EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Lamar Odom flew through the air, caught Jordan Farmar's perfect lob pass and stuffed it through the basket. The play elicited no response because it occurred during a scrimmage Tuesday. But it was a positive sign for the Los Angeles Lakers. "He looked great, he looked really good. I didn't know what to expect," Kobe Bryant said following Odom's first practice with the Lakers since he sprained a ligament in his right knee Dec. 12. Not only did Odom get through practice with no glitches, he said afterward he expects to play Friday night when the Lakers return to action against the Charlotte Bobcats at Staples Center. "Right now, I have confidence in my body," he said. "I tried to push it at 100 percent. That's what you have to do in games. I tried to wait until my leg was stable and strong. It felt good to get back on the court. <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Agr0CsDGdwAPf6XrY.WS3.u8vLYF?slug=ap-lakers-odom&prov=ap&type=lgns" target="_blank"> FULL SOURCE</a>
Oh man, this is GOOD news! Can't wait to see Odom on Friday, he makes the games soo much more exciting. Hopefully Kwame comes back also, and we're ready to roll!
Yeah Odom means MUCH to the Lakers. Let's see how will the Lakers' game continue now. There are some things that interest me. a) What will be the role for Kobe, what would Kobe try to do in games etc. What numbers can Odom put up. c) What will Phil Jackson want for MOST from Kobe Bryant. Okay, Odom will be back. I still hope that our bench guys will get minutes. It's always fun to watch 'em. They are so energized and they run the floor pretty fast. What COULD Lakers accomplishment in the next 10-12 games now (these are pretty much near-future dreams, but dreams are usually bigger, hmmmm who cares;D). 1. Odom could make 2 triple-doubles. 2. Kobe could average 26.5/6/6.5 3. Bynum could have a 20 points perfomance or 15/15/4 perfomance. 4. We could win 7-8 in a row.
hmmm IF and ony IF Odom comes back consistent i'd like kobe to turn up the scoring a bit w/o his rebs and assists dropping say from 28/5/5 to 30/5/5
Yeah. I'd rather like to see 26.5/6.5/7 (not 26, 6, 6, like I said before) from Kobe than 30 ppg. It would be great if Odom could average 20 ppg, 5 apg, 9 rpg. (He's averaging 17.5, 4.9, 8.7 at the moment, so only 2,5 ppg more, those numbers would be pretty sick).
The main impact I want to see from Odom is on the team's defense. The Lakers have not struggled to score all season long, but our defense and rebounding has taken a hit since Odom and Kwame went down. Odom will give us more athleticism in the frontcourt to defend players like Josh Howard, Shawn Marion etc. These type of athletic forwards have been lighting us up, because Walton can't keep up with them. Odom is also the best rebounder on the team, so we should see an immediate improvement in that category. When Odom comes back, I'd really like to see if he can develop some chemistry with Bynum. If those two can mesh, we're going to have an amazing frontline.
Great news. I'm just hoping for some consistency with his return. Odom brings so much to the table that the Lakers have been lacking since his injury. They get their best rebounder back, an athletic defender, and maybe our most versatile player. I really think this helps the defense the most though. He really helps with guarding the more athletic players and hopefully his return also makes our pick and roll defense a little better, that way teams can't just destroy us with that. In general, his return is simply huge and will pretty much improve the team on every aspect, be it offense or rebounding.
<div class="quote_poster">Flow Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I have a little OT question. Are Kobe and Lamar friends ? Or they're just teammates.</div> friends and teammates
<div class="quote_poster">authentiq Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">so i guess trading Odom is out of the question..</div>Probably, it wouldn't make sense to trade a family member to another team, unless it was for Kobe's older brother, KG.
<div class="quote_poster">Omarion Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Probably, it wouldn't make sense to trade a family member to another team, unless it was for Kobe's older brother, KG. </div> I wouldn't count on it. Odom's experience in the Triangle and increased productivity puts him at equal value to anything KG would bring to the Lakers. Odom is also younger and costs less.
unless it's for someone like Lebron, Dwight or DWade (which are all very unlikely), i really won't trade Odom.
I'm highly anticipating his return tomorrow night. His return could catapult us into the top tier of teams.
