The dream is dead. You guys know what the dream was. It was the dream that Lamar Odom would develop into Kobe’s Scottie Pippen. You see Kobe Bryant’s skill level and ability to dominate, and whether you like Kobe the man or not, you know that Kobe Bryant the basketball player is about as good as it gets. For 3 years now, with that fact realized, people have been waiting for Lamar Odom to fill the role of Scottie Pippen. In fact, it dates back further than 3 years. Lamar Odom came into the NBA as a 6’10 do it all forward from New York, a la the 6’7 Scottie Pippen. He was supposed to be a guy who you could build a team around for years to come. Fast forward to today and all Lamar Odom has been is a study in frustration for fans, media, and personnel guys alike. Oh, I’m a huge fan of Lamar Odom which is why I realize for Kobe Bryant to get back to the championship level his detractors think he will never see again, the Lakers have to look at Lamar Odom’s role and whether their expectations for him are realistic. It is my opinion that Lamar Odom will never develop into that consistent #2 option that a star needs for a team to be consistently great. As it stands now, Lamar Odom’s career averages are 15.8ppg and 6.8 rebounds. Solid numbers to be sure, but he is so much more than that. The frustrating thing about Lamar Odom is that the tools are there. As already stated he is 6’10 and can swing between the small and the big forward. He has the ability to push the ball up the court off of the rebound as well as be a finisher on the break. But none of this has translated into “greatness”. All we get is flashes of greatness. A move here or there that makes you wonder, why isn’t this guy a 20 point scorer in this league and consistently dominating games?
In the last 2 years, whether during the off-season or near the trade deadline, Lamar Odom’s name has surfaced in trade rumors. The most notable trade rumor has been in a package for Kevin Garnett. And to my confusion, the Lakers have held onto Odom as have mentioned him as one of their untouchable assets. This has always baffled me. Kevin Garnett, for all of his failures, is a bona fide great player. Say what you will about his post-season success, but one thing you can’t say about Garnett is that he is inconsistent or an underachiever. You know when you step out on the court with KG what you are going to get. You are going to get all out passion and consistent contributions on a nightly basis. The Lakers simply can not say that about Lamar Odom. You don’t know if you are going to get the Lamar Odom who is going to get you 18-20 points and 10 rebounds or the Odom who is going to play passively and barely impact the game. As I watch the Suns – Lakers series, it is quite evident that whether Kobe Bryant takes 31 shots or 13 shots that the Lakers simply can not compete because they lack another great player to play alongside Mr. Darth. What made the Bulls impossible to beat when Mike and the Bulls were running through the league is that you couldn’t just throw 3 guys at MJ without Pippen either scoring on you or making the play – consistently.
I almost feel guilty for injecting these thoughts about Lamar Odom because of the rough off-season he has had to endure last summer. Losing a family member let alone your own child has to be something far worse than devastating. I can not even fathom having to bury my infant son. So I say all of what I have said with respect to that situation. But in terms of basketball, he is more suited for a non-pressure role, a la the role he had in Miami in Dwayne Wade’s rookie year. In an indicting statement, Eddie Jones (yeah, that Eddie Jones) and Dwayne Wade were the primary scores and Lamar Odom was allowed just to fit in. The team winning or losing was not determined by whether he got 20 points. As a result, he has his best year as a pro in terms of individual and team success. As long as the Lakers tie themselves to Odom as their 2nd best player, they will continue to reap the same results. Kobe Bryant will continue to see 3 defenders with the other team demonstrating absolutely no fear in sending 2 extra defenders at Kobe Bryant because of a lack of another great player being on the same court as Kobe Bryant...........................
Re: "You're No Scottie Pippen: Should Lakers Get Rid of Odom" ARTICLE FROM BSO.COM
The problem is that they're looking for Kobe's "Pippen" in the first place. Kobe is not Jordan. Any analogy based off this premise -- implicit or otherwise -- is doomed to failure.
Re: "You're No Scottie Pippen: Should Lakers Get Rid of Odom" ARTICLE FROM BSO.COM
Kobe is no MJ, should Lakers get rid of Kobe also? It's funny that they talk about "the dream" when there can never another a "MJ and Pippen" to begin with.
They should get themselves fired for writing stupid stuff like this, not pointing finger to Lamar Odom when you are asking something impossible out of him.
Re: "You're No Scottie Pippen: Should Lakers Get Rid of Odom" ARTICLE FROM BSO.COM
I really can't understand how people say Odom's not Pippen. Of course he's not. Kwame isn't Horace Grant either, and Smush ain't no Paxson. And to be quite honest their coach isn't Phil Jackson either.
Re: "You're No Scottie Pippen: Should Lakers Get Rid of Odom" ARTICLE FROM BSO.COM
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Originally Posted by loot
I really can't understand how people say Odom's not Pippen. Of course he's not. Kwame isn't Horace Grant either, and Smush ain't no Paxson. And to be quite honest their coach isn't Phil Jackson either.
Re: "You're No Scottie Pippen: Should Lakers Get Rid of Odom" ARTICLE FROM BSO.COM
Earlier in the year..up untill recently..I was strongly against trading Odom. At this point thouhg, I really dont care. **** it. He got his chance and he didnt pull it off. Hes a great player dont get me wrong, and I think he could easily be the one peice that turn good teams to great teams, but he doesnt fit here. Hes just not a legit 2nd option...hes more of a ~Great~ roleplayer. He just cant figure out how to break out and be the calibure player hes capable of being. If the Lakers could keep him and add around him and Kobe that would be great, but with what hes paid and what the Lakers have to work with...they pretty much have to get rid of him to improve. So I say pull the trigger..just not to a good team. That could be devastating to the league. A garnett type deal would be ideal..a team trying to rebuild. Odom is the key for the Lakers to make a deal to turn this team around....anymore years of this crap the Lakers have been showing lately and i might go homicidal.
Re: "You're No Scottie Pippen: Should Lakers Get Rid of Odom" ARTICLE FROM BSO.COM
the problem here is LO is no pippen, and which ever retard brought that up is a moron in the first place.
kobe will never be jordan, the lakers now will never be constructed like the bulls dynasty, clowns should never try to live in another persons shadow, go out and make a name for urself.
Re: "You're No Scottie Pippen: Should Lakers Get Rid of Odom" ARTICLE FROM BSO.COM
God, I love Jordan fans, how freaking sensitive they are.
Kobe is the Jordan of today. Like it or not. He's the best perimeter player in the league and by most players, coaches and media he is considered to be the the best player in the league.
Please don't give me BS, I'm not comparing Kobe to Jordan. Yeah, I know all about 6 rings and that stuff, blah blah blah.
But Kobe is Jordan. Not as good but he plays the same freaking style of game, he's that premium player, he's the icon of the NBA right now.
So drop it. We all know Kobe isn't as good as Jordan.
But how is he not a Jordan of today? Please tell me...who else plays in that system, with that same style and can do all those things? No one.
Now, as for Odom....
My God, how laughable it is. This one guy said that Odom's closer to Pippen than Jordan is to Kobe. That right there is an outrageous statement but whatever. Recently, most people on a Lakers forum agreed that Odom isn't even as good as Kukoc. And I personally don't believe he is.
He's more of a Kukoc than Pippen though.
As for his game, I'm tired of talking about it but slowly but surely, people are starting to see the truth and they're changing their mind.
Like him all you want, support him all you want but he's bad for the Lakers.
And I end there. Enough has been said about him.
Re: "You're No Scottie Pippen: Should Lakers Get Rid of Odom" ARTICLE FROM BSO.COM
Here are my facts right now:
If I HAD to choose a player tomorrow to win a NBA championship with a bunch of role players I'd choose:
1) Duncan
2) Shaq
3) LeBron
4) Kobe
5) Nash
In the past, I'd choose Jordan without question from the G position. Kobe HAS NOT shown he can lead a team at all and make his teammates better, something that 5-8 others in the league do.
I think Kobe is a great individual player, but he is a jerk. To put it in layman's terms, he is the boss with a big ego and top sales getter, but he makes the rest of the staff want to quit. He is the leader in the group project that is very smart, but not as smart as he thinks he is. He is great, but he isn't what he thinks he is.
AND to stick to the topic, Odom is NOWHERE near Pippen on either end of the floor, and hasn't been close.
Re: "You're No Scottie Pippen: Should Lakers Get Rid of Odom" ARTICLE FROM BSO.COM
Quote:
Originally Posted by xxxSuperStar
Here are my facts right now:
If I HAD to choose a player tomorrow to win a NBA championship with a bunch of role players I'd choose:
1) Duncan
2) Shaq
3) LeBron
4) Kobe
5) Nash
In the past, I'd choose Jordan without question from the G position. Kobe HAS NOT shown he can lead a team at all and make his teammates better, something that 5-8 others in the league do.
I think Kobe is a great individual player, but he is a jerk. To put it in layman's terms, he is the boss with a big ego and top sales getter, but he makes the rest of the staff want to quit. He is the leader in the group project that is very smart, but not as smart as he thinks he is. He is great, but he isn't what he thinks he is.
That's a fair and honest opinion.
But you need to remember that Jordan was getting the same crap Kobe's getting now before he won the championships.
Selfish, ballhog, doesn't make teammates better and all that.
Per DeJordan.. Once they asked him why doesn't he make his teammates better and he responded with "Give me Kareem Abdul Jabbar and James Worthy and see if I make them better".
So you see, Jordan was in pretty much the same situation.
They say he eventually became more mature but I think good teammates had A LOT to do with that.
I mean, when the other Lakers were playing good earlier in the season, everyone were praising Kobe for his teamplay and the fact that he finally got it and all that.
I'm a fan of team work but I don't see the team in this current Lakers.
Kobe to me has shown the ability.
P.S Your post is fair and honest with no hate but Kobe does have 3 rings and is much more proven than LeBron in the playoffs so you might want to switch that but regardless, I see the point of your post.
Quote:
AND to stick to the topic, Odom is NOWHERE near Pippen on either end of the floor, and hasn't been close.
It's laughable, insulting and borderline retarded to compare those two.
"You're No Scottie Pippen: Should Lakers Get Rid of Odom" ARTICLE FROM BSO.COM
