duncan228
10-09-2008, 11:51 AM
For Lakers, sometimes Odom just doesn't fit in (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/odom-ball-bryant-2184188-play-guard)
Tex Winter: "He is still a little lost."
Kevin Ding
ANAHEIM- Cut the basketball court in half, and you’ve basically got a square. And if there’s one thing that Lamar Odom doesn’t consider himself, it’s square.
He’s a connoisseur and entrepreneur of inventive music and fashion, and Odom openly talks about wanting to be “outside the box” in every way. So, really now, should it come as any surprise that this guy – entering his 10th NBA season and probably the last of his five seasons as a Laker – is still so hard to fit into a set halfcourt offense?
“As long as he has been with us, he is still a little lost in what we do for some reason,” triangle-offense guru Tex Winter said of Odom.
The Lakers began yet another experiment with Odom in the exhibition opener Tuesday night at Honda Center, with Odom basically alternating with Derek Fisher as the primary ball-handler to start the offense.
There is plenty of logic in it, with big scoring threats Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum able to line up closest to the basket most of the time. Odom is certainly able to advance the ball faster against a forward than Fisher can against a guard, and the Lakers expect to get a lot of early offense this season from the quick, deep post-ups of both Bynum and Gasol. Fisher, 34, can also certainly use the relief of less ball-handling responsibility; the same goes for Bryant.
And there’s no doubt Odom feels most comfortable with the ball in his hands. He is a big baseball fan and often talks about what a mighty left-handed pitcher he could’ve been. He is a big football fan and always envisions himself as the quarterback.
Yet here’s something that explains a lot: Odom was certain a few years ago that Michael Vick was on the cusp of total football domination. Obviously Vick got derailed by illegal dog-fighting, but that left-handed No. 7 also never did get great at operating as a pocket passer.
Odom isn’t a pocket passer, either. But playing guard in the triangle involves an awful lot of straight drop-backs.
Asked how it went with Odom on Tuesday night, Lakers acting head coach Kurt Rambis said: “Fair to middling, maybe poor. He didn’t seem focused out there.”
Rambis noted that Odom neglected to get back defensively after doing the fun part of getting up court offensively with speed. And Rambis singled out Trevor Ariza, who could take Odom’s starting job at small forward, as having the most impressive game of anyone.
“Coach is always right,” Odom said.
The grand plan has always been for the pass-happy Odom to be a capable enough guard (a la Chicago’s Scottie Pippen) in the triangle to play on the back line while Bryant jumps to the front line (a la Michael Jordan) whenever he chooses.
Having Bryant and Odom able to interchange from play to play and matchup to matchup creates a nightmare for opponents – as was the case for anyone facing Jordan and Pippen in the 1990s.
The problem in this decade has been how much better Bryant is than Odom at both the organizing guard and attacking wing roles. It becomes hard to strike any balance. Odom fundamentally is not an organized person in any way, which makes him inconsistent at the guard position that involves lining up everyone in the offense.
On the flip side, Odom doesn’t lust to score like Bryant and has always been poor at moving without the ball, so he can do only inconsistent scoring damage at forward.
What’s the answer? Let Odom play more without Bryant dominating the ball on the first unit, which Phil Jackson has been pushing with his talk of Odom moving to the bench.
Frankly, I have a hunch that this whole ball-handling experiment by Jackson is meant to let Odom try the role he wants most, have it fail and then have Odom much more receptive to coming off the bench to get more touches in that role.
What’s the less disruptive answer? Run less triangle, which Jackson is definitely doing as he encourages the team to do more fast-breaking. Odom is undeniably great on the run … or outside the box.
On one play early in the game Tuesday night, he got the ball and pushed it upcourt in delayed transition. He was in perfect rhythm with the flow of the game, gliding to the open spaces just as the defenders would vacate them and ultimately drawing the defense and throwing a perfect pass for Ariza to get a dunk.
There can be plenty of sequences in games for Odom to play that role of push man on the Lakers’ break, triggering easy scoring action. And if you want Odom to be the one dribbling the ball upcourt more, fine. Trying yet again to make him the conductor in the halfcourt, however, is just a waste of time.
As uniquely creative a person and player as he is, Odom just can’t tap into that inventiveness within the confines of convention.
After the game Tuesday night, people could be heard across the Lakers’ locker room buzzing about the black and white shirt that Odom was putting on. It had horizontal stripes on one side of the front, vertical stripes on the other side of the front. It had big white cuffs with bold gold cufflinks – on a short-sleeved shirt.
“You’ve got to be a risk-taker to wear things like this,” Odom explained. “Or you can go to the Gap and get a white T-shirt and blue jeans. But that’s not what I do.”
Tex Winter: "He is still a little lost."
Kevin Ding
ANAHEIM- Cut the basketball court in half, and you’ve basically got a square. And if there’s one thing that Lamar Odom doesn’t consider himself, it’s square.
He’s a connoisseur and entrepreneur of inventive music and fashion, and Odom openly talks about wanting to be “outside the box” in every way. So, really now, should it come as any surprise that this guy – entering his 10th NBA season and probably the last of his five seasons as a Laker – is still so hard to fit into a set halfcourt offense?
“As long as he has been with us, he is still a little lost in what we do for some reason,” triangle-offense guru Tex Winter said of Odom.
The Lakers began yet another experiment with Odom in the exhibition opener Tuesday night at Honda Center, with Odom basically alternating with Derek Fisher as the primary ball-handler to start the offense.
There is plenty of logic in it, with big scoring threats Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum able to line up closest to the basket most of the time. Odom is certainly able to advance the ball faster against a forward than Fisher can against a guard, and the Lakers expect to get a lot of early offense this season from the quick, deep post-ups of both Bynum and Gasol. Fisher, 34, can also certainly use the relief of less ball-handling responsibility; the same goes for Bryant.
And there’s no doubt Odom feels most comfortable with the ball in his hands. He is a big baseball fan and often talks about what a mighty left-handed pitcher he could’ve been. He is a big football fan and always envisions himself as the quarterback.
Yet here’s something that explains a lot: Odom was certain a few years ago that Michael Vick was on the cusp of total football domination. Obviously Vick got derailed by illegal dog-fighting, but that left-handed No. 7 also never did get great at operating as a pocket passer.
Odom isn’t a pocket passer, either. But playing guard in the triangle involves an awful lot of straight drop-backs.
Asked how it went with Odom on Tuesday night, Lakers acting head coach Kurt Rambis said: “Fair to middling, maybe poor. He didn’t seem focused out there.”
Rambis noted that Odom neglected to get back defensively after doing the fun part of getting up court offensively with speed. And Rambis singled out Trevor Ariza, who could take Odom’s starting job at small forward, as having the most impressive game of anyone.
“Coach is always right,” Odom said.
The grand plan has always been for the pass-happy Odom to be a capable enough guard (a la Chicago’s Scottie Pippen) in the triangle to play on the back line while Bryant jumps to the front line (a la Michael Jordan) whenever he chooses.
Having Bryant and Odom able to interchange from play to play and matchup to matchup creates a nightmare for opponents – as was the case for anyone facing Jordan and Pippen in the 1990s.
The problem in this decade has been how much better Bryant is than Odom at both the organizing guard and attacking wing roles. It becomes hard to strike any balance. Odom fundamentally is not an organized person in any way, which makes him inconsistent at the guard position that involves lining up everyone in the offense.
On the flip side, Odom doesn’t lust to score like Bryant and has always been poor at moving without the ball, so he can do only inconsistent scoring damage at forward.
What’s the answer? Let Odom play more without Bryant dominating the ball on the first unit, which Phil Jackson has been pushing with his talk of Odom moving to the bench.
Frankly, I have a hunch that this whole ball-handling experiment by Jackson is meant to let Odom try the role he wants most, have it fail and then have Odom much more receptive to coming off the bench to get more touches in that role.
What’s the less disruptive answer? Run less triangle, which Jackson is definitely doing as he encourages the team to do more fast-breaking. Odom is undeniably great on the run … or outside the box.
On one play early in the game Tuesday night, he got the ball and pushed it upcourt in delayed transition. He was in perfect rhythm with the flow of the game, gliding to the open spaces just as the defenders would vacate them and ultimately drawing the defense and throwing a perfect pass for Ariza to get a dunk.
There can be plenty of sequences in games for Odom to play that role of push man on the Lakers’ break, triggering easy scoring action. And if you want Odom to be the one dribbling the ball upcourt more, fine. Trying yet again to make him the conductor in the halfcourt, however, is just a waste of time.
As uniquely creative a person and player as he is, Odom just can’t tap into that inventiveness within the confines of convention.
After the game Tuesday night, people could be heard across the Lakers’ locker room buzzing about the black and white shirt that Odom was putting on. It had horizontal stripes on one side of the front, vertical stripes on the other side of the front. It had big white cuffs with bold gold cufflinks – on a short-sleeved shirt.
“You’ve got to be a risk-taker to wear things like this,” Odom explained. “Or you can go to the Gap and get a white T-shirt and blue jeans. But that’s not what I do.”