Does anyone else here think Lamar Odom would be a bad PF in our lineup? Someone started a thread about "soft and mushy". At PF, Odom would be as soft as you can be. He is a perimeter player. His natural position is SF. He only weighs 230 lbs and plays smaller. How does that make him a PF? Is it just because he's 6'10? Remember the "Flower Forward" caller last year on AM610?
Yeah, but neither is Sam Cassell. Steve's being forced to defer more as his career progreses but he could still put up big numbers. I think he could possibly be that 3rd scorer we're looking for. I could be painfully wrong but I'd be willing to give him another shot to be a part of something big.
Hasn't Odom really sucked this year? Granted, Francis has as well. But Francis has had alot of friction with Orlando mgmt. As far as I know, Odom hasn't had the controversy, he's just been inexplicably stinking it up. I'd much rather have Stevie Francis than Odom.
Honestly, people, I don't think a pick this coming up year, regardless how high, is going to make a CHAMPIONSHIP team. I love Francis and his play (though it could be a little smarter), and I would love to have him back. But even if we don't get him, I'd like to see us go after a PROVEN player (e.g., not another Swift) who could really help us. The draft is very unlikely to prodocue a player like that. Yao and TMac are in their prime now and for the next couple of years. There's not time to wait 2 or 3 years for a player to really develop. So stop putting so much into giving up our 1st rounder. (This isn't pointed at you, gucci888, just in general to everyone.)
Odom may be having a bit of a down year, but he's still grabbing over 9 rpg and dishing out over 5 apg. And the previous two years he averaged almost 10 rpg. How badly could we use a dependable PF that can grab 9-10 boards a game as well as score and pass. And if Odom is "soft and mushy", I'll take a "soft and mushy" 9+ boards a game every time.
Yes, he's a perimeter/slasher type PF who can post it up against the right matchups. The thing about Odom offensively is he forces the other teams to have to match up because of the nuances of his game. Duncan can't guard him. Granted, he can't guard Duncan......nobody can. I saw a game a year or so ago with him and Garnett matching up against each other. It may have been while he was still in Miami, I can't remember. But they were both representing the entire offense of their clubs. Garnett would take it down, post, fake, and either get off the layup or the dish for a wide open teammate. Odom would come down and do the same thing to Garnett on the other end. Sometimes the best answer is to fight fire with fire. We would still need that big banging, defending PF in the rotation. But you pay the big money to the players with the skills. You gotta have the guys in the trenches, you gotta find them. Guys like Evans, Hayes, etc. etc. We would still need to pick up that banger but Odom would get 30+ minutes a night in the lineup with our big 3, whether it be at SF with us going BIG or at PF with us going SMALL. You want help with Nowitzki? You want to make the Spurs have to defend their ..... off? Throw out a lineup of Rafer, TMac, Odom, Yao, and a big banger. You get Parker on Rafer, Manu on TMac, Bowen on Lamar, Duncan on Yao, and nobody on nobody. Now all of a sudden Duncan has to work on the defensive end. Now all of a sudden, Bowen is getting posted up. We need a player of that ilk. Odom would be a dream to get.
Give me Lamar Smokeom anyday over Steve. Definitely not a better scorer but he has a better overall game. But my first choice would be a SHOOTER and some SPEED. Look how valuable Mike James was for us last year, and Phoenix exposed those weaknesses bigtime. They collapsed on Yao and no one could hit the open jumper. In transition we got toasted.
We wouldn't be the first team to do this by any means. Hell, the New York Knicks probably have four or five without actually having a single good player.
Absolutely. But considering the idea is being promoted in a thread suggesting the lunacy of bringing Francis back...I was going to pass. SF is owed $50m over the next 3 seasons. That's more than what Mobley currently makes plus what Mike James is likely to get. A Mobley type player plus a Mike James type player vs Francis. For anyone being objective, this isn't even close. Lamar Odom grabs fewer rebs/48 than Scott Padgett and a whopping 1 reb/48 more than Juwan Howard. Don't be fooled by this stat. The Faker$ jack up a ton of perimeter shots and have the 22nd worst 3pt FG% (24th worst overall). Odom benefits greatly from long rebounds he wouldn't get as a Rocket.
Did anyone else become more receptive to the idea after watching Year of the Yao last night? It brought back a lot of the feelings from that time. The excitement of the first pick, the Yao/Shaq games... but also the time in the Lakers series when Francis had the ball and kind of studder stepped like he did when he was about to iso it. Kobe's looking at him and he's smiling as if to say "Yes please. I'm ready for this every day of the week and twice on a Tuesday". That hurt, especially when the play didn't quite work out for Stevie. Not that I expected it to... Nevertheless, there were plenty of good moments to make the Steve era not totally without enjoyment. I remember a lot of game winning and-one's. One particularly against Shaq. I love the Rockets and I always will, but the kind of fierce loyalty I had for the team was higher then than it was now. The team had such a great collective personality. T-Macs clearly a better player but the personality of the team and the kind of optimism that having Yao brought was a high like no other. I'm gonna go out on the unpopular limb and say I want this to go down. If it doesn't work out... pshhh pride is overrated.
You can't deny that Steve would bring emotion to an emotionally dead team. I don't know how important that could be. I wonder if we could fold and lose as badly as we did against Dallas in game 7 last year or against the Suns last week if Steve was on the team. Then again, the team has actually been pretty resilient, with only a very occassional tendency to quit....
This is one dumb thread, but it's not surprising. Odom would make our team even more passive than it already is. At PF he would be a weak fish and pushing Tracy to SG full time would be a HUGE mistake. Moving Tracy to SF was one of the reasons we took off after the JJ/Wesley trade. And please don't compare him to Dirk. Give me a break! I can't tell you how many times this year the Lakers have wanted him to assert himself on offense and he just won't do it. Don't let his skillset fool you because he doesn't bring it very often. He's similar to Stro except he actually has skills. SF would add nothing more than a huge salary, a lot of isolation and ball-hogging that would degrade everyone else on offense and a selfishness/stubbornness that he has shown no sign of growing out of. With the problems he's had in Orlando this year, it would be insane to bring him back. The grass always looks greener on the other side. That must be why some think Odom or SF belong on this team. For me, watching these two from a distance makes no difference. They aren't what this team needs.
I've seen some Orlando games this year and seen Steve going to the hole many times and was given the whlistle, kinda like the Iverson game recently. He will attack the basket and play with enegy rebounding on both ends. I could see great things with Alston handling the ball so turnovers are a none issue.
Why not KMart if he is on the trading block? (ducks) Before you guys light me up on this, arent we talking about the fire that this club is lacking?? Im sorry but this guy is down right mean, and intense. Not sure about his contract though?
Odom has had some impressive games against the Rockets. That is pretty much the only times I have seen him. I am surprised so many of you are down on him. Remember the game in Houston last year, he looked like an All Star. But if he is not that good, and especially if he is "passive," then forget about it. I won't trade for him.
If Rocks got Francis in exchange for Rafer, JHo, and Swift without giving up a pick I'd say go for it. Francis Sura Wesley Head Tracy Bogans Splitter Hayes Yao Deke That 10 man rotation equals instant championship.
