There was a little bit of talk over the summer about the idea of Lamar Odom coming off the bench this season. With Andrew Bynum back in the mix, it seemed like a delightful possibility; one that would especially help the Lakers offensively when their second unit was on the floor. But you can forget all that. Odom was asked about it at the Lakers' Media Day yesterday, and hinted that Phil Jackson might have a screw loose if that's what he was thinking:"He must have woke up and bumped his head. He probably hit his head on something -- boom," Odom said about Jackson. "To start off like that, you've got to be out of your . . . mind."I have no proof of this, but having heard athletes speak for many years now, I'm guessing that the ellipsis between the words "your" and "mind" might just have been an expletive. And while I'm sure Odom was speaking in a lighthearted tone when he said this, it's still kind of disrespectful to Phil Jackson, isn't it?
We're not exactly sure how serious Phil was about moving Lamar to a sixth man role, or how serious Odom is about having no desire to go there. But it's definitely something to keep an eye on, as Odom is due for a new contract next season. If things go south between Lamar and his coach, Odom may very well find himself in another uniform before February's trade deadline.
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Odom's outside shooting has gone downhill for the past several years, especially from beyond the arc. After the Lakers got Gasol last year, Odom starting scoring more, primarily by slashing to the basket for lay-ups. However, with both Bynum and Gasol down low, there may be too much defensive traffic for Odom to be effective in that role. If so, he either has to greatly improve his outside shot, or he will need to play when either Bynum or Gasol is on the bench. Thus, I suspect Phil Jackson did not bump his head, or if he did, that it did no damage.
i think if odom is not used in la that miami could use him and his talents well i do however want to say that i would rather see mourning back on miamis court well and doing what he does best but as a lakers and a heat fan i like both guys and think odom needs to have his talents used not stuck on the bench keeping a seat warm
“Everybody knows on my team I’ll do whatever for the team,” Odom said. “If you want me to be the mascot, whatever you want me to be. I’ll be the doormat, the rug, whatever you want me to be.” - LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/la-sp-lakers30-2008sep30,0,655456.story?track=rss