Lamar Odom better get his licks on now.
Once again, the enigma wrapped in a mystery costumed in Lakers uniform known as Lamar Odom had a typical Lamar Odom game. The chronic underachiever dropped a whopping 11 points on a depleted Trail Blazer squad Tuesday night while adding five rebounds and three assists.
And in typical Lamar Odom fashion he turned to punk and thug towards the end of the third quarter.
In a Bill Laimbeer like move (if you can’t beat them then make them bleed) Odom took the initiative to cheap shot Brandon Roy. What ensued next has to be extremely encouraging to Blazer fans everywhere.
With Brandon Roy still on the ground, and through the cascade of gasps for Roy's condition and boos or the flagrant non-attempt on the ball, Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge decided enough was enough with Odom. Words were exchanged between the three and shoves were traded, resulting in a double technical for Odom and Outlaw. But what came out of that was much more important.
The Blazers finally showed some fire and fight when it came to protecting their own. The toughness of assistant coach Maurice Lucas, the determination of Nate McMillian and the grittiness of injured center Joel Przybilla was finally manifested in the way that Outlaw and Aldridge went to ‘discuss’ the situation with Odom.
That is a good sign if you are a Blazer fan. Last year, and even earlier this year, the team would not have responded like this. It is proof that McMillian is getting to them. His philosophies are starting to show through. And this team is beginning to become a reflection of their head coach.
As far as Odom goes; God save him if he tries that next year with Przybilla and Oden in the game.
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6 months ago
who are you? Did you watch this game? Did you see the play? Have you ever played basketball before? I dont even know where to start here. First of all, watch the play again. Odom jumped straight up and Roy drove into him. Odom is 25lbs heavier and Roy went down hard. It was a good hard foul, nothing dirty or cheap about it. He never exchanged a single push, he walked away. Odom is the furthest thing from a thug the NBA has. The guy is one of the nicest and most likeable players in the NBA. 2nd of all, the guy averaging 16 pts, 12 rebounds, 4.5 assists and shooting 59% from the field since the allstar break. Underacheiver? Check the stats and see how many other players in the league bring that much to the table. The guy might be the most versatile player in the NBA. He guards all 5 positions. He passes, he rebounds, he defends, and he scores when the opportunity presents itself. In a league full of selfish superstars, he actually plays for his teamates first. Imagine that.
from 6 months ago
First off. It does not matter if I've played or not. That isn't relevant.
You need to ask yourself 2 questions:
Did Odom go for the ball? (NO)
Was he assessed a flagrant foul? (YES)
And as far as your stats go. That's great. He's actually doing showing up. But to give me a sliver of time and to ignore the rest of the body of work is myopic.
And on a side note, don't do anonymous comments, it makes it look like you don't stand behind what you're saying.
6 months ago
This idiot is obviously a Blazers ass-licker. The guy above me was spot on. Odom is one of the nicest, most unselfish, stand-up guys in the league. He is one of the league leaders in double-doubles.
The foul was hard. Call a flagrant if you want, but dont go around afterwards acting like he was trying to hurt the guy.
You should worry more about your boys making the playoffs (which you clearly wont) than writing articles about an insignificant foul, in a relatively insignificant game.
from 6 months ago
Jonny:
I am an idiot, I'll fully admit that and there are plenty of pictures and internet videos to prove that, so that's not breaking news.
Am I a Blazer ass licker. Nope, I'm just writing what I see.
I would argue that the game was significant for both teams in that the Blazers made it back to .500, which for a team this young in a conference this tough is a miracle. And, if the Lakers had won, they would have been within a half game of N.O. for best record. So don't try to dust it off as if it were nothing.
6 months ago
yea im sorry george ...lamar has been playing very well ..how dare u call him a under achiever?
the foul was fair ..odom did nothing underhanded ...
from 6 months ago
Lamar Odom is just like Rasheed Wallace. Talent that is above and beyond comprehension. But for some reason there is a disconnect between talent and application.
Odom never made a play on the ball. That's my beef with this.
And you don't have to apologize. We disagree, no harm, no foul.
6 months ago
george, its clear you know nothing about basketball.
from 6 months ago
You're right. I don't. I'll give it up now.
6 months ago
George, I think you're an uderacheiver! How dare you call Lamar a dirty player! The man is anything but dirty! And maybe if your blazers had an unselfish player like Lamar to work hard to make others better you would know what it feels like to make the playoffs! Enjoy your summer hoping Oden isn't the next Sam Bowie! If you need me come June, I'll be in the Staples Center watching the Lakers win the ship!
6 months ago
Wow, an unbiased fan...classy.
You don't know me, at least I don't think, so you can't call me an underachiever.
The Blazers have Brandon Roy to do that. A real team leader. And who does he make better. Can you point to one person and say that they were made better by Lamar Odom's play?
Call me crazy, but I think the only way you'll be sitting in Staples in mid June watching a "basketball" game is if you are watching a Sparks game.
Have fun with that. Lisa Leslie is the Man!
6 months ago
Whoa... The Sparks are you serious, u can't obviously be watching the Lakers games then George... I am one of THE biggest lakers fans, and i admit that Lamar Odom is very inconsistant at times, but through the month of march he was avg 20 pts and 13 boards... hell of a time to start picking up the pace right before the playoffs huh? He just had a bad game that night... I didn't see the hard foul... so i won't argue whether it was legit or not... but the lakers' will most definitely be playing in the finals this year... Andrew Bynum is also coming back as early as sunday... so with 2 healthy dominant big men in Pau Gasol and Bynum, Lamar Odom, and KB24... that's pretty scary for alot of teams in the playoffs. So please don't say mentally retarded shit like that out of anger.
from 6 months ago
Montell wrote: "So please don't say mentally retarded shit like that out of anger. "
It wasn't out of anger, it was an attempt at being clever. But I digress.
Once again, you're looking at Odom for a fraction of time instead of his whole career. I think he could do a lot more (20-10-5). He's more versatile than Zach Randolph and Randoph averages, usually, 20 and 10.
You say that the Lakers are going to be in the finals. Great. You should think like that. They're you're team. They're what you see everyday. You're a fan and I respect you for that. But, as a fan of the Blazers, I have the right to comment on what I see as well. And what I saw was an unnecessary foul that was correctly labeled as flagrant.
And if Bynum is truly healthy why isn't he playing now since home court is at stake? And as much as I hate the Spurs (freakin' Manu Ginobli) I could see them cheap shotting their way past the Lakers much like they did against the Suns last year.
6 months ago
Here's the video here (in case you didn't see it). And turn the sound up. Listen to the announcers.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hk6tIBcamz0&feature=related
The quality sucks (video, not commentators), but you can get the gist of it.
6 months ago
Not even the Blazers' announcers agree on the call. One says it wasn't a flagrant foul, the other one says it's a flagrant two. This is what I get after watching the video several times. Roy is trying to get basket plus foul, because he hides the ball before the contact, hoping he would get the foul and then he would try to make a shot. Odom is thinking to block the dunk and is jumping towards Roy with that purpose, but when he jumps there is no ball on the air, Roy is hiding the ball and the contact with Odom makes him to fall hard. It's a foul, but not a flagrant foul in my opinion.
I understand you are a fan and doesn't like to see you player hurt, but taking the feelings out of it it was just an unfortunate situation. Don't let yourself guide for what the commentators are saying, they are biased in favor of Blazers too, one even says it should be a flagrant four, because odom and gasol fouled roy. Actually gasol don't even touch him.
from 6 months ago
One said it wasn't a flagrant foul, one said it was a flagrant 2 (the goofy one said that), and the refs said it was a flagrant 1. So I'll go with what the refs called. Was it a flagrant 2? No. Was it a simple 'hard foul'? No to that as well.
I'll put it like this. switch sides for a moment. Let's say that's Kobe on the ground and Przybilla, or God willing Odom next year (Not that he'll be a thug, just that he'll be on the court), as the reason why he's on the ground? Would you accept a simple hard foul penalty? You'd be pissed. And I obviously understand why.
6 months ago
I watched the game. I agree with your analysis of it, save for one point.
"And in typical Lamar Odom fashion he turned to punk and thug towards the end of the third quarter."
Condescending categorization of a player who is almost universally acknowledged as one of the most approachable and likable guys in the NBA is uncalled for. Friendly advice: Generalization makes your article weaker.
from 6 months ago
Criticism accepted.
But I will make one point. I only see Lamar Odom when he plays the Blazers. I usually don't won't go out of my way to watch a regular season NBA game unless the Blazers are involved. So my characterization, in that respect, is spot on. I've seen hard fouls and disrespect from Odom during Blazer-Laker games over the past couple years (last year walking through an established Portland Huddle during a timeout).
So if he's a great human being the other 78 games and 362 days a year then I stand corrected. But my comment is what I've seen him do against the Blazers over the past couple years.
On the bright side, you didn't swear at me or call me names, so you're criticism is well observed.
Thank You
6 months ago
I can understand your anger over the hard foul that took place. Roy is a bad ass and it would be a shame for him to be injured. On the other hand I like seeing ths type of physical play! This is how the game used to be played. Now a days we only see this type of physical, no easy bucket, play in the playoffs. And one might argue that the playoffs started weeks ago because of the competitive western conference. As for your assesment of Odom being a dirty player. I only wish you we're right! I would love to seem him with more of an attitude on the court. He too often plays with a passive attitude. Which in the NBA doesn't cut it! I just hope he steps it up! Cause he is going to be the x factor come playoff time! Kobe and Pau will do there usual damage! Who knows what Bynum will contribute! If Lamar can play with some fire. The Lakers will go deep! So deep, put your butt to sleep! peace! GET better Oden! He will be something!
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