Getting Odom is going to be next to impossible, for the right package of picks he may be had, but to try to pry Keyon Dooling away, I kind of doubt it because of the impending contract status of Jeff McGinnis.
While I would love to have either Odom or Lewis, another Small Forward that I think would be a good fit is Jonathan Bender. He's a 7 footer who is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. He's currently shooting 38% from 3 point range, and his minutes have gone up since Harrington went down. Given Indiana's recent trade with Chicago, they are going to be near the luxury tax threshold next season ( they lose Best's $3 million coming off the books and Harrington's extension kicks in = $6million). Question Does anyone know if you can trade expiring contracts at the end of the season, but before the July moratorium. In example, can we still trade Walt or Willis after the NBA finals? Or, have we lost the trade benefits of their expiring contracts?
The main reason I want Odom is for his passing and ball handling. Many have said they want to move francis to the SG or as RT has used the 3 guard lineup to increase movement. One thing that Odom can do is get the ball moving and help our offense without having to have SF or CM out of position. Plus Francis doesn't want to play any other position but PG and by having Odom out there it's like having another guard out there that can handle and pass well. And he's just getting better at passing as his assists numbers keep going up every year that he's been in the league. IMO I would define Odom as a inbetween PG-SG (hybird like the old Sam Cassell) trapped in a SF body that has learned to post up becuase of his height. Honestly I think he could play every position out there, that's how highly I think of his versitility. Alot of the time he looks to set it up and pass the ball as well as bring it up. I know many times we settle for too many hard shots becuase we can't get anyone open or moving so we end up taking hard shots. Though he's inconsistent in scoring, he can get really hot from the outside even knocking down consecutive 25ft 3pts. His scoring is streaky alittle like CM. He does have a midrange set shot but again it comes and goes. Overall I think Odom can really help our assist numbers going better than all the other young SFs out there. Our assist numbers are at 18.2 which is dead last and not to mention one less than the next to last at 19.1. Another plus is that he is already SF and CM's friend, so they already know each other and might have good cemistry out there. I mean it's easier to play with people you know well than people you just work with.
many of you say odom has ball handling skills but i'd have to question that. he has one of the highest TO ratios per game of any non-pg in the league and his judgement is questionable odom was a possible star in the league a couple years back but his play hasn't shown this trend. he's regressing and his overall percentages all seem to be dropping. sure, the clippers have other talent now taking from odom's spotlight but the althletic tall SF type is something which is going to be more and more common in the draft as years pass.
We need Odom's talents on this team. Someone who can put the ball on the floor, make the pass. Odom has regressed, yes, but that's due to injuries, to Brand's presence, and to the emergence of Q, Maggette, and Darius Miles. On the Clippers, he's almost redundant. And what with his extension coming up at the same time of Brand's....? You can put Odom almost anywhere on the floor, depending on matchups. Steve/Cat/Odom/Mo/EG. I likes it.
ive ignored most of this thread for a while, but i have to make one little comment to ROXTXIA. your lineup i disagree with. i would include Mo in the trade, or trade him anyways, as with a 1,2,3 of Steve, Cat, Lamar, we would have alot more need for a hard nosed rebounder like KT rather than a scorer in Mo T. Kenny would be a bit more effective and will likely come cheaper than Mo did. mo would be easy to trade also.
Voice of Reason, you are the voice of reason. We have a glut at power forward. But will Mo be so easy to trade? He has to prove he's at least as good as before the injury. I like Mo, I know he and Lamar are buds ("buds"....oh, the irony, the bad puns!) Still.... Which teams would take Mo? Seattle, maybe. Chicago, maybe. Depending on what players/draft picks are thrown in all around. A lineup of Steve/Cat/Lamar/EG or KT/Cato would be nice.
Yes, we need players who will play some D. Barring that (Isiah Thomas has Ron Artest now, can't hope for him), I'll have to settle for a versatile swingman.
