First of all, we are enthralled to have you as a regular reader of the site, thank you.

I agree entirely that Odom is a very talented player and that the Lakers should try very hard to resign him. He is very skilled and a huge asset for this team.

Perhaps wuss is the wrong term. But, I do not think that he plays to his potential or has lived up to his potential. I do think he is much less physical than Scola, as George explained (Scola is in the league because of it, Odom is in the league for his talent). Maybe it is some sort of internal weakness or something to that affect.

We are kind of approaching a few different topics here. 1) Is Odom a banger? No. 2) Is Odom a fantastic player? Yes. 3) Does Odom play to his potential? In my opinion, No. And I think that is partly due to a slight softness internally.

He obviously competes and wants to win. But does he have the drive that the greats have? No. It is much more clear as he plays alongside Kobe. Kobe’s fight completely overshadows Odom’s.

Good to see the readers getting fired up over one of your articles and with each other. Your rarely comment after you publish an article, so I know you must have been P.O.

Conor,

I wouldn’t call Lamar a wuss. He’s a very talented player who has never fulfilled the potential that those in the know had for him when he came out of URI. Why? I remember seeing him in a high school tournament in Las Vegas with Tracy McGrady. In comparing the two back then, Tracy had more confidence in himself and viewed himself as a leader and the most talented basketball player in the gym. He had/has a belief in himself that Lamar has never has. Lamar was very immature when he came into the league. I will never forget how hard it was to get him to visit the Bulls when we had the #1 pick in the draft. When I picked him up at the airport and took him back to our training facility, I thought he was a horse’s ass. I’ve always looked at Lamar as reluctant to step into the role that others thought was right for him. He does not have the personality of a leader. He is more content in a complementary role. He is in the perfect situation given his talents and mindset. I have never seen him as a prototypical “god given” power forward. His gift is that of a hybrid forward. Think of a stronger and more athletic Tony Kukoc who is a much better rebounder. George recently wrote an excellent piece on Rondo. Observers have a tendency to look at what a player can’t do. Better to look at what Lamar can do in assessing his game and value to the team. We’re sometimes too quick to call a player soft and a wuss. Lamar frustrates those in the know because they see what he can be, but they don’t take into account that his mental makeup will not allow him to be “The Man”. Occasionally he teases us with those special skills that he possesses and we wonder why he can’t do it every time. Luckily for him and the Lakers, they don’t have to depend on him to be the go-to guy. Lamar’s contract is coming up. I doubt the Lakers will let him walk. He is too valuable a player. Someone who is that valuable to him team cannot be considered a wuss.

Original post and comments included.

Shuttlesworth: You should re-read your posts. Maybe you’d see how big of a dickhead you are.