As for Mike D’Antoni’s offense? Well, Lamar absolutely thrived in Phil Jackson’s Triangle offense, but I believe he could be effective in D’Antoni’s as well.
D’Antoni likes the idea of a stretch four, and although Lamar isn’t the best shooter, his versatility and ability to do so many things on the court can be an asset for the system. Essentially, Odom is able to operate from farther away from the basket than Pau Gasol was last season when D’Antoni tried to have him do that. Also, as stated earlier, Odom and Gasol have a strong chemistry and Odom was often the guy who was able to bridge the ball from the back court into the post–which was another problem the Lakers faced at times last season.
Many of you may still be worried about Odom’s potential at this juncture of his career, but I’m still willing to bet that he’ll still be quite productive.
Lamar has never been a player who has relied on his athleticism or speed, but rather on his skill level. Basically, at age 34, he’s physically not a whole lot different than he was when he was 30; his game has always been smooth instead of flashy or hyper-athletic.
Is he the type of athletic specimen the Lakers so desperately use right now? Not at all, but the Lakers are hard-pressed to find someone like that in this free agent season.
However, Odom is a pass-first type of player, which is always welcomed on a team, and no player is quicker than the ball when it comes to offense versus defense.
Delving more into the offense, although Mike D’Antoni eventually gave in to posting the ball more frequently as opposed to running pick-and-rolls to death towards the end of the season, he’ll still want to run some pick-and-rolls.
Where Odom fits into that is the fact that he can both create and finish on pick-and-roll plays; he can play on both sides of those.
Oh, and I’m sure that D’Antoni will love the fact that Odom can rebound and push the ball in one swoop.
Back to the passing, though. Can you imagine the type of half-court passing display that can be put on with the likes of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol on the floor together?
Defensively, Odom’s length can still be used on the likes of quick guards all the way down to tall centers.
Perhaps the biggest selling point on both sides, however, is simple: Familiarity.
Odom has played alongside Kobe and Pau, won with them, and the group knows each others’ respective game and tendencies.
They also get along well off the court, which seems to be a huge factor in decisions like this, as of late.
At the core of it all, it’s a move that would likely be welcomed by the players, coaches, management, and the fans.
That’s enough of what I think, though. What do you all think? L.O. or no?
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