Where would the Heat be if they ended up singing Elton Brand? Would the Heat have been a better team?
They couldn't have, the Clippers wanted Brand back, Brand is good though, they'd be just as good or better but I like Odom.
as good as Brand is, and I think he's still better than Odom, i don't think the Heat would have been better. Odom can play on the open court, Brand is more of a post player. It would have been like the old Heat, slow and defensive minded. Odom fits better with Wade and Butler.
Lamar Odom is on the Heat now no if's but's or and's he is better than Elton Brand on the Heat because Elton Brand IS NOT on the heat.. Sorry i just dont like these threads about if this happened.
Sorry....I just wanted to ask what you peeps are thinking But I agree that Lamar is better fit for the Heat.
Odom is definately a better fit, Miami is all about up-tempo, athleticism and free-wheeling basketball. Brand is more post up, slow down half-court player. Odom can break down guys off the dribble, while Brand can't really create his own shot but is a better post player....both are good players but Miami is better off with Odom
I have to agree with eclipse. The fit for Odom wouldn't have been right. One of the best things about Odom is that he can create on his own, and that opens up space for the othe guys. Odom gives them an athletic big man, if they had Brand, there starting frontcourt would be Brian Grant and Elton Brand, two undersized big men, who are more bangers.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Sorry i just dont like these threads about if this happened.</div> Then why not just skip contributing to it and leave it to those who want to discuss it?
Odom is a better fit from how we see the team now, but if they had gotten Brand their style would likely have changed, they can still run the break cause Brand isn't slow but he's not Odom quick/fast. They'd become more of a halfcourt team though, but if that had happened would we be contemplating what if they had Odom? Hmmm....
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting hagrid:</div><div class="quote_post">Then why not just skip contributing to it and leave it to those who want to discuss it?</div> Same here! :thumbsdow
Comparing Lamar Odom to Elton Brand is like comparing apples to oranges almost. They have completely different types of games and are utilized just as differently. If the Heat ended up signing Brand it would hinder them moreso then help them. They are an uptempo team and while Brand is a very talented player he is not the most agile of PF's. On the other hand....if he came to the Heat he would provide a great inside presence for them and automatically average about 10-11 boards a game while scoring 20 points <font size="1">(Am I right og15?? lol)</font><font size="2"> which is something Odom can't do on a consistent basis. Miami would have the legs in Wade, Alston and Butler to get up and down while still having a low post presence who will play amazing defense. This would make them a more balanced team up and down. It would change the way they play for the better IMO.</font> Also hypothetically speaking let's just say that if they had Brand right now, would JO be torching them down low each and every time he has posession of the ball? I think not.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">On the other hand....if he came to the Heat he would provide a great inside presence for them and automatically average about 10-11 boards a game while scoring 20 points (Am I right og15?? lol) which is something Odom can't do on a consistent basis.</div> lol yes you are haha I think everyone agree's Odom is the better fit than Brand, Wade and Butler are both guys that can take advantage of being in the open floor, and so is Jones, with Odom at PF they can always have a 4 man break. Brand would make them more of a halcourt team which they aren't bad at playing but it doesn't allow them to play to their full potential.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CourtVision:</div><div class="quote_post">On the other hand....if he came to the Heat he would provide a great inside presence for them and automatically average about 10-11 boards a game while scoring 20 points <font size="1">(Am I right og15?? lol)</font> which is something Odom can't do on a consistent basis.</div> not yet anyway... but he certainly can be a 20-10 player by next year. He was 17.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg this year. Brand is undersized, just like Grant and Haslem. The Heat needs a Magloire type.
Yea but unlke Haslem and Grant he's a shot blocking presence in the post, a lot of teams lose out on talent because they talk too much about players being undersized.
I don't think the Heat would have been as good with Brand. Granted Brand might be better to some people, I think Odom creates more match up problems, especially since they moved him to the power forward spot. When he plays that spot, he is able to take his man out on the perimeter and break him down and create off the dribble, which, is something 99% of the power forwards in the league CAN'T do. Plus, he's got a very good perimeter game. Toss all that in with just great all around ability, I think it makes him a more complete player than Brand, not necessarily better, but, more complete. So, I don't think that the Heat could have been as good without him, and they sure as hell wouldn't have been better.
I don't know if it's 99% of the league's forwards, I'll name the ones that can do it though: Odom, KG, Nene, Amare, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, Antoine Walker, Antawn Jamison, Cliff Robinson, Gooden, Zach Randolph, Shareef Abdur Rahim, Zarko Carbakapa, Vladimir Radmonovic, Maurice Taylor, Kenny Thomas, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Jonathan Bender (but he's SG, SF and PF). Okay I didn't think it was that many, Amare doesn't have a great outside game but he's got decent handling and the quickness so he can bring his man out and take him off the dribble. Nene also doesn't have the shot but he's a face up guy that can take his man off the dribble very well. Odom is the more complete player though, well to a sense, he's got better range, and is a better passer, and has the outside game, but Brand's a better rebounder, has a better inside game, is a better defender and a better shot blocking presence.
The one thing the Heat are lacking is big man that can hold his ground, block shots, and get the job done. In the offseason there will be some sort of acquisition to fill the void, and likely candidates are Erick Dampier and Mark Blount. While it is true that Lamar Odom fits into the Heat basketball style of play, we still need a big man and if it means 4 out of the 5 players are running the court hard, then that's just the way it's got to be. And plus, when was the last time you saw Brian Grant running the floor? Usually he's strugging to get up off the floor while the other 9 players on the court are 50 feet away. We need someone to fill the void at center, not PF. In a few years when LO reaches his full potential, he'll be the next KG.
The Heat are fine with Lamar Odom. He's proven to be a big threat against other teams if he isn't injured. I thought he was good when he was with the Clippers, but I didn't get to see play as much because he was injured. Now he is showing his potential and leading his team in the playoffs.
