Question: What if Odom is perfect fit at SF?

[That Nicka]

What if Odom fits in perfectly at SF? meaning he improves his shot and shoots around 38% from 3 next year.. I think he has pretty good lateral quickness, and I thought Phil should have at least TRIED him on Peirce during the finals.. What if he proves to be a good defender at SF? What if he puts up something like

14-15ppg, 8-9 rpg, 4apg, stl, blk, 48%, 38% from 3 at the SF position


Do you guys think he would still be traded to cut salary?.. How much money do you think he would demand next season??

[BitonKOBE]

he's not going to improve his shot enough for the $14 million. probably keep him anyway though because it will be hard to get equal value back. the lakers frontline will play huge next season if bynum continues his improvement and gasol is able to shoulder up on pf's better than he did on centers. maybe coach phil can just run a rotation that sits bynum out early. id rather see luke at the 3 than radmonovic or ariza if he can improve his 3 pt shot.

thats way too much to expect odom to improve his outside shooting by imo

[milesfides]

It's a possibility. I respect Odom's talent and flexibility - and the look on his face and his comments after the loss to the Celtics. The dude is motivated.

But several things need to happen. Obviously his shot needs to be worked on. Is it possible? Well, he shot above 36% from three in exactly two years - his rookie season, and his first year under Phil Jackson (trying to play guard), when shot a very respectable 37%.

Not surprisingly, Odom shoots better when his role is defined as more of a guard than a power forward.

But why did he struggle so much earlier this season when he did play more on the perimeter? I don't know. Maybe he didn't expect Bynum to have such a large role, as our offense began to gravitate towards an inside-outside 2-man game between Kobe and Odom.

But there's been signs of improvement, I think. Odom has moved without the ball a lot better since Gasol manned the high post. Ok, maybe not a lot, but at least he gets one or two good cuts in the game.

Really, Odom needs to improve his reaction to the ball. His biggest adjustment will be the one that he's struggled with his entire career - needing the ball. Even when he takes jump shots, he likes to take his shots off the dribble. He hasn't integrated the catch-and-shoot type of mechanics, because he relies too much on having the ball in his hands. That's also why Odom loves driving all the way to the basket, rather than cutting and then receiving the pass.

Because these are all remnants of this streetball guard mentality that's been hard to shed, no matter what position he plays.

He has to make these tough adjustments if he wants to be an effective perimeter player in the triangle offense. Catch-and-shoot. Move without the ball. Pass off penetration.

It's possible, but somebody needs to grab Odom and really rework the mechanisms in his game. Forget trying to be a point guard, forget trying to be a power forward. Just learn how to be a good ballplayer, learn the fundamentals of being a swingman.

He can't do it by himself. He needs to go to guard-camp. I'm serious.

[8'sReverse]

I'd rather him not shoot the 3 at all. He has enough trouble consistantly making layups off of drives to the lane. With his length, handles, speed there really isn't any excuse for him to miss a lightly contested layup.

[Rox_Nix_Nox]

It's the triangle, someone needs to space the floor. That's why Vlad started. With Odom at SF the spacing would be horrible, teams would sag off and we all know how inconsistent Lamar's jumpshot is. Plus it would take away his slashing/cutting lay-ups which like someone said he bricks most of the time anyway.. Ron Artest man I pray we get him

[Dr Aki]

move lamar to the point!

instant mismatch in the post!

[mojo892]

move lamar to the point!

instant mismatch in the post!

I don't think he could post up with Gasol and Bynum on the floor. The opposing 4 or 5 will just wait at the rim and dare Bynum to take the outside jumper.

[CITYOFANGELSX3]

I dont see it. I see him getting traded. He just doesnt fit. Especially after his disappearence in the finals.

[vinnycorleone]

the fact of the matter is that we need a small forward who can create his own offense consistently. Whether it be off the dribble or a nice pull-up jumpshot. Lamar cannot shoot I think we all know that however I'm not even sure if he's that great off the dribble. Sure he shows signs of it here and there but consistently he is average. He gets alot of Offensive Fouls when driving because the guy amputated his RIGHT HAND!! Use the right lamar please use the right. If you think about it the BEST FIT for our team right now is ironically.....CARON BUTLER! Perfect 3 for us. Ah well. Hopefully ron artest comes and decides not to be "the black hole". or trevor ariza can develop some sort of mid-range game.

[That Nicka]

the fact of the matter is that we need a small forward who can create his own offense consistently. Whether it be off the dribble or a nice pull-up jumpshot. Lamar cannot shoot I think we all know that however I'm not even sure if he's that great off the dribble. Sure he shows signs of it here and there but consistently he is average. He gets alot of Offensive Fouls when driving because the guy amputated his RIGHT HAND!! Use the right lamar please use the right. If you think about it the BEST FIT for our team right now is ironically.....CARON BUTLER! Perfect 3 for us. Ah well. Hopefully ron artest comes and decides not to be "the black hole". or trevor ariza can develop some sort of mid-range game.

I disagree.. I dont think we need someone that can can create their own offense as much as we need someone that can spot up and hit the open 3 and play defense... Shane Battier seems like the perfect fit to me and he only makes like 6 mil... I dunno how we would get him though

[Luxury]

I guess we can wait up until the Feb. trade deadline to see if he is or isn't a good fit. I'm actually not a big fan of a Pau/Bynum frontcourt, therefore I wouldn't like Odom to be shifted to the 3. I actually like our 4th Quarter line-up when Kobe shifts to the 3 and Sasha moves to the 2. A P/B frontcourt looks good on paper, and I'm pretty confident to say that we can come out of the West again with (or without) Bynum, but is it good enough to beat the Celtics assuming they repeat to the NBA Finals again?

The Celtics line-up that killed us each in the finals was when they went with House at the 1 and Posey at the 4, meaning they had a smaller frontcourt with knockdown 3pt shooters spreading the floor. They we're killing us with points off (forced) t/o's, that lead to 3 point shots for them in transition. Leading to a dramatic momentum shift in favor for them. Can P/B really counter that?

Everything is basically being read off of paper for now and its all speculation. Don't get me wrong, I love Bynum a lot, but I don't know if I'd go with P/B in the last quarter of the NBA Finals. Odom has done us good at the 4 with a capable Center in Pau (and Bynum).

Dang if only Bynum and Pau would combine skill sets, maybe then we would have our own Tim Duncan lol.

[iamworthy]

I love LO, But he hasnt improved his game since he signed with the lakers. What makes you think he is going to get a consitant "J" in the next 3 1/2 months. We need someone who can knock down a 15-18 footer.

[milesfides]

Well....I just want to point out that Odom DID shoot 37.2% in his first year under Phil Jackson, handling more guard duties than forward.

He also did hit 33% of his threes at Rhode Island, and shot 36% as a rookie.

If he re-organizes his game to play more on the perimeter, I think he'll be OK. Iamworthy, I like what you said about the 15-18 footer, because we tend to overemphasize the three-point shot. While being a 3-point threat is important for spacing, there'll be plenty of opportunities to take a step or two closer and hitting the higher-percentage midrange jumper.

[milesfides]

Again, I think his biggest adjustment to the SF will have to be catch-and-shooting and moving without the ball.

When Bynum comes back, we'll rely even more on spacing, moving the ball, and shooting in rhythm.

Odom needs to re-learn, or perhaps learn for the first time, some basketball fundamentals that I haven't seen from him.

Spotting up for catch-and-shooting, cutting to the basket, running through, clearing out to the other side, spotting up for catch-and-shooting, continuing ad infinitum.

[RJM]

I'll just reiterate my thought's on Odom's summer plans once stated in a horribly failed thread I made.

**



Lamar Odom: As the third/fourth wheel in our Lakertank, Lamar's got to come back next season stronger than ever. I would like to see Lamar work harder on his right hand. That's got to be strengthened. Now we all know that being a lefty is already an advantage, but sometimes that advantage isn't there. In that case, he's got to have a move to surprise the defender.

Lamar's not done yet. He's got to work on that jumpshot. Sometimes (believe it or not considering his length/quickness) that layup isn't going to be there. After watching Anthony Randolph's play in workouts, I'll be damned if some rookie has a better jumper than the guy he's being compared to. If we are to have success at that small forward position, he's going to have to develop a better shot if he's to mesh well with our new team.

Aside from said jumper, Lamar really needs to work on finishing stronger around the rim. The guy is 6'10! What's a 6'10 guy doing going in for layups? He needs to dunk that ish!

[Luxury]

Catch-and-shoot Odom? I wish, although he does make jumpshots more frequent when he steps into them. It's hard to make a player do something he's not comfortable with, especially when we all finally found what Lamar is most comfortable with. I rather take 07-08 Lamar than previous ones or an innovated one.

[miggs]

i remember watching Odom play as Clipper rookie, i was a big fan of him, his versatility and length was amazing! at times, the Clips would have him run the point, which he blossomed under since he was able to use his biggest advantages: length, versatility and passing. Artest SEEMS like a great addition on paper, the problem is can he stay in control? Theus has had problems with Artest all season long, it's obviously Artest who's the problem, he seems to have such a bad attitude. I just read about the issues he had with Theus, on the other hand, the other SF we seem to talk about is TAYSHAUN PRINCE, who i REALLY enjoy watching! his defensive prowess is incredible for someone so young, ever since that block he had on Reggie back in 04, i said to myself, "That's the next great SF defender." He never gives up on defense, and he's been so contained by Detroit offensively that he has yet to really show off wat he can do. He showed some flashes this year as Flip gave him more of an offensive role. Then there's the last additions we frequently speak of, SHANE BATTIER/JAMES POSEY. Both are great defenders, can shoot the 3 consistently and seem to be what we need, however, Odom has improved so much but it's hard to show what he can do when he's out of position, some of his lesser known skills are eliminated. Lamar does seem to have a decent J when he steps in, but he's always playin PF, which isn't him! I hate hearing ppl wanting to trade Odom because he's soft, he's a finesse SF, not a PF!!! here's my plan:

KEEP ODOM: Allow him to work on his game over the summer and put him in his NATURAL position, he could do great things for us more consistently if he has that natural position. You could tell from his interview that he was very motivated for next season, he's our spark plug on the floor and i think he deserves to be a Laker, but at a CHEAPER price, he owes it to us i mean he wants a ring and to end as a Laker, well then his mindset should be, let's sign for cheaper and rack up the rings!

SIGN POSEY MLE: Try to give Posey the MLE, he would be the PERFECT back-up for Odom along with Ariza.

RE-SIGN SASHA & RONNIE: Sign them both for no more than $4 mil a year otherwise let 'em go. Both could be very very good contributors next year, they have more experience now, they've tasted the worst kind of defeat, now is the time for them to show what they can do with such motivation.

SIGN KWAME LLE: I know we all hated Kwame, but perhaps with a MUCH smaller role, like Odom, he too can flourish. His interior defense is good enough to give some quality rest to Bynum and Gasol. I really do think the lesser the need for his contribution, the more he'll actually contribute. Kobe hated to see him go so let's get him back!

LIMIT SF MINS: Keep Walton & Vlad on the bench as much as possible and try to trade 'em both. I like Walton but this season was soo poor! he was definitely OVER-PAID! As for Vlad, i pray game 6 was the last time he'll be wearing a Laker jersey.

MIHM: Try to move this guy, he's sooo soft, at least Kwame was tough, i can't stand a soft center like Mihm

Imagine this lightly changed but strengthened Laker line-up & bench

Fisher/Farmar
Odom/Sasha
Kobe/Posey/Ariza/Walton
Pau/Turiaf/Kwame
Bynum/Kwame/Mbenga

Odom can really do some damage at the SG spot, Kobe seems to do very good on the wing, they can alternate with each other if the other team possesses a better threat at one of the two positions. Posey could come off the bench for Kobe and provide some very nice D and offense for us. Spreading the floor for that 2nd unit that will allow Farmar to utilize his play-making ability more and free up Sasha with Posey in there as another threat. Turiaf and Kwame will be able to focus on rebounding since the 1-3 positions of the 2nd unit will space the floor very well and all three are offensive threats. Also if Ariza comes in instead of Posey, it gives you a slasher with good perimeter D. This is just my analysis of our off-season plan, i'll post it in that thread too. Tell me what you guys think.