I was trying to convey in my posts the un-likelihood of landing Odom; the Clippers are also a wanna-be playoff team and might not want to help us out too much. But if we made the trade worth their while, they might bite. Any dreamcast would likely involve a summertime trade because we cannot trade our own pick two years in a row, and Memphis has dibs on our next-year first-rounder. Someone please correct me on this if I'm wrong. BUT, we could draft a player and include him in a sign-and-trade. As I mentioned, I think the Clips would want a low-salary player, so that means a high draft pick or some sort of combination of draft pick + low-salary player. So forget Cato. Sterling has a billion bucks and no inclination to spend a dime of that fortune. To quote a favorite writer of mine, David Sedaris, who wrote of his cheapskate father (paraphrase), "My father, who grew up in the depression, never spent money, in case the economy should collapse and he would have to subsist on a diet of soup flavored with toenail clippings and AA batteries."
From what Rudy has said, I think we are stuck with these players till at least the offseason. I wonder if C.D has even entertained the idea of getting Odom?
odom would be a top 5 pick this year if he was in college. factor in that he's proven to be very good at this level and he's number one pick easy. i would jump at the chance to give up our pick and kt, mooch for this guy. he can help run the offense from the 3 spot and leave steve still at the 1, where i'd like him to try and stay, with less pressure to distribute. the only problem i can see is, as others have mentioned, rudy loves those matt bullard type 3's. but rudy also loves those multi-talented guys, whether he knows what to do with them or not. the real question is how to we get stojacovic?
I mentioned this elsewhere but how about Shane Battier for KT, our pick and Collier? Gasol and Battier are both true SF's. Memphis might want 2 lotto picks to go after DeJuan Wagner or whoever. Shane isn't as talented as Odom but he plays hard, knows how to win big games and he'll never get suspended for drug violations. The Rockets need a SF and there aren't many good ones in this draft even if Dunleavy comes out. Tayshaun Prince is an intruiging prospect at the 3 but I don't think he's worth a lotto pick.
You have to remember Lamar Odom is making $2.8 million dollars. With that being said. Its hard to find a quality player for that kind of price. KT is a great player for his price (less than a million) and then we add Moochie Norris a back-up PG you get right around that number. We don't need this years pick, nobody in this years draft will contribute as much as Lamar Odom will to this team. There won't be a sign-and-trade during this summer with Odom because his contract doesn't expire till the '03 season. We won't be able to aquire any good FA's in the '03 season because we are over the cap, and we have to give Francis the max. So our only chance of getting him is now or in the '02 summer.
I really don't understand this. The worst thing the Rockets can do is trade for Lamar Odom. The guy is a joke. Not only is he a druggie, he has not improved in his three seasons in the NBA. And worst off he has fallen off this season. Francis and Brand have improved over their first three seasons. Odom needs the basketball to be effective, and the Rockets already have players like that in Mobley and Francis. Note: Griffin can take more shots if he decides that he wants an inside game. Odom cannot shoot from the outside. And he has been a 70% FT shooter for his career. Odom should be better than he is, but his biggest problem is between the ears. Besides Odom's gonna be a Knick in a year or two anyway.
While I will agree that Odom does have off the court problems, he is a great talent. Odom was considered the Clippers' best players, and was considered the Clippers' franchise cornerstone. However I say was because they swindled the Bulls into trading a highschooler for a great player in Elton Brand. Therefore Odom now becomes expendable. With the emergence of Maggette, and Darius Miles (why is everyone so high up on this guy, all he does is dunk, or take a five foot shot), Odom is considered a trading luxury. Moreover Donald Sterling doesn't believe in the words "maximum contract", therefore Odom will have to be traded for something or the Clippers risk him walking away, without compensation. Do the Rockets have what it takes to pry Odom away? Well that depends on what you want to part with. It would take a significantly overwhelming package to Elgin Baylor to part with Odom. The Clippers do not want any large contracts, they want expiring contracts, low-dollar contracts, low-dollar veterans, and draft picks. The Rockets have a couple of those. Odom is good friends with Mobley, and with Francis, and on this team he would thrive. I bet good money that going back to Rudy T and CD's draft board of the 1999 Draft, Francis was #1, and Odom was either #2 or #3. As for saying Rudy would muck it all up by not knowing how to use Odom, thats a bunch !@#$, give Rudy a damn break. Pippen came to Houston scared, he is the "greatest role player of all-time". He couldn't be the man, so he shriveled up and then blamed the system. A 6'10" athlete like Odom could do great things with this team. Hell imagine the frontline of Odom, Griffin, and Cato. All over 6'10". When is the last time the Rockets had such an intimidating, young frontcourt? And as for Odom being a Knick sometime soon, I highly doubt it. New York is so cap-strapped, they'll be lucky to sign a free agent of a high caliber in 2010. No one on that team is worth anything to the Clippers. In fact there are only two players on that team that have any value: Sprewell and Camby, both of whom they are reluctant to part with. (No offense to Othella). I think that the Rockets have a better chance at getting Odom, than they do Rashard Lewis. A deal can be done, just depends what the price is. Hopefully its not too high.
well i guess this is my cue, but this is odd. i cant say anything bad about this. its like an xfile episode - all eerie...oooooooh throwing in your #1 and another for odom? thats not bad. in fact, i think LA would love it and i dont think houston would do it. that pick is going to be good and odom, considering his off court troubles, the style that he plays (wont fit in with houston) and his contract demands, will hurt somewhat. but if you guys like it, go for it.
It was cool until i saw Sane having odom behind rice and griffin behind whoever. If we wer to get Odom, somehow he could drop 17pts and next yr eddie could drop about 15pts, that 1-4 could help us compete against the teams that kills us in the inside. If you lined up Francis,Mobley,Odom and Griffin you would have a team capable of being more than first round material. With Odom you could take Steve off the ball and still run a effective if not better offense. Has anyone ever seen Odom at the top of the key and everyone down on the baseline? When he runs the 1-4 he's a load with his passing and penetration. I don't know what they can tell Baylor to get him, but if they could somehow get him it would be one of the best moves ever by this franchise.
Odom is more of an all around player, he is also younger, and he won't demand the max like R.Lewis will. Overall, I would choose Odom rather than R.Lewis.
Odom is only 2 months younger than Rashard. Do we need a SF who is a ball handler or a SF who is a shooter? I think it's the latter.
i think JBIIrockets made a few good points about odom odom has been rather stagnant in improvement and is more inconsistent and less of a quality swing man than people believe. his percentages have been dropping lately and he commits a hefty hefty amount of turnovers. the upcoming drafts will have tons of athletic players who don't play like brand and don't shoot like ray allen ... in other words the hustling all round athletic sf who can't shoot that well will not be a rare commodity. when odom's contract runs out, we'll just have to find another player ... if we tried to deal with the clipps, i have to feel we'd be way better off getting quentin richardson and/or uh-oh maggetteo likewise, rashard seems to still be improving at a faster rate and i'd prefer him although not at the superflous contract he's asking
Odom is an awesome player. I , like many of you, have league pass and the Clipps are one of my favorite team, besides the Rocks of course. Odom is a player with alot of intangibles. He averages 6 assists a game as a 6-10 SF. Thats almost unhearof. He makes the players around him better. Plus, he and Cuttino went to R.I. together. Kevin Willis and the Toronto 1st rounder - Odom Mooch and Langhi and our 1st rounder - Odom Kenny Thomas and Jason Collier and one of our first rounders - Odom and H. Jamison. LA might want some help in the paint if they plan to go far in the playoffs. So one of our seven footers might look attractive.
You need to give up quality for quality. The Clippers could probably do a lot better than getting a high pick and bench fodder. IF Sterling wises up and keeps the core of the Clippers around by prying open his wallet, he could have something very special in a few years. However, it's insane to think that the Clippers would want any player from the Rockets except Francis and Mobley..who represent the only real value to other teams. Nobody is breaking down the door for a sub .500 team's bench players.
Sterling doesn't want a top quality player in return for the simple fact that he is eventually going to have to pay to keep that quality player. Yes he could save himself a lot of trouble by breaking open his piggy bank, but he just isn't going to do it. Sterling is looking for expiring contracts, or people he doesn't have to pay much to. So Odom can be had for a couple of draft picks. Truthfully I think they'd take both first-rounders this year, and Willis, and thats a start. I think we all know that you have to trade quality to get quality, but in this case in dealing with a frugal owner like Sterling, those rules need not apply.
The Clips would never do any of those trades.........Kevin Willis is old, the Clips wouldn't want him. Neither would they want Langhi or Collier.
ODOM has dropped off. ODOM HAS PEAKED? Whatever. Elton Brand was added to the mix in LA. Having another good rebounder and scorer, less minutes, along with the improvement of Miles has limited his stats. Look at assists. They're up. Part because he's got better people to pass it to, but also part because he's getting better. I've only seen one LAC game and Odom was as amazing as ever. Odom doesn't fit into the rockets scheme? The rockets would love to have a pass first, shoot second point guard that scores in the flow of the game. Odom is better than Moochie in every aspect except game winning threes. Francis would be able to play SG and Mobley SF. Opposing defenses would probaly guard Odom with a SF, Francis with the PG, and Mobley the SG. Odom wouldn't have all the PG responsibility as he'd split the duties with Francis. Mobley would be a great player if his main job was to hit open and semi open three pointers while spacing the D. How much reletively faster is Mobley's first step if the defender is running at him? Odom, Francis, and Griffin would be able to rebound with any team. Not that it would ever happen.
After making this comment at the beginning of the thread and now reading the whole thread and all that everyone has to say about him. I say we should trade for him because if so many people think we could use him up to his potential then I am all for it. He does have that rare pass first talent that we need. But beware because you guys know what a risk it will be. First Rudy probably won't use him properly, second he has off court problems that we don't need and finally we could be talking about alot of compensation in return much more than we are willing to give up.
