Lamar Odom Tears Labral Cartilage

man what a disappointing season for the guy. he really asserted himself at the start when kobe was out at the beginning, then he made the adjustment when kobe got back and kobe even seemed to be playing more team ball. they had so much promise. I'm not a laker fan but I would like to see how good they can be if odom plays to potential. he's just a guy you would like to his potential because he has tremendous talent.

 

Dayum. Lots of injuries in the NBA this year.

I fully expect the preseason to be reduced and the regular season 82 games spread out a little more to give players more rest.

 

I'm not a Laker fan either but I like Odom too. I'm sorry to see him get hurt.
I agree with your comments about him.

 

Well, it definitely hurts the Lakers, but it's not like they were going anywhere to begin with. So in the grand realm of things, it doesn't change much.

Outside of the 'Big Three' in the West (Suns, Spurs, Mavs) there are only two other teams that have a very small outside shot of getting to the finals...those two teams are the Rockets and the Jazz.

Lakers are a third-tier team out West, along with the Nuggets.

 

I was counting on the Lakers (along with the Rockets) being a lower seeded team that could upset one of the big 3 in the opening round. Guess I can kiss that idea goodbye. The Lakers' season is officially done. They needed a completely healthy roster to make any playoff noise.

Now, it's imperative that we make a serious run at the Spurs for #3. Forget what happened tonight. We still have to try and get the virtual 1st round bye that now comes with the #3 seed. Before this injury, I didn't really care if we were 3, 4 or 5.

 

So, will Kobe be taking more shots now?

 

yes....

 

damn with their schedule, they might have a hard time hanging on to even 7th spot if new orleans and nuggets get their act together.

 

Yeah, I am with you there. I was holding out hope that the Lakers and the Rockets would be the two teams that are capable of making things a bit more interesting out West. Now it's down to the Rockets/Jazz I guess, although one of them will be eliminated in the first round.

I have to disagree with you there, apo.

I think the Rockets are in the best position possible as a fifth seed. Preferably, we get homecourt advantage against the Jazz in the first round. But even if we don't, that's still the best outcome we can have for a first round matchup. Furthermore, it lines us up to play the Mavs instead of the Suns in the second round. I think it's almost a given that we would rather play the Mavs than the Suns, even though we would clearly be the underdogs either way.

Now, that leaves the Spurs with a chance to knock the Suns out in the second round, which I am still hopeful they will. From a Rockets' fan point of view, the Spurs would be the most ideal opponent for a WCF matchup should we get that far into the playoffs.

So, IMO, the best possible outcome I can hope for is for the Rockets to remain where they are know as far as seeding is concerned, but I do hope they end up with a better record than the Jazz whereas they get homecourt in the first round. But even if they don't, I am happy with where we are now.

 

I see your point, but I'd still take the easiest 1st round opponent possible, which means avoiding the Jazz. I agree the Spurs can knock the Suns off in the 2nd round if they bring their "A" game and get back on defense. Where we diverge is I feel the Rockets can do the same thing to the Suns, so meeting them in the 2nd round is a good thing. I realize over 90% of people here feel the Mavs are a better matchup for us, but I disagree very strongly. Facing the Suns in a 7 game series where we can gauge them from game to game isn't the same as facing them during the day-to-day chaos known as the NBA regular season.

 

I'd have to agree, I'd rather face the Suns than Dallas... as we are a good defensive team, I think it would be the lesser of two evils to try to shut down a good offensive team than take on a team with newly-found tough defense in Dallas. I don't quite understand how Dallas managed to transform themselves from a team that tried to out-gun their opponents, to their current defense-first mentality... perhaps they realised defense is key when it comes to winning in the playoffs...

 

I've heard a torn labia can be very painful.