Lamar Odom Q & A
Tim TadderWe got up with Lamar Odom at the NBA Store (53rd & 5th Ave.) yesterday, where he and Jordan Farmar signed autographs on an off day before traveling to play the Nets at the Izod Center tonight. Odom is one of those genuinely good guys in the League, who you can rely on for a straight-forward, earnest perspective…
Dime: When you first heard about the Gasol trade, what went through your head?
Odom: We were getting ready for the game in Toronto and heard that we were going to get the great Pau Gasol. We’re really excited to get a player with that type of talent – an all-star caliber player. It’s amazing for us right now.
Dime: Has the news of the trade given you guys a boost? You did crack Toronto and Washington right after it went down …
Odom: Well honestly, to tell you the truth, yes. But we’ve been playing good basketball. We definitely look forward to getting him. But the worst thing about a trade, especially mid-season is that you lose a brother, you know what I’m saying? In that case, you got to lose a brother to gain another brother. I’m really looking forward to getting on the court with him. Right now, we expect to win every game that we play, man. That’s the type of season that we’ve been having and that’s how we’ve been playing. We’ve got the best player in the game. We’ve got two guys that got three rings on our team, and a Hall of Fame coach. So we’re stepping in there every game expecting to win.
Dime: When you say losing a brother, what kind of relationship did you have with Kwame and Javaris?
Odom: Let me say – it’s the hardest part of the business, the hardest part. But you gotta realize it’s just a business. I’ll miss both those guys.
Dime: How is the trade going to affect you on the court?
Odom: I think our assists are going to go up as a team – for everyone. We have to shoot the ball a little more efficient from the outside. But defensively he’s really going to help us. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol down there with a 6-10 small forward. I’m really looking forward to getting out there – just playing basketball.
Dime: Your name has still been swirling in trade rumors, especially with J-Kidd – how do you deal with that?
Odom: I don’t even really pay attention to it. I understand it’s part of the business. It’s something that happens. Usually it’s flattering. But it’s never really the case that a team wants to get rid of you.
Dime: Off the court, how’s your record label Rich Soil been doing recently?
Odom: It’s going really well. As a matter of fact an artist of ours, Ali Vegas, is on a promotion tour up and down the East Coast going to all the universities, he just came from Howard down in D.C. We got a song with DJ Premiere that’s buzzing right now – got a Scott Storch joint, got a Scott Storch joint with Akon. As soon as we get that spot, that opportunity it’s going to blast off. I take a lot of pride in it because there are a lot of ballplayers who try to do the music thing, but none of them have the talent I have.
February 5th, 2008 at 11:56 am
IGP says:
Odom is one of my favorite players…I got to see him when he was on the Clippers. I really hope the Lakers don’t trade him cuz that line up would be nasty.
February 5th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Mike C says:
No, that frontline would be too big and too slow..
It’s going to clog up the lanes on offense, making Kobe settle for outside shots more than he would like to.
It’s also going to lead Odom to drift out to the perimeter, limiting his game to just launching jumpers and making entry passes. And if you look at LO for the past few seasons, he was more effective playing the 4 instead of the 3. With Gasol in there, he’s going to have to play small forward and have trouble keeping up with smaller, quicker 3s like Josh Howard, Marion, and Melo.
February 5th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Celts Fan says:
Possibly Mike, but they’re also extremely versatile and can move him around and shake up lineups. Hell, in the triangle, Lamar could (in theory) play the point! I think you’d be dumb to not at least give it a few weeks to see if it can work (which I think it will) because if it does, your front line is HUGE, and Lamar can hit jumpers with range, so him drifting out to the perimeter isn’t as big a deal as it’d be if it was someone like Josh Smith who had to accomodate Pau’s game…
February 5th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
Haha…I love Odom, but “none of them have the talent I have”?? What? The talent to pay DJ Premiere and Scott Storch to craft hits for you? Wow, I hope he was being sarcastic there…
February 5th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
The Oracle says:
The Lake show is a matchup nightmare. 4 out of 5 guys can post up, most are really good passers, and most of the team is wet from distance.
I almost wish they’d call up that 6-9 Chinese point guard they drafted in the second round last year..
Scary lineup: 7-1, 7-0, 6-11, 6-7, 6-9….ouch!
February 5th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
(looks like everyone left this blog to talk junk on the Giants parade post, but I just thought of this:)
You know how they got Ewing to work with Yao? And Kareem to work with Bynum? The Lakers should SERIOUSLY consider getting Pippen to work with Odom. He already has expressed interest in coaching, and this would be the perfect challenge for him and Odom. Pip can make him VERY dangerous.
February 5th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Celts Fan says:
ya Bust, or Odom can make Pip VERY high!
February 5th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Drew Wonder aka Optimus Dime says:
yo mike c.
good teams dont worry about having to match up with the other team. they force the other teams to match up with them. most teams dont have the size at sf to guard odom when he posts up.also odom and can rotate to pf when gasol or bynum needs a breather. so it’s not like he’ll be at sf all game.
on the defensive end the lakers size will force teams to play the perimeter game and hope that they make their outside shots, cause they will have trouble in the lane. and then the lakers boards and dimes should go up as well.
February 5th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Kobeef says:
Odom will be fine as a SF.
He destroys Matrix every year in the playoffs and matrix is one of the league’s best SF’s. Odom also has a great handle and can score facing the basket or back to the basket.
In the long term - the trade for Gasol means that the lakers will be under the salary cap in 2009 when
a) Odom becomes a free agent, and
b) Bynum is eligible for a qualifying offer.
The Gasol acquisition means that the lakers can re-sign Bynum for a big contract in 2009 and still be at or near the salary cap (which will probably be close to $70 mil by then). If Odom wants to be part of the team he knows he can’t demand big money because the lakers won’t have it and because they don’t really need him with Kobe, Gasol and Bynum in their prime.
February 5th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
ahaha Celts, you crazy
February 5th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Celts Fan says:
haha that is a great idea though Bust, if Pip wants to do it
February 5th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Austin Burton says:
When Odom first came to the Lakers, they brought Pippen to training camp to work with him. It only lasted for that one year, though, from what I remember.
February 5th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
Word? I didn’t know that…I guess that joint didn’t work then haha
February 5th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
…I thought I was a genius for a second there