I felt this needed a thread, although I could have and should have posted in the game thread. http://my.lakers.com/blogs/2009/05/06/phil-jackson-odom-likely-to-start/
Gasol is going to be EXHAUSTED and his legs will go by the 4th quarter having to guard Yao on the block. DD
I hope so Artest can really rough Odom up. An Hayes off the bench will uproot Bynum from posting up like he did in game one.
You expect Scola to guard Trevor Ariza or something? I mean Ariza is a 3 point shooter, but he's one of the best cutters/slashers in the league. Scola needs to make the Lakers pay though for putting Odom on him. Scola should have no problem scoring. Gasol could easily get in foul trouble early, because he cannot defend Yao or front Yao. He's more mobile than Yao, but he's completely inferior to Yao's strength.
makes sense. in general, i think you should start your best players. bynum is clearly not one of their top 5 players.
Bynum is less physical than Oden is, but he has more skills on both ends than Oden does. Well if that was the case, Ariza would be the 6th man not Bynum or Odom. Bynum is the Lakers' 4th best player in my opinion behind Gasol, Kobe, and Odom. That being said, I believe this will also shorten there bench as somebody said. They are pretty much using there finishing line-up as there starting line up now. They can expose a lot actually, especially in the pick n roll situations against Yao.
The classic case of one guy wanting to go left all the time vs a guy who wants to go right all the time. I guess the matchups will be: Brooks vs Fisher Battier vs Bryant Artest vs Ariza Scola vs Odom Yao vs Gasol I like that matchup... DD
Odom is no LaMarcus Aldridge, He doesn't have that good of a mid-range or 3 point jumper and he doesn't really have that refined of a post game. It's his versatility that makes him so good in the league. That being said, Odom has still failed to reach his potential and probably will never be able to reach it. His IQ has always been a problem and it probably always will be.
Funny, I posted the above in the "Should LA Front Yao thread". And now Odom is starting, that's going to make the game a lot tougher for the Rox.
Hmm, not sure how much I like this. Odom is kinda quick for Scola. I think Scola can post him up though....I guess he will have to do that to offset the speed advantage. Make Odom play some defense. IIRC, Gasol actually defended Yao pretty well in the regular season games.
Awesome. Odom is a good player, but he's heartless and folds against physical opponents. The Rockets need to go after him early and often and watch him disappear.
A little bit of a no and a little of a yes on Gasol guarding Yao well in the regular season. Gasol's a tricky and unpredictable defender. He often pulls the chair on Yao and somehow half the time he gets around Yao and manages to deflect the ball. That being said in the regular season Yao's teammates failed to pass him the ball in the 2nd half and I strictly remember Mark Jackson saying Hey, If I was the Rockets coach I would like to introduce to you to #11 in the Red uniform.
