This is an interesting debate. Personally, it makes sense either way as Phil’s rotations will be key with our current lineup of big’s. Now, should Phil consider Odom to come off the bench? Here is what the O.C. Register blog says…
It’s not as far fetched as it seems. One of the ideas being pitched around, as the Lakers prepare for training camp, is to have Odom come off the bench, playing starter-type minutes in the mode of San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili.
The idea is, Odom could be the man to run the 2nd rotation off the bench. This would keep a constant mismatch on the floor and give the bench a consistent team player who could run the unit very nicely. How do you guys feel about this? Odom has always been termed “unselfish” and is constantly under unfair scrutiny from the fans. Could this be an experiment worth trying out? Sound off…
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Q&A: Playing Odom off the bench could help Lakers
How about keep odom on the bench?
With his lack of an outside shot, if he is to remain on the team, the bench mob would be a good place for Lamar.
Odom is solid…. No need for him to go anywhere!!! Double Double guy every night.
odom should come off the bench since farmar and vujacic could shoot so he can rebound and drive. i personally think ariza should start since he has improved his shot.
i like to see lamar, sun yue, radman, gasol and bynum together. all 6′9 guys and up. that would be awesome!
I think that the Goods should start the season at small forward and see how that works out with 0.4 seconds at point gaurd, Black Mamba at scoring gaurd, Gasoline at power forward and Bynumite at center because I honestly think that a line up like that will dominate in the regular season. BUT if it doesn’t work out slide LO7 to the power forward position off the bench and start Ariza in his place. The second unit will still be strong if not stronger with PG Farmar, SG the Machine, SF Radmonovic, PF Odom and C Mihm.
haa dude your so fuken stupid..
you dont know shi t
who’s gonna start in his place? not radman/luke pls! We got bunch of weakazz SFs who are inconsistent all yr. Bring him off the bench in the first dead ball like Manu, he’ll win 6th man award.
Thank You!!! personally, I wanted to trade Odom for Artest, but now that we are stuck with him, having him come off the bench is the most logical move to make..
Why? let me explain…
1. I don’t care what anyone says, Odom is NOT a small forward.. he does not possess 1 quality that will make him an effective small forward..
* He doesn’t have a consistent mid-range or 3 point shot
* He doesn’t have the capability to drive to the basket with his right hand making him vulnerable to smart defenders
* 50% of the time when he attacks the basket he charges
* Since he doesn’t have an outside shot and is too predictable driving to the basket, the zone defense will stagger the Laker’s offense
* Odom will have to chase smaller defender causing unnecessary fouls, gaps in the defense, team foul trouble, etc.
2. Ariza will thrive at starting small forward because he is a slasher and requires great passers such as Kobe, Pau and Bynum. In addition, Ariza is probably the 2nd best defender on the team and is very active on both sides of the court.
3. Let’s face it, Odom is a natural POWER forward, but isn’t more talented or valuable to the team than Pau.. Therefore he should come off the bench..
CASE CLOSED
thats a neat interesting idea
i would want to see that in the summer league or something
Lol thank you dude. I f*cking hate fags like him that always talk {Profanity isn't allowed on theLakersNation.com -- Please go back and edit your comment. Thank you.} about LAMAR “the man” ODOM.
I definitely think this is worth a try; hopefully, Ariza has improved his outside shot and his ball handling skills enough to start (not to mention, gained some muscle).
Instead of Odom to the bench how about Odom to Detroit for Prince.
who would start in front of him? vlad rad? idk about about this idea guys but i guess its worth trying it out maybe in the preseason or in games against wack teams or something
It could work if we stick Ariza or an outside shooter on the starting 5.
Lets sign Quinton Ross..Release Luke to Mars
there’s alot of options so we gotta try all of them in preseason the would be the smartest think and then we could talk..
it would work if we had a solid 3 that could shoot the long ball unfortuantely we don’t have a “solid” 3. i can’t believe someone said “i like ariza because his shot has improved” uh…what league are you watching. Ariza is a terrible shooter, thats why defenders back off of him. If we’re going to put Odom on the bench please give us someone that can spread the floor for our very own Mr. Bryant to operate and give enough space for our twin towers.
HMMMMM?!? ShortDiezel gets the comment of the night,no need for mine(Thank God).
Ariza will start.
you can also put in 5 point guards, farmar, fisher, sasha, sun, lamar
are you kidd-ing me,bynum should lead the bench
how do ppl think kobe winning mvp is a better moment than the 3 championships?
I concur.
Luke Walton should be our starting small forward did you see how good his dad was?!?!
wtf???
where does this comment come from??
I cant believe we didnt resign ronny turiaf!
i think it would be a very good thing to try because we are such a deep team and we would definitely have a solid leader to facilitate the offense coming off the bench. although we would lose a very solid rebounder, we still have bynum and gasol to patrol the paint. in odom’s place, i think the lakers would either start radmanovic or ariza in my opinion. most likely radmanovic because he can space the defense with our 2 headed monster (bynum/gasol) in the paint and he will knock down jumpers all day cause other teams WILL doulbe team bynum/gasol. its a great strategy to look into and probably use like the spurs with ginobili but i doubt that the lakers will do that because they would want to have the largest front court ever by playing bynum/gasol/odom from the very beginning. but in my opinion, its very good to do cause we will have a very solid bench leader to guide the youngsters and we are more than deep enough to do what we want with our roster cause the depth gives us so much flexibility to play around with. its such a good problem to have as a coach and i think with the return of bynum/ariza, coach phil is gonna have a hell of a time playing with his many rotational options.
this is the roster as its shaping up to be
C bynum, mihm, (mbenga?)
F gasol, powell, radmanovic
F odom, ariza, walton
G kobe, vujacic, karl, crawford, mitchell
G fisher, farmar, yue
i think by the start of season, mitchell will be cut and probably mbenga re-signs with us and i do hope that the team waives coby karl, i dont like his game too much.
IF we did bring LO off the bench, this would be the roster rotation
starting 5
C bynum
F gasol
F radmanovic
G kobe
G fisher
bench
C mihm, (mbenga?)
F odom, powell
F ariza, walton
G vujacic, karl, crawford, mitchell
G farmar, yue
If we can get a good SF like Travis Outlaw or Mike Miller without trading Odom then I would want to have him be 6th man, because it would make us even deeper than we already are and he can play multiple positions so it give Phil flexibility on who is subs.
it’s hard to call this…i’ve said odom should come off the bench ever since gasol was acquired…the problem is that if he gets a starters minutes who would finish games? Kobe, bynum, gasol, fish, and odom?
i say coem off the bench, we got 2 bigs andrew and gasol…so no need to worry about the rebounds
Odom is no #1 or #2 guy, so being on the 2nd string lineup will have too much pressure applied on LO. I don’t think he can do it. He’s better off playing with a supporting cast with like Pau, Kobe, and even Drew. In Miami too when he was with Caron Butler and Dwayne Wade. Those are the times when LO is at his best.
That’s probably the best point I’ve said since I registered on this site. Anyone disagree?
Now wit that bench u got ur Lead guard Farmar Machine as ur shooter Ariza as ur “locksmith” LO 2 clean up da boards better then Ronny at doiin dat..n u have Chris lol w/e he brings 2 da table hopefully..or u got Powell at C off da bench so now u have a faster team on da court wit LO rebound n Powell Reb..SASHA N FARMAR 3’s hopefully Farmar well attack da rim more n DA “LOCKSMITH” doing all da dirty work finish around da rim stealin da ball n D of course…ill like this lineup..
starting 5
C bynum
F gasol
F radmanovic
G kobe
G fisher
bench
C mihm, (mbenga?)
F odom, powell
F ariza, walton
G vujacic,mitchell
G farmar, yue
GOOD POINTS I AGREE
ARIZA STARTING SF ILL LIKE 2 SEE DAT ALSO
i think he should come off the bench, but i think $14.5 mil is a bit too much for a bench player
i hate how u guys are criticizing him…he has picked up his game in the playoffs and is a great all round player
He should stay a starter, cuz we have an extremely dominant front court with him
I say LO coming off the bench is a good idea.
Make Radman our starting SF so that we’ll have a shooter but Ariza is a good choice too cause he can defend well and he’s a good slasher.
PG Sun Yue 6-9 vs rajon rondo 6-1
SG Lamar odom 6-10 vs eddie house 6-1
SF Vlad 6-10 vs paul pierce 6-7
PF gasol 7-1 vs powe 6-7
C bynum 7-1 vs scalabrine 6-9
Okay….so I’ve been saying this ever since Trevor Ariza proved himself to be a credible defender. Scoring was not our problem last year…. defense was. Ariza is an athletic player who has a reputation for being a slasher….perfect. That’s all we need. With Kobe handeling the ball half the time Odom you can make a case for Odom over Ariza if Odom was a perimeter threat….he’s not. If losing to Boston didn’t teach us that we’re weak defensivly nothing will. As for Vlad Rad…he should not be getting ANY type of starting minutes his inconsistency should keep him on the bench. He guards his players with his hands down like he’s trying to get a steal instead of hands up trying to get a block….Weak defender and foul prone….ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS GUY??
how about moving Kobe at three and starting Sasha. That way we get the shooter and the defender. Then bring Odom off the bench. Kobe (and I think Sasha also) can guard anybody at the small forward position. And yes, that includes Pierce, no that Kobe will have somebody that will protect the pick and roll and the inside better than Gasol. I solved the big the problem!
I mean
fish
Sasha
Kobe
Gasol
Bynum
Is a better defensive 5 than
fish
Kobe
Vlad
Odom
Gasol
An it also might be way better on offense.
i agree…Lamar might be more EFFECTIVE off the becnh…and having Trevor starting will set the tome for our defense!
Odom should come off the bench alright, in garbage time.
I like the Ariza idea if he can develop some kind of consistency from the outside and midrange with his shooting. We would have a Spurs type line up but better. Fisher=Parker, Kobe-Manu, Ariza-Bowen, Gasol-Duncan, Bynum-Oberto. ours is better i think. And I think our bench with Farmar, Sun, vlad, odom, mihm/benga is pretty good
1st unit (on paper)
C bynum
F gasol
F radmanovic
G kobe
G fisher
This is the line up that makes the most sense, on paper - 2 spot up shooters, 1 shooter/slasher/everything, 1 middle post and good passer, and 1 low post monstrosity.
Problems here are that fisher can’t slash, and he gets owned by quick guards that get by him on D. Also, Glitch needs to actually do what he’s being paid so much money to do: knock down 3 points shots. When he misses, he sulks and essentially gives up, rather than do some slashing or anything else besides shooting spot up 3s.
With this starting lineup, the key is if Glitch can either improve his 3 points shot OR his defense - at this rate its playing 4 on 5 at both ends.
2nd unit
C keep Bynum or slide Pau
F odom
F ariza
G vujacic
G farmar
Last year, the combo of farmar and bynum on the floor seemed to be very effective, i guess since they’re both young guys and opposites they complement each other well.
With this 2nd unit, our outside shooting drops down a bit, but our rebounding remains the same. Defense doesn’t suffer as much, especially if Bynum can stay in the game and play center for 2nd unit (depends on his conditioning).
3rd unit
C mihm / mbenga
F powell
F walton
G crawford, mitchell
G yue
Ok so these guys would probably put up some good numbers in a D-League game, but you can send them in as needed.
Some of these benching and trade scenarios are idiotic. I think bringing Odom off the bench for starter’s minutes is an idea that could work.
But why would you want to trade your biggest nightly mismatch? A guy that can give you a double double every night, and can throw up lines like 15, 18, and 4 blocks? Or 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists? Or 20 points, 21 rebounds, and 5 blocks? C’mon guys, let’s get real here. Some of you just hate Odom, and it screws with your ability to think rationally.
like this da most bcuz say if we start da game off wit dat lineup rad get into foul trouble or bynum or pau..LO could come n a play vlad spot or Ariza or luke pau n foul trouble early LO can take his spot if Bynum gets into foul trouble drop Pau 2 da 5 LO 2 da 4 spot win win….then when da bench mob come n Farmar sasha Ariza Lo throw either Pau or Bynum at da 5 n we dnt have really any drop itch……..L.A. LAKERS NBA CHAMPIONS 09
I think the 6th man role would be great for Lamar. But it would have to be very successful for him to consider a paycut and contract extension after the 08-09 season.
I’ll agree,but the paycut will be for resigning,staying with a championship team,where he can be a team leader & prolong his career.Six man is a great spot for Lamar.
Odom has had a tough two years of offseason,which none of you
have brought up.Either being Laker come lately,or just caught up on the negitive.Two years ago he had his kid die.Last year he had shoulder surgery.I can’t bang on his offseason workouts,because
of that.
Have to go back at what the coaching staff wants his mind set to be coming in to the season. He was a different type of player with the Clippers.He gives Phil a secret weapon to bring in at a couple of spots.Lamar was hanging out with the bomb squad ,so practice would be that much more competitive.
Thank you for your EXCELLENT comments.
In his four years as a Laker Lamar has consistently demonstrated that he is a player that can NOT be counted on. Once again in the Finals against the Sucdics Lamar came through in typical Lamar-like fashion in that he had exactly ONE good quarter.
And what was the talk before each game? “For the Lakers to win we need Lamar” or “Lamar should have a good game today”, yet the results were always the same - the fans waiting for a big game from Lamar but he was off in Never Never Land as usual.
LO…If this is your last round as a Laker this deal should done(but I WANT VLAD GONE MORE THAN ANYBODY)….
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=617~1016~3028~3032~1006&teams=15~4~13~13~13&te=&cash=!!!
Right, because he was really letting us down when he was putting up 20/20 games late in the season.
Excuse me, 81Balls. Apparently you missed the finals.
Exactly one good quarter provided by Lamar.
Then you would lose a ball handler (point forward), a rebounder. Basically, a double double guy. Only Gasol and Bynum are the others who average double double. The way that the Laker FO or many experts see it, There is too much value to lose in Odom if they trade him one for one. So much to lose that they wouldn’t trade him for any one player except if a player is a bigger superstar than him. But that wouldn’t happen either unless a GM wants to cheat like Kevin McHale helped the Celtics by “giving” KG for “free.” Then of course giving Odom wouldn’t be free.
You should want Luke out more than Vlad because he sucks more. At least Vlad can shoot set 3s. Luke can only pass. Oh, let me tell you the reason why Luke should be the number 1 trade target:
He can’t make clutch shots so he refuses to take them, not that he would make them any way, so he ALWAYS passes out to other players. Result? A shot clock violation or a 2 point loss.
Start either Ariza or Radmanovic. Odom will sub for either Bynum or Gasol. Lets say Bynum tires then Gasol can slide to 5 and Odom can come in at 4. Or if Gasol needs to sub out then that works also.
I like Luke better because he can ‘facilitate’,basically play PG when he needs to.Vlad is just a shooter…that’s it,at least Luke can get a steal every now and then.
I like both gone too but Luke has the better excuse,ANKLE INJURY and weed (that’s why LO can’t get himmself together).Same for Vlad but for him…it’s just WEED.Try this one…
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=3002~3251~1016~3028~3032~3241&teams=3~3~4~13~13~13&te=&cash=!!!
Aren’t all u guys forgetting about how great Odom and Gasol worked together. Remember the 7 foot fast breaks with Odom and Gasol. They fit in like a puzzle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9sZOxhMjz8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3og2bPeE2V8
They play perfectly together we should keep LO starting so he and Pau can play together.
GO LAKERS
Well,Pau,as we all know,is like Kobe….he can make anybody better.It’s no disrespect to LO but he can be very inconsistent,but we have to see how he does with Pau/AB(LAKEZILLA).
Shawn Marion or Richard Jefferson are just the only guys I would trade LO for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPDuUERfLkU&feature=related!!