Much Ado About Odom

I had originally wanted to post something on Vince Carter what with my upcoming preview on the Nets (yes, that's right, I just gave away what team I'm doing next), but given all the talk about Lamar Odom, how he wants to start, how they've tried put him into the starting lineup, and how he shouldn't (start), I figure I'd get in a little of the action as well. So what do we do about Lamar? I believe I've covered this extensively already, but let's take a look at some of his options and how that works out. What with the return of Andrew Bynum, the role of Lamar Odom becomes a big question mark, and since we don't have much to talk about with the Lakers, and everyone loves talking about the Lakers right? Well, not really, but there's not a whole lot else going on right now, unless we want to talk about how Patrick O'Bryant nabbed a starting position.

Anyways, like all my previous posts with my crazy rants about various players, let's start with what Odom brings to the table. The man is listed at 6-10 and 230 lbs. So, he's big. He's able to finish strong at the rim, is a good passer and ball handler, especially for someone his size. Is most noted for fading when there's any kind of pressure on him to perform, especially in light of having to defend Kevin Garnett in the 2008 NBA Finals. Ok, given that most people probably don't look forward to a matchup against such a prolific player as Garnett, Odom's disappearance was especially noted. That being said, for someone of his size, he's not a very significant post presence. He does rebound fairly well (10.00 rpg) but in terms of post offense and defense, that's not where his game is at.

If it weren't for his tendency to fade under pressure, I'm sure Lamar Odom would be receiving less flak than he is today. The fact is though, Odom is a man with All-Star talent but a role players mentality. So how is that a problem? He needs the ball in his hands to be productive, but he doesn't like the pressure having the ball all the time and being a go-to scorer would entail. So that means, 2nd or 3rd option. Odom would work if he were the third option behind Bryant and Gasol in the Lakers, but with Bynum returning, Odom, I believe, would be wasted at the 3, as Phil Jackson requires a shooter or defender at that position, and as we've covered before, Odom does neither.

There are a number of options that the Lakers can explore, I completely agree that should Odom remain on the Lakers he should be the 6th man, and the central focus of the offense of the second squad. However, I'm also all for trading Odom for someone that's a better fit at the position. Meaning again, someone that defends better than Radmanovic or shoots better than Ariza.

The most feasible solution I can think of at the moment would be going to trade for Ariza's former teammate Hedo Turkoglu. The reason I say Turkoglu is because Hedo has expressed interest in opting out of his contract, and is looking for something probably bigger than the Magic can pay for. To make things work the Magic would likely have to include JJ Redick and send Brian Cook back to LA. Turkoglu can shoot and his defense is a little underrated. He's not the best, but he's not bad. Odom on the other hand, gets to play with one of the most dominant low posts presence of Dwight Howard and an already established perimeter scorer of Rashard Lewis. There's no need for him to be a big performer and a goto scorer. His slashing ability enables him to play next to Howard well, and also his rebounding abilities will help a lot as Lewis slides back to a more comfortable SF position.

Hey who knows, maybe there's something else out there for him.

UPDATE: The Orlando blogger Ben Q at Third Quarter Collapse likes it too. Well maybe not this trade specifically, but the general Hedo for Odom idea. Yes! I'm a "well-informed NBA writer" now.