duncan228
10-04-2008, 09:57 AM
And apparantly Odom doesn't look so good. Jackson: "He's not in shape. Lamar's not ready to play."
Lakers need to share the wealth (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/jackson-lakers-odom-2178431-team-points)
Ding column: Phil Jackson's declaration that Andrew Bynum will not meet his goal of a 20-point scoring average reflects how this will be a season of some sacrifices for individual Lakers.
Kevin Ding
EL SEGUNDO – When Phil Jackson was hatching his 2008-09 Lakers schemes back in June amid the rubble of that NBA Finals loss, he put his conclusion plainly: "People will have to sacrifice."
Jackson knew already that with Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza returning to full health to join this new crew with Pau Gasol, the Lakers would have the enviable problem of too many good players. What's good for a really good team isn't always the best from the individual.
First case in point of the season: Bynum mentions Wednesday how he'd like to average 20 points and 10 rebounds this season. This factoid is relayed to Jackson on Thursday in the context of whether 20 points per game will be difficult for Bynum to achieve on this team of varied, viable scorers.
"Not possible," Jackson declares. "It's not possible. There's just not enough offense for everybody to do that kind of stuff."
Jackson goes on to mention how Pau Gasol will "do what he has done in the past," Kobe Bryant is "going to shoot the basketball" and Derek Fisher "has to have shots to be effective." Jackson also brought up Lamar Odom to round out the starting five – congrats, L.O.; apparently you're still a starter! – and acknowledged that Odom is the one guy who won't worry about his point total.
But Jackson also isn't going to wait around for Odom to get his game together, either. There are too many skilled guys hungry for playing time for Jackson to give Odom as long a leash as in the past to fulfill his vast potential.
That was the underlying theme in Jackson saying Thursday about Odom's early training-camp impression: "He's not in shape. Lamar's not ready to play."
Odom has been open about taking it easy over the summer, hoping to ease knee tendinitis that bothered him all last season. Jackson said rest wasn't necessarily all Odom needed from his offseason.
"In our exit meetings (in June) with Lamar, we talked about the fact that he hasn't had the opportunity to work on his body in the offseason for the past three or four years, actually," Jackson said. "So this was really an opportunity to strengthen his shoulder and do some things that were going to help him in a pivotal (free-agent) year for him – not only for him, but for us."
Gone are the days when the Lakers needed Odom to develop into an All-Star (still hasn't happened) or handed Kwame Brown chance after chance to put it all together (Rasheed Wallace to the Detroit Free Press on new teammate/birthday-cake thief Brown: "He's more of a player who needs to be coming into the mix, as opposed to being the main cake, if you get what I'm saying").
Gone are the days when the Lakers hoped to get career-best nights from guys who were sheep in Lakers clothing: On Feb. 7, 2005, Tierre Brown scores 27 points, but the Lakers fall just short in Atlanta! On Feb. 28, 2006, Smush Parker has 17 points and seven assists in a victory over Orlando that ups the Lakers' record to 29-28!
These Lakers neither need nor want maximum production from everyone; they just expect timely production, which means other times must be spent sacrificing.
Jordan Farmar won't get to start yet with Fisher still a rock out there. Sasha Vujacic won't get to hound as many opposing scorers with Ariza such a prime option. Chris Mihm and Vladimir Radmanovic, who have started plenty of Lakers games before, could be left out of the regular playing rotation altogether. Bryant more often will have to adopt his Team USA ball-hawking, defense-first mentality that is more gritty than pretty.
And when they're not scoring, all the Lakers can work on cheering for the teammate who is. About the only void on the team Jackson is unclear about filling, really, is Ronny Turiaf's role as head cheerleader.
"Sasha likes to celebrate," Jackson suggested, "but usually just for himself."
Lakers need to share the wealth (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/jackson-lakers-odom-2178431-team-points)
Ding column: Phil Jackson's declaration that Andrew Bynum will not meet his goal of a 20-point scoring average reflects how this will be a season of some sacrifices for individual Lakers.
Kevin Ding
EL SEGUNDO – When Phil Jackson was hatching his 2008-09 Lakers schemes back in June amid the rubble of that NBA Finals loss, he put his conclusion plainly: "People will have to sacrifice."
Jackson knew already that with Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza returning to full health to join this new crew with Pau Gasol, the Lakers would have the enviable problem of too many good players. What's good for a really good team isn't always the best from the individual.
First case in point of the season: Bynum mentions Wednesday how he'd like to average 20 points and 10 rebounds this season. This factoid is relayed to Jackson on Thursday in the context of whether 20 points per game will be difficult for Bynum to achieve on this team of varied, viable scorers.
"Not possible," Jackson declares. "It's not possible. There's just not enough offense for everybody to do that kind of stuff."
Jackson goes on to mention how Pau Gasol will "do what he has done in the past," Kobe Bryant is "going to shoot the basketball" and Derek Fisher "has to have shots to be effective." Jackson also brought up Lamar Odom to round out the starting five – congrats, L.O.; apparently you're still a starter! – and acknowledged that Odom is the one guy who won't worry about his point total.
But Jackson also isn't going to wait around for Odom to get his game together, either. There are too many skilled guys hungry for playing time for Jackson to give Odom as long a leash as in the past to fulfill his vast potential.
That was the underlying theme in Jackson saying Thursday about Odom's early training-camp impression: "He's not in shape. Lamar's not ready to play."
Odom has been open about taking it easy over the summer, hoping to ease knee tendinitis that bothered him all last season. Jackson said rest wasn't necessarily all Odom needed from his offseason.
"In our exit meetings (in June) with Lamar, we talked about the fact that he hasn't had the opportunity to work on his body in the offseason for the past three or four years, actually," Jackson said. "So this was really an opportunity to strengthen his shoulder and do some things that were going to help him in a pivotal (free-agent) year for him – not only for him, but for us."
Gone are the days when the Lakers needed Odom to develop into an All-Star (still hasn't happened) or handed Kwame Brown chance after chance to put it all together (Rasheed Wallace to the Detroit Free Press on new teammate/birthday-cake thief Brown: "He's more of a player who needs to be coming into the mix, as opposed to being the main cake, if you get what I'm saying").
Gone are the days when the Lakers hoped to get career-best nights from guys who were sheep in Lakers clothing: On Feb. 7, 2005, Tierre Brown scores 27 points, but the Lakers fall just short in Atlanta! On Feb. 28, 2006, Smush Parker has 17 points and seven assists in a victory over Orlando that ups the Lakers' record to 29-28!
These Lakers neither need nor want maximum production from everyone; they just expect timely production, which means other times must be spent sacrificing.
Jordan Farmar won't get to start yet with Fisher still a rock out there. Sasha Vujacic won't get to hound as many opposing scorers with Ariza such a prime option. Chris Mihm and Vladimir Radmanovic, who have started plenty of Lakers games before, could be left out of the regular playing rotation altogether. Bryant more often will have to adopt his Team USA ball-hawking, defense-first mentality that is more gritty than pretty.
And when they're not scoring, all the Lakers can work on cheering for the teammate who is. About the only void on the team Jackson is unclear about filling, really, is Ronny Turiaf's role as head cheerleader.
"Sasha likes to celebrate," Jackson suggested, "but usually just for himself."