LAKERS NOTEBOOK: ODOM SEES STAR QUALITY.Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer EL SEGUNDO El Segundo (ĕl sēgŭn`dō), industrial city (1990 pop. 15,223), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1917. Its products include navigation and computer systems, aircraft parts, office machines, telephone apparatus, and - He won't be joining Vlade Divac Vlade Divac (Serbian Cyrillic: Владе Дивац, pronounced [ˈvlaːdɛ ˈdiːvaʦ] on a fishing trip in Mexico or Caron Butler James Caron Butler, known as Caron Butler (pronounced Kuh-RONN) (born March 13 1980, in Racine, Wisconsin), is an American professional basketball player, currently starting at small forward for the NBA's Washington Wizards. for a long weekend in Miami. He won't be sitting with Chris Mihm Christopher (Chris) Steven Mihm (born July 16, 1979 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. He stands 7 feet tall (213 cm) and weighs 265 pounds (120 kg). by a lake in Texas and certainly won't be accompanying Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. to Denver. The only place Lakers forward Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6 1979, in South Jamaica, Queens, New York) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward (also plays both forward spots and is a "point-forward") for the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers. said he will be for the All-Star break is his living room in Marina Del Rey Del Rey may refer to:
``As an individual,'' Odom said, ``I felt like I could have helped this team's record so much by playing my style of basketball, by playing the way I know how I could play earlier in the year. I wasn't for the first 20 games.'' Whether it was because of fatigue from the Athens Olympics, the after effects of being traded back to Los Angeles or his struggles fitting in alongside Kobe Bryant, Odom admitted he did not live up to his standards. ``I feel like if I had been playing like this - my last 30 games - if I had been playing like this for the first half of the season, I'd probably be an All-Star,'' Odom said. Odom has raised his scoring average every month, from 14.3 points in November to 16.9 points since Jan. 1. He nearly posted triple-doubles in five of the 14 games Bryant missed nursing a severely sprained ankle. ``Maybe I'm more comfortable with my role on the team,'' Odom said. ``Maybe I define it to myself more. Maybe I understand it more. I'm just a little more comfortable all the way around.'' Perhaps the biggest adjustment came from the expectations that accompany playing for the Lakers. Odom, who arrived in July in the Shaquille O'Neal trade, was confident he would be an All-Star this season. ``They're calling me Kobe Bryant's sidekick,'' Odom said. ``Yeah, I'm going to be an All-Star.'' Odom had several breakout games with Bryant sidelined, driving for the winning basket against Golden State, battling Kevin Garnett shot for shot down the stretch of a Jan. 19 victory and taking over in the fourth quarter last week against Houston. In spite of his struggles, Odom still was one of only seven NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= players averaging double-figure scoring and rebounding entering Wednesday. --Add Odom: One day after missing the Lakers' victory over Utah with a virus, Odom was back at practice, though he showed symptoms of dehydration and was advised to stay home and rest. --Invitation only: The plans weren't 100 percent set as of Wednesday but rookie guard Tony Bobbitt had been invited by Bryant to accompany him to the All-Star Game. Ross Siler, (818) 713-3610 ross.siler(at)dailynews.com |
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