Peja is better than Odom.

Smel Counts · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 11:17 am Post subject:

Another problem is Peja is a free-agent after this year which would screw us. We need contracts to expire after '07. But he's still a much better fit for us than Odom.

DP · Sixth Man Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 26

I think when nothing is going good, we tend to look for a scapegoat and that goat is Lamar Odom. I understand your concern that he is "supposed" to be the #2 player for the Lakers and he should play like it, especially earning a huge paycheck. But I don't think we should question his effort and passion for the game. He's into a lot of pressures because of the media and the fans. Lamar is in our team, not because he's earning more than say Smush or Sasha, he's the only guy that should be blamed everytime the Lakers lost a game. Like I said, the coaching staff wants him to be the facilitator (a different role he had last year) and Kobe stated before that LO makes his game easy. I'm not all over LO for his game or something but he's a Laker and I support him whether the team wins or lose.

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karlmalonefan · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 11:58 am Post subject:

40ptmachine · Starting Rotation Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 633

wolfpaclaker · Retired Number Joined: 29 May 2002 Posts: 58344

thumpinghead · Star Player Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 5657

I am SO SICK of hearing how Peja chokes in the playoffs during crunch time as he did with Sacramento. TRUTH IS: You cant teach shooting! Peja is a natural shooter and is always a threat. PLUS he plays like a SG at the SF position on offense running through double screens to get open and drill threes.....The Lakers would be lucky if they could afford him but their stuck with cowardly ODUMB....WHY IS ODUMB SUCH A WHIMP!

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Wino · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 12:05 pm Post subject:

Ziggy · Franchise Player Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Posts: 12717

40ptmachine · Starting Rotation Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 633

critical_beatdown · Star Player Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 2072

Peja's not that good...we caught them on the hard end of a back-to-back on the road. When the Pacers pulled away, Peja only got one of the 3 pointers, and Fred Jones nailed 2 on Kobe. He looked like Reggie Miller out there, so if there is to defensive criticism, it should get handed out even-handedly. Of course, when Indiana is in the course of hitting 5 three pointers in a row, you just have to ask yourself if it's their night and our guys won't have the energy on the back-to-back to recover and win the game like in Golden State. The world is not as black and white as some the haters around here suggest. This game was unlike any we played all year, and the Pacers, even though short-handed, played a great game, and were hot as hell from behind the arc.

bounty · Star Player Joined: 15 Aug 2005 Posts: 3946

Krispy Kreme · Franchise Player Joined: 30 Mar 2003 Posts: 12252

hes a better scorer, that is about it.

turbulent · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 1:00 pm Post subject:

Ill take Peja....Odom had his time to blossom his "potential". He hasn't and after 7 years, I can't imagine it will ever happen. If it does, How much potential? An extra basket or two? One more board? Will he develop a right hand all of a sudden? Ill take Peja...

40ptmachine · Starting Rotation Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 633

indy_dave00 · Starting Rotation Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 677

Enough of the back to back stuff both teams were playing back to back games. Both played on the road Tuesday , the Lakers came in over confident and got bit.

Even undermanned the Pacers are a low seed playoff team . They are without Jermaine almost exclusively a perimeter team, once the Pacers got hot just before halftime , then right after the half the Lakers appeared to throw in the towel. Long road trips do that to you once the momentum switches.

bmk · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 1:31 pm Post subject:

Two years ago Peja:

1st in FT %, 3 pointers made
2nd mins played, FG's made, points, scoring average

2nd Team All NBA

In seven years, Odom:

*crickets*

I'll allow that some peeps like Odom over Peja, but I just don't get how Odom is THAT much better than Peja. I also think Peja's an average rebounder, not a bad one, he just happens to be on the perimeter the majority of the time.

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DP · Sixth Man Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 26

AHunter, i know that you're trying to be objective as much in regards to Lamar Odom and I don't refer you as the one who hates LO. I know hate is an exaggerated word as you've said but reading the post messages of others, it seems LO doesn't do anything right for them. Is it because of their infatuation with Ron Artest or Peja. My only concern is we're not hearing anything from the coaching staff or from Kobe (perhaps if they lost a game, we hear something from Phil, like what he've said after the loss from Pacers game. BTW, he said the problem is not Kobe, but the others and he did not specify it's Lamar's fault). I know that we are all not sure what's going on during the practice or film session whether the coaching staff are really on LO's throat to perform well. And why would management not willing to trade him, unless there is something we don't know. My point is, LO is a Laker right now, nothing we can do about it whether we complain and complain about his game (we're only hearing these whinings whenever the Lakers lost, huh?). I am not saying he's playing great basketabll, which he is not. But to demand to trade LO everytime Lakers lost a game isn't right anymore)