<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"Being here is a great opportunity for me to prove all the doubters wrong. I don't think nobody's doubting I can play basketball. They're making doubts on other things." -- F Lamar Odom, after signing a $65M contract with the Heat after leaving the Clippers </div> The Miami Heat threw a lot of money at Lamar Odom, do you think he was worth the money and the effort put forth by the franchise?
The game is there, but I just don't feel he has the personality. I would like this guy to prove me wrong, because he is amazing on the court, and should be an all star, but again, I would be scared to have this guy on my team. Heat fans will have their fingers crossed. PS: Miami was the drug capital of the 80's, lol.
I absolutely love Odom's versatility in his game. I remember when he played a lot of PG for a stretch...and then this other time when he had a very solid game against the Lakers as a PF. He definitely has the skills but as Outsider Sports said, its a question of his personality and mentality that'll make or break him. If he ever gets the right motivation from the right mentor (like Phil Jackson), I could definately see Odom as a star.
I think he will really help the heat. His ability and versatility for him to play more than 2 positions is valuable, and I think this could be useful for the heat if someone gets injured. Their lineup doesn't look so bad, a lot better than it did at the start of the off-season. I think Odom, if he can stay healthy, can possibly lead the heat into playoff contention. Then again, that may be expecting a little much.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Magic Johnson:</div><div class="quote_post">he is one hell of an basketball pioneer.</div> Odom a pioneeer?? Those are some strong words....
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Magic Johnson:</div><div class="quote_post">He is very unused and underated, he is one hell of an basketball pioneer.</div> I don't know about that. He is certainly not a basketball pioneer. Unused? Underrated? I don't think so. Maybe overrated. I think that Odom IS worth the 65 million because he is playing well and consistently this year compared to others being paid that price. His scoring may be down but his boards are going up. Give him a few years to show what he can do, he is still young surprisingly and he has a lot of good years ahead of him barring any injuries.
Is Odom worth 65 million to the Heat? Yes, he is. He was brought in here and was dubbed the 'knick' name "The Savior" and thus far he has proven himself. Without Odom, the Heat would probably not even be able to compete on the collegiate level, well not really, but you get my point. Odom is the leader of this team, not Eddie Jones or Brian Grant, when the game is on the line, everyone looks to Lamar to pull it off. He is a great player and had some problems in the past, I honestly don't blame him for what he did in LA, leaving the Clippers for Miami gave him a completely fresh start. Most Heat fans here in Miami are not even aware of his drug problems, and for him and the rest of the team, that is a good thing. Lamar is the go to guy on the Heat, not Dwyane Wade or Eddie Jones. Now i'm going out on a limb here, but I truly feel that he is going to fill Zo's shoes in Miami. He is a good guy despite his problems in the past and I truly believe that history will not repeat itself. If it does, I for one will be very disapointed, he is my favorite player on the Heat. Miami has too much at stake for Odom to have more problems and I am positive that they made this very clear to him before he signed with them. But following up on what I said above about Odom definitely being worth $65 million to the HEAT, would he be worth that much to an already established and successful team? Not a chance. He was brought here to be the team's savior, and he will do just that. It's just a real shame that Pat Riley resigned as head coach, one of the main reasons Odom signed with the Heat (besides the money ) was because of Pat Riley. At news conferences and in public, the only thing he ever talked about was how excited he was to play for Pat Riley, and the rest is history. I cannot even imagine where this team would be right now if they didn't have Odom. In the years to come, he will be a true NBA superstar and the Heat will be playing on Christmas day . It's nice to dream...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Accord :</div><div class="quote_post">He is a great player and had some problems in the past, I honestly don't blame him for what he did in LA</div> just curious...why don't you blame him?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting notMuchgame:</div><div class="quote_post">just curious...why don't you blame him?</div> Whoops, I meant to say that I don't blame him for leaving LA, not what he did in LA. If you still want an explanation i'll be glad to provide one.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Accord:</div><div class="quote_post">Whoops, I meant to say that I don't blame him for leaving LA, not what he did in LA. If you still want an explanation i'll be glad to provide one.</div> nah...I thought you meant you don't blame Odom for his play as a clipper. He has no one but himself to blame for that... I hope Odom does well in miami but kid needs to develop some sort of an off-hand. I mean come on, hes a professional...its not that hard!!!
Odom was worth it in my opinion, Lamar Odom was worth the money Riley and Co. gave him because he has all of the tools to be a BIG time player.......he is best casted as a second scoring option because he does all of the other things like rebound and pass SO well.......Dwyane Wade compliments Odom perfectly -- similar to the way Pippen complimented MJ....of course they arent anywhere near MJ and Pipp -- yet....... I think Lamar Odom will post averages of 19 ppg - 10 rebs - 5 assists as a 6+ year member of the Miami Heat and in my mind, that is worth it --
"Being here is a great opportunity for me to prove all the doubters wrong. I don't think nobody's doubting I can play basketball. They're making doubts on other things." -- F Lamar Odom, after signing a $65M contract with the Heat after leaving the Clippers Of course... Lamar is great. While playing out of position, he gives an absolute satisfaction to his team. For exemple, in December, when Miami had a 8-7 record, he was marvellous: 15GP 39.5min 40.8% 23.5% 80.0% 18.1pts 10.5rb 4.1ast 3.3to 1.3st 1.0bl 3.0 fouls Wade / Jones / Butler / Odom / Grant + Alston / R.Butler THAT'S A DAMN GOOD TEAM. (Yet one injury away from going to the lottery.)
As a small forward, Odom is a slightly better than average player. He'll never lead a team to a championship, or the playoffs for that matter, but he's fairly solid. His greatest liability is that he's injury prone, which leaves him absent for long stretches of a season. Miami's biggest problem is that it doesn't have a real franchise player, which I find odd given it's location. I don't know if Miami residents are basketball supporters, but if the Heat were to acquire a player like Vince Carter, it would go a long way in generating greater interest in the team. The weather and women would attract me if I were a professional athlete.
Honestly, being a long time Heat fan and season ticket holder myself, I have to admit that the fan base here in South Florida is absolutely pathetic. Many people aren't even aware that we have a basketball team! Local news coverage for the Heat the night after a game is absolutely awful, segments last mabye 10 seconds at the most, and that's after a big win! Even as far as national coverage goes, we get hardly anything. There are very few true basketball fans down here, Miami just isn't a basketball city. Most of the people that go to Heat games are just bandwagon fans and couldn't tell you the first name of any Heat player or the difference between a personal and technical foul. You're right, we need something big here in Miami. We need a famous NBA super star, we need a Shaq, a Vince, or a Kobe. Mabye in a few years once Dwyane Wade develops more, he will become a household name.
I think that Lamar Odom will reach his complete peak, when he plays a longside that one great player. Odom reminds me of a Scottie Pippen type of player(minus Scottie,s D). I mean Lamar can do alot of things on offensive, but he cant do one thing great. He is a good scorer & playmaker but he isnt great at either. He needs a great player that he can feed off. He is the type of player that would make a great player better because he can take off alot of pressure. As the star playing a longside Lamar, you wont have to do everything for your team to win, lamar can help you do everything I dont think Lamar will ever be that main player on a team. But if Mami could ever find a great player to play alongside him. I think he would be a great side kick.but never a Franchise guy.
I agree with King James on this wholeheartedly. The game is there, but not the personality. People do change however, especially when they are winning. Odom will always be able to put up a nice stat line and I think that if the Heat start to play well, Odom will be stronger mentally. I really feel that if Caron Butler can dig himself out of his sophmore slump, the Heat can be a playoff team with a decent offseason. This is really Odom's 2nd best season as a pro (not that the media has noticed) and a little extra talent around him should only elevate his all-around game. If he either develops a respectable 3pt shot (or learns to shoot less of them) he is a viable all-star canidate. If he is fighting for a playoff spot or homecourt advantage, I think most would agree that Odom's price is right.
i think he's worth it...he's capable of 20/8/8 anytime, and is a triple-double threat whenever he steps out on the floor...he can also play any position except center and is a great ballhandler for his size...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting HoustonHoopa33:</div><div class="quote_post">i think he's worth it...he's capable of 20/8/8 anytime, and is a triple-double threat whenever he steps out on the floor...he can also play any position except center and is a great ballhandler for his size...</div> YES, LAMAR plays at all-star level this year.
