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'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.