DALLAS -- Dallas Mavericks center Chris Kaman, who spent the first eight years of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers, believes his former team can go from "the worst possible franchise in the NBA and all of sports history" to one of the best.

"If (Donald) Sterling sold the team, they might be able to," Kaman said Tuesday before boarding the Mavs' team flight to Los Angeles for his first road game against his former team.

In all seriousness, Kaman believes Sterling changing his notoriously cheap ways has given the Clippers a chance to have great success. Kaman cited the construction of the Clippers' practice facility and the trade for Chris Paul, along with the free-agency acquisitions of Caron Butler and Jamal Crawford as evidence that Sterling is now willing to spend money to build a winner.

"The truth of the thing is Sterling, when I was there my first few, four to six years, he was tight with everything," said Kaman, who was part of the package the Clippers sent to the New Orleans Hornets before last season to land Paul. "He didn't want to spend the money. I think as he's getting older, he's realizing, 'Hey, I don't know how much time I have left' -- or whatever it is -- 'I'm older.' You can't win in the grave.