One would think that LA Lakers multi-talented forward/center Lamar Odom would be taking it easy this pre-season. After all, who could blame him after essentially having no off-season after helping the Lakers win another World Title, then playing a starring role in helping USA Basketball secure a gold medal in the FIBA World Championships.
With rumors that Lakers starting center Andrew Bynum likely out until at least late November, still re-habbing his surgically repaired knee, the 2 time defending champs will have to rely almost exclusively on Odom to again play some heavy minutes, possibly in the starting line-up, until a healthy Bynum can return.
If the pre-season is any indication, Lamar is showing no ill affects of spending so much time on the hardwood as he is once again taking advantage of opponents, even making them look stupid, when trying to defend him in the open floor.
One such occasion occurred during a pre-season tilt between the Lakers and the ever-rebuilding Minnesota Timberwolves. After gaining possession at the opposing 3 point arc, Lamar begins showing off his amazing ball-handling skills by dribbling the full length of the court, essentially running the break and playing the point-forward role. With Derek Fisher positioned in the left corner ready to splash home a trey, Odom needed to only dribble past disappointing 3rd year player Michael Beasley to finish off a spectacular play. Watch and enjoy:
What was Fisher thinking? Unfortunately Fisher hesitated, allowing Darko Milicic,……….yes that Darko, to block his shot, putting a disappointing end to what could have been one of the most spectacular plays of the pre-season to this point. It should be noted that although Odom made Beasley look stupid, Mr Beasley in his new digs did look impressive, scoring 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting.
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
