I dont know if this rumor is true, i saw it on espn, but you need to have espn insider, to see more!!
I'm probably the only Lamar supporter here. Lamar came into the season playing the best basketball of his life after the death of his son. Then he got injured, returned, struggled, and got injured for "the rest of the season." It takes guts and heart to come back onto the court in a couple of weeks when your diagnosed with a season ending injury. Lamar also played terrifically yesterday (well, not terrific, but he was being aggressive). I personally don't mind Lamar on this roster at all, but we do need a second option, and Lamar isn't fit as a second option. With that being said, I think the best thing for both the Lakers and Lamar is to part ways
Yeah, that's pretty sad, I hope that we can find a way to trade for a KG calibre without giving up Odom, but, I think that's pretty much impossible..
I'm not sure why the Lakers are hesitating in trading Bynum. Draft talents come and go; just because someone is a high draft pick does not make them a greater player than players that were picked lower. Just look at Tony Parker, Rashard Lewis, and Ginobili and compare them to guys like LaFrentz, Olowokandi, etc. I love Bynum's progression, but usually what happens in these 'developmental' procedures is that the drafting team lets the player play for a few years, and they often don't improve enough to be an impactful player and thus, the team eventually ends up trading them (i.e- Kwame Brown, Jermaine O'Neal). The only cases that I've seen this being different is Kobe, KG, Amare. Bynum still has 3-4 years to go before he's at the level that the Lakers envision him to be at, and even that is not certified. He has a lot of potential, but who's to say that the Lakers won't trade for or draft some other player who holds as much potential, if not more potential, then that of Bynum? Trading him and Odom (and hopefully Cook as well) to bring in some more reliable peices around Kobe would not be a bad idea. This team hasn't gone forwards nor backwards in the last three years. Kobe has proven time and time again that he's the best player in the league, and for what? To lose in the first round? To have smush Parker taking ill-advised threes? To see Cook bricking spot up jump shots time and time again? To have Kwame fumble perfect set-ups? Gimme a break. 'Trade what you can' should be the Lakers motto because at the rate this 'rebuilding' is going, Kobe will be end up being in the same situation that KG is in right now.
<div class="quote_poster">Karma Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I'm not sure why the Lakers are hesitating in trading Bynum. Draft talents come and go; just because someone is a high draft pick does not make them a greater player than players that were picked lower. Just look at Tony Parker, Rashard Lewis, and Ginobili and compare them to guys like LaFrentz, Olowokandi, etc. I love Bynum's progression, but usually what happens in these 'developmental' procedures is that the drafting team lets the player play for a few years, and they often don't improve enough to be an impactful player and thus, the team eventually ends up trading them (i.e- Kwame Brown, Jermaine O'Neal). The only cases that I've seen this being different is Kobe, KG, Amare. Bynum still has 3-4 years to go before he's at the level that the Lakers envision him to be at, and even that is not certified. He has a lot of potential, but who's to say that the Lakers won't trade for or draft some other player who holds as much potential, if not more potential, then that of Bynum? Trading him and Odom (and hopefully Cook as well) to bring in some more reliable peices around Kobe would not be a bad idea. This team hasn't gone forwards nor backwards in the last three years. Kobe has proven time and time again that he's the best player in the league, and for what? To lose in the first round? To have smush Parker taking ill-advised threes? To see Cook bricking spot up jump shots time and time again? To have Kwame fumble perfect set-ups? Gimme a break. 'Trade what you can' should be the Lakers motto because at the rate this 'rebuilding' is going, Kobe will be end up being in the same situation that KG is in right now.</div> Overall you are pretty much right but I just felt like adding that Cook is the best perimeter shooter on our team.
If Lamar leaves I hope for two things: 1) We get someone back that plays better than he did. 2) Lamar gets traded to some place where he can succeed, the man needs the success after what he's been through with his son and all. I truly wish him the best if he does leave, dude is chill.
<div class="quote_poster">huevonkiller Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Overall you are pretty much right but I just felt like adding that Cook is the best perimeter shooter on our team.</div> And that speaks a lot for this team, because I squirm everytime he lets a shot go; if I as a fan can't trust him, how the hell can Kobe? The only players that I trust shooting the ball on this team are Kobe, Luke, and sometimes Odom. Other then that, seeing the Lakers stuck at 67 points for 2-3 minutes in Game 4 against the Suns was a pretty good indication of how bad our offense is if Kobe doesn't have it going or if he's passive.
<div class="quote_poster">Karma Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">And that speaks a lot for this team, because I squirm everytime he lets a shot go; if I as a fan can't trust him, how the hell can Kobe? The only players that I trust shooting the ball on this team are Kobe, Luke, and sometimes Odom. Other then that, seeing the Lakers stuck at 67 points for 2-3 minutes in Game 4 against the Suns was a pretty good indication of how bad our offense is if Kobe doesn't have it going or if he's passive.</div> As Brian alluded to, Luke's perimeter percentage has been in a downward spiral as the season has progressed. I know Cook isn't popular or anything but I actually have seen him make most of his open three point looks (but with that flat arch of his he misses more open two point shots than he should; still he's a good pure shooter). It's not like it really matters though, he's only getting 11 minutes a game.
<div class="quote_poster">Brian Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Odom is an inconsistent shooter, and Luke's shot has been off for a while....</div> Wasn't Walton #1 in 3 point FG % at the beggining of the year?
I won't say these are his last days as a Laker, but I wouldn't doubt it. I myself am a huge Lamar supporter. No one in recent history has suffered nearly as much as him in the last year. I have respect beyond respect for the man. To have to have gone through what he did, spefically losing his child, a lot of players might have retired. Soley for him to come back and play gave me a whole lot of respect for him. As for his future with the team, I am ok with trading him for the right player. Whether that player is a KG or a JO, I don't know, but as long as we're getting someone who can be a second option, I'm ok with him (and Bynum) getting traded.
McGrady's been through more than Lamar has over the past couple of years, it's not an excuse for Lamar to play like crap...as callous as that sounds. Plain and simple, Lamar is not what this team needs. He's an overrated, over hyped, inconsistent tweener. He doesn't have a solid offensive game, nor does he pose as a defensive threat. A second option should be getting 20-22 PPG, Lamar doesn't. A second option shows up every game, Lamar shows up every 5 games. He is useless to this team and we'll continue to be a one and done team with him here. If we can get a solid PG with him, I'd trade him.
How has McGrady been through what Lamar has? Last I knew, he didn't lose a child, nor did he have a serious knee injury, only to come back and get hurt again. I do think Odom has some good reason to justify some inconsistent play. Hell, he had legit reason to retire once his kid died from SID. Personally, I give Odom a pass this year.
<div class="quote_poster">Moo2K4 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">How has McGrady been through what Lamar has? Last I knew, he didn't lose a child, nor did he have a serious knee injury, only to come back and get hurt again. I do think Odom has some good reason to justify some inconsistent play. Hell, he had legit reason to retire once his kid died from SID. Personally, I give Odom a pass this year.</div> He's been inconsistent throughout his tenure with the Lakers, so it's unfair to excuse his play this year because of his off-the-court situation. Frankly, I'm all up for trading him like most of the rest of you, but I'm not convinced we'd get much for him even if we include Bynum in the mix.
A numerous amount of relatives and close friends have died in recent years that were very close to McGrady (some Rocket fans on this board know exactly the relationship between the people)...factor in his horrible back injuries and....once again, as callous as this sounds, Lamar's personal issues don't hold any weight compared to McGrady's. Face it, Lamar is trash. He'll never amount to anything in this league...yet people still seem to hope. We wouldn't get much for Lamar because he isn't worth much. A respectable PG and some picks is all I want.
<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">A numerous amount of relatives and close friends have died in recent years that were very close to McGrady (some Rocket fans on this board know exactly the relationship between the people)...factor in his horrible back injuries and....once again, as callous as this sounds, Lamar's personal issues don't hold any weight compared to McGrady's. Face it, Lamar is trash. He'll never amount to anything in this league...yet people still seem to hope. We wouldn't get much for Lamar because he isn't worth much. A respectable PG and some picks is all I want.</div> i agree. and whoever picks that big georgetown kid, we should try get him, he looks like he could develop into a good center who can actually rebound, unlike our big men.
