Odom as your 6th man?

[Fenix]

Why isn't that though thrown around more often? Considering that you just got another offensive weapon who can be a legit post player in the triangle (and can pass, rebound and play help defense), wouldn't it be logical to move Odom to the bench, where his strengths can be better used? I think he'd be much better utilized that way and your team rebounds would go up.

C: Bynum (30) / Gasol (18 ) / Turiaf (spot minutes)
PF: Gasol (18 ) / Odom (30) / Turiaf (spot minutes)
SF: Ariza (20) / Walton (20) / Kobe (8 )
SG: Kobe (30) / Vujacic (18 )
PG: Fisher (30) / Farmar (18 )

That's a much more balanced team.

Edit: goddamn s.

[Triangle Theory]

LO has done pretty well the last couple of games since Pau has been here. Seems fine so far.

[LAL4Life]

I think everyone wants to see what we can do at full strength before we start tinkering with the lineup.

[KObe Bryant]

no. he is the 3rd Option of the team. he can put up 14.0 PPG until the deadline and finish up with 15 PPG at the end of the season.

[bobobolas1]

Come on, odom Is really ok in the starting!

Since pau came, he has been doing great. better than kobe to be honest.

Looks they can play well together and as i guess, when the people of the bench start to play, there's no need to sit kobe,pau and lamar at the same time. so, let them be in the line-up

[SashAlex]

No need at all to put him on the bench when we've got there Farmar, Ronny, Ariza, the Machine etc.

He's doing pretty well playing as our third option. You'll not find any teams in NBA with a "14 - 12 - 5" third option. And he's doing very well in defense. He's got a nice defensive game.

Not to forget that he can have 20+ 15+ games.

[Tommy Trojan]

Lamar has had pretty good games, after the trade. SO I say keep him in the starting 5

[SPuL]

I don't think he was saying Lamar doesn't deserve to start.. He's saying Lamar would make more of an impact coming off the bench.. & I agree.

We aren't going to get the most out of his talents with him next to Kobe, Bynum & Gasol..

[Sedale Threatt]

^ Which, if true, is going to be a huge problem because those three are going to be out on the court for three quarters of the game.

Good sixth men are typically aggressive scorers or high-energy types, of which Lamar is neither. Plus, I doubt Buss/management would be willing to pay $14 million for a sixth man.

The only way he fits on this team is if he can successfully slide over to small forward once Bynum comes back. I have my doubts. But I am also keeping my fingers crossed, because Lamar seems to flourish in a supporting role, and he deserves to be a part of our success considering he's been here from the very start of our rebuilding process.

Even more, though, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Buss is willing to go deep enough into his pockets that he wouldn't have a problem trading Lamar (if he can't make the transition, of course) for a major piece that fits our team better.

[Erik Eleven]

I'm with Sedale.

On a completely unrelated note, I just got this eerie Miss Chleo feeling that Dallas will snag Jermaine O'Neal.

Sorry, back to topic.

[BallAboveAll]

This has been brought up several times. The thing is why go away from our strength? When Bynum comes back we will have the biggest and best rebounding front court in the league. Our size alone will prove to be too much in the post season. Imagine all of the extra possesions we will get in crunch time with offensive rebounds and key defensive rebounds. It's proven that good rebounding teams can do a lot of damage in the playoffs. This is how the Cavs got to the finals with good defense and great rebounding.


If we start Luke or Vlad instead they won't bring us half of the tenacity that LO does on the boards. Plus they can't guard anybody. Odom is no saint but he is a good defender in my opinion. Unless you are thinking of starting Ariza, but he isn't as much of a threat as Odom when it comes to scoring.

[djericho]

I think like Walton, coming off the bench will adversely affect Lamar's ego which will affect his game. Really for any player who moves from starting to coming off the bench, it's a demotion. I think it would affect Lamar more than it has affected Walton.

Besides I think it cancels each other out. Lamar would be playing their 2nd string SF/PF, putting up equal or better numbers and we'd miss his hustle (albeit not miss his sometimes bad decisions, you don't have to drive the lane hard spin and get the charging calls, does anyone get more charging calls than Lamar?) After a couple of games coming off the bench, I think we'd all be asking for Lamar to start.

[B-Scott]

^ Which, if true, is going to be a huge problem because those three are going to be out on the court for three quarters of the game.

Good sixth men are typically aggressive scorers or high-energy types, of which Lamar is neither. Plus, I doubt Buss/management would be willing to pay $14 million for a sixth man.

The only way he fits on this team is if he can successfully slide over to small forward once Bynum comes back. I have my doubts. But I am also keeping my fingers crossed, because Lamar seems to flourish in a supporting role, and he deserves to be a part of our success considering he's been here from the very start of our rebuilding process.

Even more, though, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Buss is willing to go deep enough into his pockets that he wouldn't have a problem trading Lamar (if he can't make the transition, of course) for a major piece that fits our team better.

Putting up 14 points and 15 rebounds is more then just a little supporting role

LO has been dominant on the boards of late

[LakerFanSince84]

Why isn't that though thrown around more often? Considering that you just got another offensive weapon who can be a legit post player in the triangle (and can pass, rebound and play help defense), wouldn't it be logical to move Odom to the bench, where his strengths can be better used? I think he'd be much better utilized that way and your team rebounds would go up.

C: Bynum (30) / Gasol (18 ) / Turiaf (spot minutes)
PF: Gasol (18 ) / Odom (30) / Turiaf (spot minutes)
SF: Ariza (20) / Walton (20) / Kobe (8 )
SG: Kobe (30) / Vujacic (18 )
PG: Fisher (30) / Farmar (18 )

That's a much more balanced team.

Edit: goddamn s.

u must have never watched a laker game in your life, be a Suns or Spurs fan, or just real dumb. Which one is it?

[CDB]

Our bench is already deep so why put Odom there. I like him as the starting 3

[CITYOFANGELSX3]

Odom wouldnt benefit from the bench, he might even play worse then some of his worst games when he starts this season. He's started all year, why bench him now?

[critical_beatdown]

Anyone who plays 30+ minutes is going to have to start, in almost every case outside Manu Ginobili, since either you will have to make very early substitutions, or the bench player would have to come in after 9 minutes and play every minute the rest of the half.

Lamar could play 15 straight minutes, since he does it pretty frequently, but even if he did come off the bench, by the OP logic, either Drew or Gasol probably wouldn't play at least the last 1/2 of the 1st half (and I have no clue how that would work in the 2nd half, where it's even more important to have your best players on the floor together down the stretch, so even if Lamar did come off the bench, which he won't, he would be playing both SF and PF).

Lamar is a starter, deserves at least 36 minutes per, and when it's all said and done, after this season is over, however well we end up doing, we could look back and still see Lamar as our 2nd best player.

Looking forward? Probably not with the emergence of Drew.

[scoobs07]

I agree. Sixth man is probably the best spot for Lamar. He is a good power forward and a below average small forward. Plus, the bench unit likes to run, so Lamar would be a perfect fit.

[critical_beatdown]

Lamar will log time with the 2nd unit whether or not he starts, since he does so currently as a starter and would still play with both the bench and starting units if coming off the bench and playing for a 15-minute stretch.

Here is how I see things currently (with the possibility Luke ups his stock, but that basically that Phil chooses from 3 guys to back up the SF spot, probably only 2 in any given night):

1 - Fish [24], Farmar [24]
2 - Kobe [36], Sasha [12]
3 - Lamar [20], Rad/Ariza/Luke [28]
4 - Gasol [24], Lamar [14], Ronny/Rad [10]
5 - Bynum [32], Gasol [10], Ronny [6]

1st unit

Fish
Kobe
Lamar
Gasol
Bynum

2nd unit

Farmar
Sasha
Rad/Ariza/Luke
Lamar
Gasol/Ronny

Farmar
Kobe
Rad/Ariza/Luke
Ronny
Gasol

Flex unit

Farmar
Kobe
Rad
Lamar
Gasol/Bynum

[Erik Eleven]

When we got Gasol, I looked at it as a golden opportunity to swap him for Battier, whom I still think would be the perfect complement to the current roster. At this point, I'd say that Buss' wallet is officially opened. He can smell the blood and will do what it takes to get that last piece.

But, having watched two games where Lamar seemingly is playing without that pressure, simply roaming around in his low profile way, quietly grabbing 10+ boards, putting up 15 points and dishing out assists, I'm not so sure anymore. I still want to watch a few more games before I have my opinion clear to myself. Either way, this is a nice problem to have...

Rebounding and defense wins rings. If we stay put, Bynum, Gasol and Lamar will be an extremely tough front-court to out-rebound.