Yahoo! Sports is running a rumor that the Lakers "are said to be looking hard for a more traditional small forward with shooting range. Perhaps the Washington Wizards' Caron Butler."
Trust me. As of now, this is nothing but a rumor.
The piece goes on to say "The word is they don't believe Lamar Odom can be that ultimate small forward to defend the wing and shoot from distance along the front line when Andrew Bynum returns."
This seems like bunch of garbage... for two reasons. (1) The fact that Yahoo! Sports and the Chicago Tribune are the only sources (that I could find) reporting the rumor. And, (2) The closing line: "Perhaps the Washington Wizards' Caron Butler" is not only unprofessional, but unsupported.
If anything, Lakers fans can work with this:
In his 2004-2005 season with the Lakers, Butler averaged 15.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG. Butler's averages have improved significantly in the past few years, resulting in a career-best 21.4 PPG so far this season. Lamar Odom is averaging 13.2 this season with 9.9 rebounds.
I know, it's just a rumor, but, try this on for size: C: Andrew Bynum PF: Pau Gasol SF: Caron Butler SG: Kobe Bryant PG: Derek Fisher
I like Caron and thought him and Kobe were starting to mesh when he was let go. Not sure if he'll be better than Lamar with the Lakers but as you said it's all rumor.
We are aleady kind of tall and skinny in the lane. I think Lamar is the consistent rebounding machine we need on the inside.
Will Butler give us better D than Lamar? On the perimeter...I guess...on the inside...I can't see how.
Do we need the extra shooter when Drew comes back?..I think we have plenty of options already. For this team in the upcoming playoffs...I would prefer Odom.
i think i'm with you relic. an addition to the lineup with 20+ppg might bring about contrasting views of who gets more touches. Lamar, the majority of the time, is fine with being the guy that doesn't need to take a bunch of shots. Caron might.
I've been saying for a couple of weeks that it looks like the Lakers are showcasing Vrad, playing him >30 mins per game after he was buried on the bench most of the season. Miller's shooting range is fantastic, this would be a major coup.
Moving Odom (unless there is a chemistry issue that hasn't been exposed) would not make sense. As with the rest of the team, his numbers are up since Gasol joined.
Last edited by nba is the worst on February 19th at 6:38 AM.
This is absurd, there is such thing as making too many moves, if you make the players feel like nobody is safe the chemistry is going to suffer. Right now the Lakers have gotten a sufficient spark, and the bench is playing tremendous with Vujacic shooting great, and Farmar showing promise. The Lakers need a role player at Small Forward anyway, and Odom fits it perfect. He gives them a bonus in playmaking ability, he's long, and he has become a way better rebounder. When Bynum comes back they will have 3 guys over 6-10 on their front line. The size that the Lakers have with Odom makes up for his weak defense. Also, Odom played decent defense in the playoffs with the Heat, he is a guy that thrives on excitement, and I bet everyone who is trashing him will be surprised at how well he will play for the rest of the season. Lakers should stand pat on the team they have now, they have enough to win it all.
I'd rather see them trade Vlad than Lamar. He may not like being the 2nd option behind Kobe. He no longer has to be even the 3rd option. He can concentrae on rebounding and defense and outside shooting. When AB gets back, he will be even better. One main reason I think Lamar will pay off in the playoffs is because next to Kobe he seemed to be the most energized by the Gasol trade. The intangibles that he'll bring come playoff time when Drew gets back will start to show even more then. Trading LO would be a big loss. I like him too much to trade him.
The Lakers will not Dump Vlad or LO. If they wanted to dump Vlad thay could've done it last year when he injured himself snowboarding by leagally terminating his contract freeing up enough cash to shop the free agency market during the last off-season. And as far as LO, just think of some of the previous rumored trades that we passed on...KG, Jason Kidd, Marion, Artest. You really think they're gonna swap him now for Butler of Miller...Come on!. You'ld think if they're gonna start a rumor they could at least make it a plausable one.
Don't forget that the Suns still have an open roster spot to fill. They are waiting to see if somebodys contract gets bought out at trading deadline to make a move. It could prove to be an interesting role type player. Of course D'Antoni will still have to use him which he's been reluctant to do in the past.
I'm a realistic observer of the vast world that surrounds the Los Angeles Lakers. You can thank Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell, Cedric Ceballos, and Vlade Divac for making that possible. The greatest person of all time is Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn. There's no getting around that. Me? I'm eighteen years old and working my way to a journalism degree.
What the heck is going on?
