<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">EL SEGUNDO - One arrived with a shell-shocked look in the aftermath of the Shaquille O'Neal trade. The other was in desperate need of a fresh start in a new city, his name almost ruined in NBA circles. It is important to remember, after all, the circumstances with which Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown came to the Lakers before considering how far they can prove they have come in the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns. After so often comparing playing for the Lakers to playing for his hometown New York Yankees, Odom finally has the chance to live up to the standard he set for himself as the featured player acquired in return for O'Neal. Brown, meanwhile, has the chance to put what happened in the first round of last year's playoffs - when the former No. 1 overall pick was suspended by the Washington Wizards - in the past once and for all. "It's big just to finish (the playoffs)," Brown said. "My playoffs were very short-lived last year. But the excitement was still there. So hopefully I can feel that excitement much longer this time." As much as the playoffs will be about Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson for the Lakers, they also will be about Odom and Brown, both of whom finished the regular season impressively and will play crucial roles in the first round. Odom will match up against Suns forward Shawn Marion, a player who rivals Odom in his versatility. Brown, meanwhile, will try to exploit his size and strength against a Phoenix team that lacks a true center. "This game is still a big man's game," Jackson said, "and we're going to have to make a point of that." It was only a year ago that Brown's career bottomed out, when he skipped practice after Game 3 of Washington's series against Chicago and was suspended. He was accused of quitting on his team and all but wrote his ticket out of town. Brown's side of the story came out just before the start of his first training camp with the Lakers as he told the Washington Post that he feared he would have attacked Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas if he had come to practice. </div> Source THat's crazy! I didn't know Kwame and Gilbert were like that, lol.
