Lamar Odom To Sign One Day Contract

[Inimical]

Lamar Odom will sign a one day contract and retire a Laker. Im glad to see Lamar doing better and this is a happy development. We could have never won without him.


https://www.yahoo.com/sports/lamar-odom-trade-lakers-basically-ended-career-purpose-222723332.html



“I got traded the season after we lost to Dallas in the playoffs, and I had won Sixth Man of the Year for the team. To trade me after winning Sixth Man of the Year … what else do I got to do? Why?

“I think about it all the time, about how much I had left in the tank. I had issues going on. But barring injury, could I play in the NBA today? I could play. I should still be playing.”

The Shaquille O’Neal trade in 2004 sent Odom to the Lakers after one season in Miami and started more lessons for Odom. He was forever a reluctant star – a versatile juggernaut who could play all five positions thrust into Kobe’s world. Once, he walked into practice with the Lakers and witnessed Bryant smash Sasha Vujacic with an elbow to the face, with no warning, no rhyme or reason.

“It was like, ‘[Expletive], this mother [expletive] Kobe is really serious,’” Odom says. “He’s thuggin’ at 10 in the morning.”

 

[trojanfan12]

Good to see.

I guarantee that Sasha deserved that elbow though. Dude was a pain in the ass. Just ask Mike Bibby. He always looked like he bit into an aspirin when Sasha entered the game.

 

[Dolemite censored]

Good for Lamar.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Good to see.

I guarantee that Sasha deserved that elbow though. Dude was a pain in the ass. Just ask Mike Bibby. He always looked like he bit into an aspirin when Sasha entered the game.

speaking of Lakers--- didnt want to start a new thread on this--- but interesting article on Ingram from ESPN INsider-- hUUUUUGE in depth article


No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram didn't live up to rookie expectations with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. His 8.5 player efficiency rating over the course of 79 games ranked 14th among the 20 2016 draftees to appear in at least 50 contests.Under the microscope of a rabid Lakers fan base, every zero-point dud or nerve-induced air-balled free throw was heavily scrutinized, and Ingram had his fair share of hiccups as a rookie.

How likely is he to bounce back in his second season? Will he break out as the best long-term prospect from his draft class?

Let's look at what didn't translate from Duke to the NBA, and what could change for Ingram as a sophomore.

What didn't translate from Duke?
Spot shooting

At Duke, Ingram looked the part of a ready-made floor spacer who could score at all three levels in the NBA. He shot 41.0 percent from 3-point territory as a Blue Devil and averaged 20.0 points per 40 minutes at age 18 playing in the NCAA's most challenging conference. But Ingram's shooting stroke, and in turn his scoring, didn't carry over to the NBA.

He shot a porous 29.4 percent from 3 on 3.3 attempts per 40 minutes, and his confidence dwindled, resulting in far too many quick swings or shot fakes. His mediocre NCAA free throw mark of 68.2 percent should have been a warning sign to his first-season shooting struggles, but a sub-30 percent clip was surprising nonetheless.

Aside from confidence, which played a big factor, why didn't Ingram's shooting translate to the NBA line?

Ingram benefited quite heavily from playing the 4 at Duke with longer closeouts for defenders and slower athletes recovering. Also more of a midrange killer at the high school level, Ingram has never been the most dynamic shooter when sprinting off of screens, catching on the hop or after a quick gather. A lot of the success he had as a shooter at Duke came because he was able to catch quite casually and step, one-two, into his 3-ball from just beyond 21 feet, often with power forwards defending him.

Playing mostly the 3 at the NBA level, Ingram -- who shoots somewhat of a naturally flat ball anyway -- didn't have the time or space to do that one-two step into his jumper. His struggles shooting off the hop, along with his so-so confidence, were exaggerated from the extended NBA line and he had issues finding his footing all season long.

Pull-up game

While he really struggled to space the floor consistently off the catch, Ingram was even less efficient off the bounce.

Ingram's 51-of-166 off-the-dribble shooting (17th percentile) handicapped him as a shot creator in the half court last season. Defenders went under ball screens and the fact that he scored only 0.607 points per possession on pick-and-roll pull-ups (9th percentile) led to far too many passed up open looks.

Ingram's ability to make a mini-hang dribble pull-up in midrange spots did translate for stretches, as did his series of impressive spinning pirouette fallaways from the midpost. Although not the most desirable shot in basketball, Ingram converted 41.9 percent of his jumpers between 17 feet and the NBA's 3 line, good for the 64th percentile among NBA players.

There's tough shot-making potential with Ingram given his size, footwork and ability to play at different speeds, but he has always had a tendency to shoot on the way down or pull his follow-through and immediately chase his misses when heavily contested, leaving a lot of pull-ups falling short. He showed quite a few flashes at Duke, but overall Ingram struggled to make contested pull-ups versus longer, more athletic wing defenders. In turn his aggressiveness, which wasn't a consistent issue at Duke, tailed off for long stretches.

Biggest concerns
Finishing in traffic

As expected given his frame and average lift in a crowd, Ingram struggled to finish consistently at the NBA level, shooting only 50.4 percent on shots at the rim plus floaters, below the league average. With far less space to work with, Ingram had issues finishing in traffic at the college level as well. Despite his tremendous reach and impressive fluidity, Ingram left quite a few points on the table against longer, more athletic teams during his freshman season, evident by his 44.4 2-point percentage versus schools that won at least half their games

He was regularly bumped off line on his way to the rim and had a bad habit of wanting to gather off of two feet with a defender on his hip, shortening his stride length and making him a below-the-rim player.

This same issue plagued Ingram early in his rookie season, but he improved his one-foot finishing quite steadily as the year went on. Although tougher than his frame suggests, Ingram struggled to play through contact and only got to the free throw line 3.8 times per 40 minutes.

Defensive consistency

While long and rangy, Ingram also floated a bit defensively at times, losing focus off the ball and lacking a level of aggression on the glass, an area of concern at Duke as well. He was able to fall back on his tools at the collegiate level, but with more space, movement and quicker actions in the NBA, Ingram was caught off guard too often.

When fully locked in he has good feet, lateral agility and tremendous defensive potential, but a player with his tools should average far more than 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per 40 minutes.

Most translatable rookie skills
Playmaking ability

Ingram's strong feel for the game and playmaking ability at 6-foot-10 translated to the NBA level quite seamlessly during his rookie season. Duke regularly used him in 4-5 pick-and-rolls and he carved collegiate defenses apart with his ability to facilitate over the top.

Ingram's pick-and-roll passes at Duke generated 1.32 points per possession (94th percentile). While he failed to score out of ball screens consistently due to his shooting woes, Ingram's pick-and-roll playmaking carried over to the NBA level for stretches as his ball-screen feeds led to 1.08 points per possession (66th percentile).

He's a comfortable ball handler who plays with great pace, delivers the ball from different angles and does a nice job of keeping his defender on his hip and manipulating screens. This should become even more of a weapon as his pull-up game rounds out.

He's also comfortable pushing rebounds himself and distributing in the open floor or finding teammates on the move after attacking gaps. Ingram has always played an unselfish brand of basketball and his ability to initiate offense at his size is encouraging for his future development, especially as his shot comes around, leading to harder closeouts and more driving lanes.

Slashing in space

As Ingram's rookie season progressed, he began to realize how to use his long strides to his advantage as a slasher in the half court. He became more comfortable leaping off of one foot, which wasn't always the case at Duke, and put down a handful of poster dunks thanks to his 9-2 standing reach.

He still needs to add the core strength to take contact on his way to the rim, but when he was able to get a full head of steam in space, Ingram's tools took over and he showed flashes of how dynamic he can be getting to the rim. The lanky 6-10 forward has excellent footwork as a driver and brings a unique ability to change speeds and directions for his size, even mixing in hesitation crossovers at times. As he continues to get stronger and take more bumps on his way to the rim, Ingram figures to become an above-average slasher who can make a living at the free throw line.

Post game

Ingram's post game -- and, in particular, his fallaway jumper -- translated to the NBA level.

His size and release point allow him to get his shot off over smaller wings, and he proved comfortable getting to turnarounds over either shoulder. It wasn't a huge part of his game at the collegiate level, but he still showed glimpses, and he has only improved inside of 15 feet in the NBA, scoring 0.94 points per possession (69th percentile) in the post last season.

With a fairly reliable midpost jumper, along with his ability to use quick face-up, hesitation dribbles to attack, Ingram has a chance to be a mismatch problem on isolations inside the arc.

 

[shopson67]

No worries with Ingram, he'll show marked improvement this season.

 

[trojanfan12]

speaking of Lakers--- didnt want to start a new thread on this--- but interesting article on Ingram from ESPN INsider-- hUUUUUGE in depth article


No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram didn't live up to rookie expectations with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. His 8.5 player efficiency rating over the course of 79 games ranked 14th among the 20 2016 draftees to appear in at least 50 contests.Under the microscope of a rabid Lakers fan base, every zero-point dud or nerve-induced air-balled free throw was heavily scrutinized, and Ingram had his fair share of hiccups as a rookie.

How likely is he to bounce back in his second season? Will he break out as the best long-term prospect from his draft class?

Let's look at what didn't translate from Duke to the NBA, and what could change for Ingram as a sophomore.

What didn't translate from Duke?
Spot shooting

At Duke, Ingram looked the part of a ready-made floor spacer who could score at all three levels in the NBA. He shot 41.0 percent from 3-point territory as a Blue Devil and averaged 20.0 points per 40 minutes at age 18 playing in the NCAA's most challenging conference. But Ingram's shooting stroke, and in turn his scoring, didn't carry over to the NBA.

He shot a porous 29.4 percent from 3 on 3.3 attempts per 40 minutes, and his confidence dwindled, resulting in far too many quick swings or shot fakes. His mediocre NCAA free throw mark of 68.2 percent should have been a warning sign to his first-season shooting struggles, but a sub-30 percent clip was surprising nonetheless.

Aside from confidence, which played a big factor, why didn't Ingram's shooting translate to the NBA line?

Ingram benefited quite heavily from playing the 4 at Duke with longer closeouts for defenders and slower athletes recovering. Also more of a midrange killer at the high school level, Ingram has never been the most dynamic shooter when sprinting off of screens, catching on the hop or after a quick gather. A lot of the success he had as a shooter at Duke came because he was able to catch quite casually and step, one-two, into his 3-ball from just beyond 21 feet, often with power forwards defending him.

Playing mostly the 3 at the NBA level, Ingram -- who shoots somewhat of a naturally flat ball anyway -- didn't have the time or space to do that one-two step into his jumper. His struggles shooting off the hop, along with his so-so confidence, were exaggerated from the extended NBA line and he had issues finding his footing all season long.

Pull-up game

While he really struggled to space the floor consistently off the catch, Ingram was even less efficient off the bounce.

Ingram's 51-of-166 off-the-dribble shooting (17th percentile) handicapped him as a shot creator in the half court last season. Defenders went under ball screens and the fact that he scored only 0.607 points per possession on pick-and-roll pull-ups (9th percentile) led to far too many passed up open looks.

Ingram's ability to make a mini-hang dribble pull-up in midrange spots did translate for stretches, as did his series of impressive spinning pirouette fallaways from the midpost. Although not the most desirable shot in basketball, Ingram converted 41.9 percent of his jumpers between 17 feet and the NBA's 3 line, good for the 64th percentile among NBA players.

There's tough shot-making potential with Ingram given his size, footwork and ability to play at different speeds, but he has always had a tendency to shoot on the way down or pull his follow-through and immediately chase his misses when heavily contested, leaving a lot of pull-ups falling short. He showed quite a few flashes at Duke, but overall Ingram struggled to make contested pull-ups versus longer, more athletic wing defenders. In turn his aggressiveness, which wasn't a consistent issue at Duke, tailed off for long stretches.

Biggest concerns
Finishing in traffic

As expected given his frame and average lift in a crowd, Ingram struggled to finish consistently at the NBA level, shooting only 50.4 percent on shots at the rim plus floaters, below the league average. With far less space to work with, Ingram had issues finishing in traffic at the college level as well. Despite his tremendous reach and impressive fluidity, Ingram left quite a few points on the table against longer, more athletic teams during his freshman season, evident by his 44.4 2-point percentage versus schools that won at least half their games

He was regularly bumped off line on his way to the rim and had a bad habit of wanting to gather off of two feet with a defender on his hip, shortening his stride length and making him a below-the-rim player.

This same issue plagued Ingram early in his rookie season, but he improved his one-foot finishing quite steadily as the year went on. Although tougher than his frame suggests, Ingram struggled to play through contact and only got to the free throw line 3.8 times per 40 minutes.

Defensive consistency

While long and rangy, Ingram also floated a bit defensively at times, losing focus off the ball and lacking a level of aggression on the glass, an area of concern at Duke as well. He was able to fall back on his tools at the collegiate level, but with more space, movement and quicker actions in the NBA, Ingram was caught off guard too often.

When fully locked in he has good feet, lateral agility and tremendous defensive potential, but a player with his tools should average far more than 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per 40 minutes.

Most translatable rookie skills
Playmaking ability

Ingram's strong feel for the game and playmaking ability at 6-foot-10 translated to the NBA level quite seamlessly during his rookie season. Duke regularly used him in 4-5 pick-and-rolls and he carved collegiate defenses apart with his ability to facilitate over the top.

Ingram's pick-and-roll passes at Duke generated 1.32 points per possession (94th percentile). While he failed to score out of ball screens consistently due to his shooting woes, Ingram's pick-and-roll playmaking carried over to the NBA level for stretches as his ball-screen feeds led to 1.08 points per possession (66th percentile).

He's a comfortable ball handler who plays with great pace, delivers the ball from different angles and does a nice job of keeping his defender on his hip and manipulating screens. This should become even more of a weapon as his pull-up game rounds out.

He's also comfortable pushing rebounds himself and distributing in the open floor or finding teammates on the move after attacking gaps. Ingram has always played an unselfish brand of basketball and his ability to initiate offense at his size is encouraging for his future development, especially as his shot comes around, leading to harder closeouts and more driving lanes.

Slashing in space

As Ingram's rookie season progressed, he began to realize how to use his long strides to his advantage as a slasher in the half court. He became more comfortable leaping off of one foot, which wasn't always the case at Duke, and put down a handful of poster dunks thanks to his 9-2 standing reach.

He still needs to add the core strength to take contact on his way to the rim, but when he was able to get a full head of steam in space, Ingram's tools took over and he showed flashes of how dynamic he can be getting to the rim. The lanky 6-10 forward has excellent footwork as a driver and brings a unique ability to change speeds and directions for his size, even mixing in hesitation crossovers at times. As he continues to get stronger and take more bumps on his way to the rim, Ingram figures to become an above-average slasher who can make a living at the free throw line.

Post game

Ingram's post game -- and, in particular, his fallaway jumper -- translated to the NBA level.

His size and release point allow him to get his shot off over smaller wings, and he proved comfortable getting to turnarounds over either shoulder. It wasn't a huge part of his game at the collegiate level, but he still showed glimpses, and he has only improved inside of 15 feet in the NBA, scoring 0.94 points per possession (69th percentile) in the post last season.

With a fairly reliable midpost jumper, along with his ability to use quick face-up, hesitation dribbles to attack, Ingram has a chance to be a mismatch problem on isolations inside the arc.

Seems pretty accurate although he did improve late in the season in the areas that "didn't translate" or were the "biggest concerns."

The shooting issues should be pretty easily correctable, the defense should improve as he learns the NBA game. To be fair, the whole team was pretty bad on defense. I think his finishing in traffic will improve as he gains some weight/gets stronger. Last year, he had got "outmuscled" a good bit and would shy away from finishing or would try to get cute with the ball instead of just going hard to the basket. I though he looked a little timid at times, especially earlier in the season.

No doubt though, he's got some work to do if he wants to be as good as he's been projected to be. From what I've heard and read, he's been putting in the work over the summer. We'll see next year though.

 

[Heatles84]

 

[WiggyRuss]

Odom "It was REAL easy to find crack in Miami- it really helps you go-hard".