods and his furious pursuit at another title …
For starters, why’d you go with uniform No. 00?
Chris Andersen: Because I need two rings.
What are you bringing to the Cavaliers?
Andersen: It’s pretty simple. I come in, I work every day. I put in my work just like anybody else, but I have to be a veteran about it – help improve my teammates, share my knowledge – if I see something on the floor that Tristan is doing or how Channing’s playing a guy, I can give him a little insight on how to guard him.
My game hasn’t changed. I do the same thing. I know my role. Everybody wants to shoot and score; everyone wants the ball in their hands. But sometimes you have to know your role and your position.
So that’s what I bring to the team. And when my number is called I’ll be ready.
What’s it like being reunited with Number 23?
Andersen: He’s the best player in the universe and that pretty much sums it all up. He makes everyone around him better.
How does this team compare to those Miami teams?
Andersen: I can’t really compare the Championship team I played with in Miami. It’s a new era. And all these guys have proven themselves and they know what it’s like to win a Championship. The locker room is insane.
That team’s locker room or Cleveland’s?
Andersen: Both of them!
But that’s a good thing to have – guys communicating on and off the floor, like a brotherhood. And when you have that bond and you do everything together on and off the court, it just makes everything that much easier.
Does the team fit around you or do you fit in with them?
Andersen: You definitely have to fit in with them. They’ve already established themselves with each other and you have to show your personality. And I’ve played with a couple of these guys, so they already know my personality.
But when you come in with a couple of these guys that you’ve never played with, all you’ve done is play against them your whole career. Now you’re in the same locker room with them, you’re at events with them. You just have to show your personality.
How would you describe your personality at this stage of your career?
Andersen: Well, I’ve been through a lot throughout my career. And I’ve kind of, I don’t know, became a homebody. I don’t really like to get out anymore. I’m just more of an old-head, now.
Thoughts on Cleveland so far?
Andersen: It’s a great city! I really like Cleveland. I was surprised when I first got here as to how many forests were around the city and how nice the people have been, how respectful they’ve been.
Growing up down South, you always thought the North was a little bit more intense. But so far, everybody’s been great. The environment is great.
You were seen at the UFC fight when Stipe Miocic kept his heavyweight belt at The Q. Are you a big MMA fan?
Andersen: Definitely. You have to be on your game. You’re not just throwing hands and combinations. You have everything else – you’ve got jujitsu, wrestling, you have freestyle.
Have you ever thought about getting into it yourself?
Andersen: I mean, I trained in it, but I’m not getting into it like that. I’m pushing 40, dude!
What’s that type of training like?
Andersen: It’s completely different. You’re using totally different muscles than you use in basketball.
As you get older, you lose a little of that hand-eye coordination. You want to punch fast, but you’re not punching as fast as you think you are. It’s all about training. If you continue your training and you stay on top of it. But when basketball comes around, it’s all about that. Right now, it’s all about basketball.
How did being away from the game change you?
Andersen: When you have a life-altering situation from decisions that you made, you know you messed up and you have to live with it. You have to change your lifestyle and change who you are a little bit. You have to play by the rules.
That’s one thing I really wasn’t good at. I was always trying to bend the rules, break the rules a little bit. But I learned my lesson; I grew up, matured. And I pushed myself even harder to achieve goals that I didn’t have prior to that.
So when I came back, I made it a factor in my life to win a Championship.
And how did winning a Championship change you?
Andersen: It didn’t’ change my whole personality. But it’s a big relief. Because you know you’re a champion, and you know there ain’t nobody that can take that away from you.
And it just makes you strive to work harder, spend more hours in the gym. You can see it with guys around here; they just know what it takes. They’re hungry and their desire to win another one is obvious every day.