Frustration Leaves Odom To Roam Alone [Archive]

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duncan228

11-16-2008, 02:14 PM

Lakers' Odom angry at Coach Phil (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/odom-lakers-jackson-2230152-didn-first)
Ding column: Lamar commits fouls of frustration, plays fewer minutes.
Kevin Ding

LOS ANGELES There were a lot of big-headed Lakers trying to play one-on-one basketball Friday night, so the Lakers got what they deserved: their perfect season ruined.

Here’s what could be far worse for them as this all plays out: Lamar Odom, the guy who started training camp griping about his individual place on the team, left Staples Center with renewed strain in his relationship with Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

Upon being yanked from the game by Jackson with 4:30 to play after committing consecutive frustration fouls, Odom reached the bench and gave a quick, dismissive wave with his left hand in Jackson’s direction.

Odom immediately began unwinding the tape from his wrist and spent the rest of the game sulking, slumped back in his chair even when every other teammate on the bench leaned forward with hope during a brief Kobe Bryant-led Lakers surge.

Afterward, the usually genial Odom was clearly disturbed – stepping all over Patrick O’Neal’s questions to rush through a Fox Sports interview, turning his back to the camera before it was over. Odom then delivered more clipped responses to other reporters before speed-walking away.

Despite having success in the post against Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince in the second quarter, Odom played 20:08 – his least playing time in any game this season or last.

Odom balked initially at the start of training camp in light of Jackson’s desire to take away his starting job in the final year of his contract. Once Jackson did shift Odom to the bench, the coach made Odom the first Laker off the bench, consistently replacing either Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol midway through the first and third quarters.

But Wednesday night in New Orleans, Odom didn’t enter the game until later in the first and third quarters. And Friday night against Detroit, it went back further: Odom didn’t come in until 2:34 remained in the first. He didn’t come in until 1:49 remained in the third (even though Trevor Ariza entered with 6:20 on the clock).

Odom actually made all five shots he took from the field, although one unforced turnover with a minute left in the third quarter and the Lakers down by 10 points was an egregious error.

Odom was mostly on the bench while other Lakers – particularly Bryant, Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Gasol and Vladimir Radmanovic – looked too early and often to attack through individual offense instead of through the pass.

And when Odom watched Gasol toss up a missed shot after another solo foray with 5:09 to play and Detroit ahead, 89-71. Odom immediately ran and committed an obvious backcourt foul on Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace – and because the Lakers were beyond the five-foul penalty limit for the quarter, Wallace got to walk down and make two free throws for a 91-71 lead.

Less than a minute later, Odom fouled Wallace in the backcourt again after a Lakers miss, Wallace went to make two more free throws, and Jackson gave Odom the hook.

After the game Jackson went out of his way to bring up with reporters “fouling out of frustration in situations that were unnecessary and put them on the foul line” as one of the “things we can learn from.”

And when answering a question about Prince, Jackson said: “I thought Lamar played well against him at the (offensive) end of the floor. He was effective. But Lamar got frustrated out there a little bit in the fourth quarter.”

Asked about Odom’s minutes being down, Jackson answered cryptically: “Matchups and rhythm of our offense – just doing the right thing out there and creating the right spacing – I thought we misplayed a lot of those situations.”

Odom didn’t have much to say in his comments.

“We didn’t take good shots as a team,” he said. “We didn’t do nothing good as a team.”

The truth of it is that other Lakers were far more responsible for this first loss than Odom. At emotional heart, Odom is a team player who will eventually tap back into his light, affable spirit.

Nevertheless, he does have a history of detaching himself when things go bad.

And besides suffering injuries, nothing ranks higher on the to-don’t list for the Lakers this season than what befell this deep, skilled team Friday night: individualism.

It’s Farmar’s little-man complex emerging once Iverson bested him a couple of times. It’s Radmanovic feeling as if he deserved to go right down and jack up a 3-point shot after looking bad on Prince’s dunk that happened because Bynum didn’t properly help when Radmanovic funneled Prince toward him.

It’s especially a frustrated Odom losing trust in his teammates and his coach.

Champions respond to adversity by using it to come together. From the Lakers’ first defeat of the season, though, Odom walked away wholly alone.

Spur-Addict

11-16-2008, 03:32 PM

Translation: "Waaaaahhh...OOoH....OOOhh..WaaaAaaaahhh :baby ....:madrun"

:lol

Man Mountain

11-16-2008, 03:46 PM

Lamar Scrotum sounds like he got his Odom caught in his zipper

RonMexico

11-16-2008, 04:13 PM

Does this surprise anyone?

Other than the guy in my fantasy league keeps trying to trade me Odom in random packages for LeBron under the guise of me needing "depth."

Purple & Gold

11-16-2008, 04:15 PM

I'll be glad when his contract is up.

dirk4mvp

11-16-2008, 04:19 PM

Allanon's not gonna like this thread.

m33p0

11-16-2008, 04:37 PM

:cry

JamStone

11-16-2008, 04:39 PM

Odom's being a baby, but I agree with him to a certain extent why he's upset. He should be playing more than 20 minutes a game against a team like Detroit, especially with how he was playing despite those two frustration fouls. He can match up with Prince or Rasheed when Rasheed is strictly camping out at the three point line. Plus, Kobe and Fisher were volume shooting and Pau was non-existent. He has to play more in that game. He's being a baby, but I almost understand why he is being a baby.

Purple & Gold

11-16-2008, 04:43 PM

I missed the game and only caught the very end. But out of anybody Odom has the least to complain. His play has been substandard for awhile.

SpursDynasty

11-16-2008, 04:47 PM

That is why no other West team other than the Spurs can win a championship. Everyone wants to be a star.

tomtom

11-16-2008, 04:48 PM

Bawwwww

JamStone

11-16-2008, 04:53 PM

That is why no other West team other than the Spurs can win a championship. Everyone wants to be a star.

So you're saying this season's NBA champion will come from the Eastern Conference then, cuz San Antonio sure as hell ain't winning a championship this year.

Purple & Gold

11-16-2008, 05:05 PM

That is why no other West team other than the Spurs can win a championship. Everyone wants to be a star.

Lakers will win Team of the Decade :toast

m33p0

11-16-2008, 05:34 PM

So you're saying this season's NBA champion will come from the Eastern Conference then, cuz San Antonio sure as hell ain't winning a championship this year.
:lol:(:cry
:ihit we're not done yet!

IronMexican

11-16-2008, 05:46 PM

According to Spur fans, SA isn't done, but PHX is

Dex

11-16-2008, 06:02 PM

LOS ANGELES There were a lot of big-headed Lakers trying to play one-on-one basketball Friday night, so the Lakers got what they deserved: their perfect season ruined.

:rolleyes I wanted to stop reading after this line.

Obstructed_View

11-16-2008, 06:05 PM

:rolleyes I wanted to stop reading after this line.

I bet he's actually angry that the Lakers now don't have any reason to shoot for 82-0. :lol

Kobe™

11-16-2008, 06:42 PM

Ehh, let him smoke some kush.
He'll be fine

Lakers_55

11-16-2008, 06:45 PM

The whole question is whether or not Odom will accept his reserve role and want to contribute that way to the team. Season is early. Sure the Lakers just lost, but that was going to happen. Clear the air now, and get down to business.

TheMadHatter

11-16-2008, 07:08 PM

Spurs fan:

"PHX IS DONE, LAKERS SUCK.....we woulda won if the refs didn't cheat"

Reality:

PHX: 7-3
LAL: 7-1

SAS: 3-5

SpurForLife

11-16-2008, 07:16 PM

So you're saying this season's NBA champion will come from the Eastern Conference then, cuz San Antonio sure as hell ain't winning a championship this year.

By no means am I defending Spursdynasty but he has a point. Since 2002 no one but the Spurs has won the Title. Would not surprise me to see an east team (most likely Boston) win it unless we somehow make it back to the Finals.

romad_20

11-16-2008, 07:54 PM

Spurs fan:

"PHX IS DONE, LAKERS SUCK.....we woulda won if the refs didn't cheat"

Reality:

PHX: 7-3
LAL: 7-1

SAS: 3-5

74 games left. I wouldn't count the Spurs out yet.

tlongII

11-16-2008, 08:00 PM

The Blazers will win the title this season.

SpursDynasty

11-16-2008, 08:01 PM

Spurs are 3-5, but the rest of the West is starting the season slow enough that we won't be very behind once Manu and TP are back. Plus our younger bench guys are getting into rhythm and will be solid off the bench in December.

z0sa

11-16-2008, 08:09 PM

So you're saying this season's NBA champion will come from the Eastern Conference then, cuz San Antonio sure as hell ain't winning a championship this year.

The fact our two main perimeter players are injured at this early point in the season, is only going to factor well for us in the long run. I'd say we're a much better than bet than everyone in the west save LA.

Flintstones32

11-16-2008, 08:25 PM

The fact our two main perimeter players are injured at this early point in the season, is only going to factor well for us in the long run. I'd say we're a much better than bet than everyone in the west save LA.

This, plus the fact I honestly do not see anyone else in the division taking enough advantage of the fact the Spurs are banged up right now.

When they get healthy again, the division is the Spurs for the taking.

IronMexican

11-16-2008, 08:46 PM

74 games left. I wouldn't count the Spurs out yet.

I wouldn't either, but some of these people can be delusional.

gtownspur

11-16-2008, 08:49 PM

okay

ElNono

11-17-2008, 12:24 AM

4-5... Don't look now, but the Spurs are the 8th seed right now, and this without TP or Gino...

Banzai

11-17-2008, 01:12 AM

The Blazers will win the title this season.

:nutkick::toast

Kai

11-17-2008, 01:21 AM

Honestly, every year there are hundreds of threads like these with people talking like they know what will happen this season, just to be completely wrong. We should pull this thread up after the finals and see who was right/wrong. Every single team will grow in one way or another throughout this season and we will have a whole new idea of who is a favorite and who is guaranteed a top 3 pick in the draft. It's senseless to act as if something is set in stone for this season.

IronMexican

11-17-2008, 01:27 AM

z0sa

11-17-2008, 02:14 AM

Spurs fan:

"PHX IS DONE, LAKERS SUCK.....we woulda won if the refs didn't cheat"

Reality:

PHX: 7-3
LAL: 7-1

SAS: 3-5

4-5 now ya douche. LA would be 0-8 without Kobe, which equates to about 2/3 of us losing Manu and Parker.

Bandwagon Fan

11-17-2008, 03:46 AM

Stop crying, you werent doing any better when Parker was there either.

GetNashty

11-17-2008, 04:36 AM

4-5 now ya douche. LA would be 0-8 without Kobe, which equates to about 2/3 of us losing Manu and Parker.
Don't worry, everyone else knows the Spurs are still for real to be right there, despite some half of their scoring missing.

If he disliked the perfect season ending, he'll really hate this perfect losing streak he gets when those whores come into Phoenix.

TheMadHatter

11-17-2008, 10:30 AM

MarHill

11-17-2008, 11:05 AM

So you're saying this season's NBA champion will come from the Eastern Conference then, cuz San Antonio sure as hell ain't winning a championship this year.

Jam Stone,

I usually agree with your posts.

But, I think you are a little premature with that pick. If the real big 3 are all healthy they have a good shot to win it all again.

The key is health and how far along the new players (Hill, Mason, and Tolliver) and Finley rediscovering that he can shoot and go to the basket to strengthening their bench. This is the one team in the west no wants to face in the playoffs. They've proven they can win on the road in the playoffs...even in a Game 7!!!

Don't count them out yet!!!

:flag:

romad_20

11-17-2008, 01:03 PM

I never said the Spurs wouldn't make the playoffs....I'd be surprised if they didn't to be perfectly honest.

But let's be real. The Spurs are not contenders. I don't care if Ginobili comes back healthy, the Spurs have no bench. You can't win without a bench.

I think the Spurs bench is equal to last years bench, at least. Mason is an improvment over Barry. Spurs will have a lot of options once Manu and Tony are back. Not to rehash anything but the Spurs were right there last year with a broke Manu and over the hill Horry.

If they are healthy by March and have time to gel as a unit, they have a very strong chance of making it to May/June play.

ElNono

11-17-2008, 01:44 PM

IronMexican

11-17-2008, 02:05 PM

I think the Spurs bench is equal to last years bench, at least. Mason is an improvment over Barry. Spurs will have a lot of options once Manu and Tony are back. Not to rehash anything but the Spurs were right there last year with a broke Manu and over the hill Horry.

If they are healthy by March and have time to gel as a unit, they have a very strong chance of making it to May/June play.

This team is also one year older, Bruce doesn't look the same, and neither does Kurt. I hope the Spurs can come out of this. It's no fun if LA and SA can't battle for team of the decade.

td4mvp21

11-17-2008, 02:13 PM

I never said the Spurs wouldn't make the playoffs....I'd be surprised if they didn't to be perfectly honest.

But let's be real. The Spurs are not contenders. I don't care if Ginobili comes back healthy, the Spurs have no bench. You can't win without a bench.

We have some decent pieces this year I think. At least it looks that way right now. Things can change. But I'm assuming we'll have Manu off the bench. Also, we'll have Hill, Thomas, Finley and Ian coming off the bench and I expect those guys to contribute in some way or another. Definitely not the deepest of benches but I think it will be better than last year's.

By the way, I wouldn't have called our bench in 2007 "good".

romad_20

11-17-2008, 02:16 PM

This team is also one year older, Bruce doesn't look the same, and neither does Kurt. I hope the Spurs can come out of this. It's no fun if LA and SA can't battle for team of the decade.

Just have to wait and see. I don't see that one year making a difference to the big three (Timmy is looking great so far) and we dumped Horry. Our main 4 scorers are 32, 31, 28 and 26, so they are not that old. I don't know how the new guys will react when it comes to the playoffs and we still don't know what Ian is going to give us. Still too many unknowns to make any real assessment of this team.

Back to the original point of this thread, is Odom going to stay with the Lakers all year or will they try to trade him?

IronMexican

11-17-2008, 03:19 PM

Just have to wait and see. I don't see that one year making a difference to the big three (Timmy is looking great so far) and we dumped Horry. Our main 4 scorers are 32, 31, 28 and 26, so they are not that old. I don't know how the new guys will react when it comes to the playoffs and we still don't know what Ian is going to give us. Still too many unknowns to make any real assessment of this team.

Back to the original point of this thread, is Odom going to stay with the Lakers all year or will they try to trade him?

I definitely hope we can trade him for a legit SF.

hater

11-17-2008, 03:25 PM

Spurs fan:

"PHX IS DONE, LAKERS SUCK.....we woulda won if the refs didn't cheat"

Reality:

PHX: 7-3
LAL: 7-1

SAS: 3-5

Manu + Tony out.

Fail

romad_20

11-17-2008, 03:29 PM

I definitely hope we can trade him for a legit SF.

Who would that be? I can't think of one that would work out, although I'm sure I'm overlooking some obvious choice.

IronMexican

11-17-2008, 03:43 PM

Gerald Wallace.

Gino

11-17-2008, 04:36 PM

Its amazing to me how easily Laker fans under-value Odom.

IronMexican

11-17-2008, 04:50 PM

Its amazing to me how easily Laker fans under-value Odom.

Brah, if you watched him every other day, you would understand. I am sure you watch some Laker games, but you have no idea how overrated this guy is. He probably leads the NBA in charges. All the defender has to do is take a step to LO's left and get the charge, or it will ruin his lay-up and he will barely hit back board and bounce it hard enough off the back board to lead a fast break for the other team. His rebounding is top notch, though.

Allanon

11-18-2008, 03:27 PM

Laker fans are split in the middle, half of them want to trade Odom, the other half think Odom is what keeps the team together.

And then, I find most fans outside of LA appreciate Lamar's talent...It's the oddest thing.

It was funny because last year, Laker fans were calling to trade Odom for the Matrix who makes almost double the money Odom's making. So much for that, Matrix sucks this year, I'm glad that trade never went down.

Friday's loss was not on Odom, that loss can be pinned on the Center/PG positions. Too many pussies out there on Friday. Hopefully that was a lesson that they gotta man up (Pau/Bynum/Farmar).

IronMexican

11-18-2008, 03:30 PM

Most Laker fans will under-value Odom while I find most teams outside of LA fear Odom. It's the oddest thing.

Friday's loss was not on Odom, that loss can be pinned on the Center/PG positions. Too many pussies out there on Friday. Hopefully that was a lesson that they gotta man up (Pau/Bynum/Farmar).

I put it on Pau,Fish, and Phil. When Drew was beasting and getting a lot of offensive rebounds, he took him out for a very long time. Pau played real bad. And Fisher was jacking up some ridiculous shots.

Allanon

11-18-2008, 03:31 PM

I put it on Pau,Fish, and Phil. When Drew was beasting and getting a lot of offensive rebounds, he took him out for a very long time. Pau played real bad. And Fisher was jacking up some ridiculous shots.

I was pissed at how Phil yanked Bynum at that point too. When Bynum came back, he just wasn't the same again. Bynum let Kwame get the better of him, I think it's cuz Kwame's his friend.

Fisher, I think had ok shot selection, his problem was he was building a brick hose.

IronMexican

11-18-2008, 03:34 PM

I was pissed at how Phil yanked Bynum at that point too. When Bynum came back, he just wasn't the same again. Bynum let Kwame get the better of him, I think it's cuz Kwame's his friend.

Fisher, I think had ok shot selection, his problem was he was building a brick hose.

Yeah, I understand why he yanked him, since there was about 2 minutes left in the 1st, but he didn't bring him in till about half way through the 2nd.

Allanon

11-18-2008, 03:45 PM

Man, that was a sucky ass game...very frustrating to watch. I stopped watching basketball/nba news entirely until today.

Spur-Addict

11-18-2008, 03:47 PM

I was pissed at how Phil yanked Bynum at that point too. When Bynum came back, he just wasn't the same again. Bynum let Kwame get the better of him, I think it's cuz Kwame's his friend.

Fisher, I think had ok shot selection, his problem was he was building a brick hose.

Damn, these Bynum excuses have no end, they really don't.

z0sa

11-18-2008, 03:54 PM

Damn, these Bynum excuses have no end, they really don't.

Well after every Lakerfan said hes the next DRob ... what do you expect? The guy is not even very talented on offense at all. Talent. Not there. Hes a big body on D and thats what the Laker's needed, so hes got that covered.

But it still doesn't change the fact they've been dead wrong about his offense.

xtremesteven33

11-18-2008, 04:28 PM

So Bynum isnt Abdul-Jabbar??? :wow

Allanon

11-18-2008, 05:29 PM

Oh don't worry guys, Bynum will pick it up and then you'll see what all I'm talking about.

He is already the 3rd best Center in the NBA, he can't seem to get over the hurdle to be one of the top 2 yet. He's been wussing out.

But after his recent comments, I expect that he'll get quite a bit more aggressive from here on out.

21_Blessings

11-18-2008, 05:42 PM

4-5... Don't look now, but the Spurs are the 8th seed right now, and this without TP or Gino...

Yeah instead of getting stomped 4-1 in the WCF they'll just get swept up right quick during round 1.

MarHill

11-19-2008, 06:42 PM

Allanon

11-19-2008, 06:48 PM

Speaking of Odom, he had a pretty decent game against the Bulls although he fouled out :D
10 points
8 rebounds
5 assists
3 steals
3 blocks
22 minutes

Even on an off night, Bynum did OK.
18 points
9 rebounds
3 blocks
30 minutes

ImmortalD24

11-19-2008, 07:30 PM

Allanon

11-19-2008, 07:31 PM

Get off Odumbs nuts.

Laker fans either hate Odom or love him.

He played a pretty good game last night. Drew Gooden was scoring all over Bynum and Pau. Odom shut him down.

IronMexican

11-19-2008, 11:34 PM

Laker fans either hate Odom or love him.

He played a pretty good game last night. Drew Gooden was scoring all over Bynum and Pau. Odom shut him down.

75% of Laker fans hate him. You are one of the few. Which is cool, but I am not one of them!

Bandwagon Fan

11-20-2008, 12:34 AM

Most fans love odom. STFU.

1Parker1

11-20-2008, 09:51 AM

And besides suffering injuries, nothing ranks higher on the to-don’t list for the Lakers this season than what befell this deep, skilled team Friday night: individualism.

It’s Farmar’s little-man complex emerging once Iverson bested him a couple of times. It’s Radmanovic feeling as if he deserved to go right down and jack up a 3-point shot after looking bad on Prince’s dunk that happened because Bynum didn’t properly help when Radmanovic funneled Prince toward him.

If anyone can handle the drama of these individual players and their egos on this Lakers team...it's Phil Jackson.