Odom Shapes Up on Triangle
As first impressions go, Lamar Odom’s was incomplete and unfulfilling, tumultuous and a tease.
The Laker forward had every intention of starting out the right way in Coach Phil Jackson’s complex triangle offense, but it didn’t quite happen that way.
He lined up on the wrong side of the court in a last-second loss to Washington and incurred the wrath of Kobe Bryant. He was called for a late charge in Sacramento when he should have held the ball and milked the clock, a four-point Laker lead eventually becoming a loss.
He would have games to remember -- a near-triple-double against Phoenix, with 23 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists -- but also ones to forget, including consecutive December games against Houston and Dallas in which he totaled only 10 points.
It was a difficult start for Odom, 28, but the last seven games have been his best stretch of basketball as a Laker. He has averaged 17.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists this month and shown definitive signs of grasping the triangle.
“I think it’s really complicated, especially if you’re used to playing one way for so long,” Odom said. “Some guys don’t need the ball, but you’re just used to having the ball in your hands, and I was one of them. It took me some time to learn how to cut, pass the ball, make a strong cut to free somebody else up or to get yourself a layup. I’ve gotten a lot better at that.
“It takes time too to also have confidence in teammates to run it. It took Kobe some time for him to have confidence in us that we would run the right play or know what we were doing out there.”
Jackson, who remained patient with Odom throughout the forgettable times, has noticed the improvement. The second impression has been much more palatable than the first.
“He’s much more comfortable in the game,” Jackson said. “His presence and the joy he has just playing ball is infectious to this team. It’s great to have him playing to where he feels at ease and comfortable with the game.”
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With the Lakers hemmed in by the salary cap, Jackson predicted few moves of consequence during the off-season because “a lot of our players are young and they’re going to be here with us regardless next year.”
“We don’t have a lot of changeover planned for this next season, so we hope that we grow through this year into the next. If one can feed into the other, that’s what we’re hoping to do.”
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Jackson, on whether he considered this season successful: “Yes. It’s met the expectation that I’ve had, so that’s a success.”
TONIGHT
vs. New Orleans, 7:30, FSN West
Site -- Staples Center.
Radio -- 570, 1330.
Records -- Lakers 44-37; Hornets 38-43.
Record vs. Hornets -- 2-1.
Update -- A Laker victory means a seventh-place finish in the Western Conference and a first-round date with Phoenix. Chris Mihm is expected to play after missing 17 games because of a sprained ankle. The Hornets were looking like a playoff team until they went on a 7-18 skid. They were officially eliminated Friday and posted two lopsided losses since then: 96-79 against Sacramento and 115-78 against Phoenix.
