LAKERS NOTEBOOK: RENEWING ACQUAINTANCES ODOM, PAYTON CROSS PATHS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE CHRISTMAS.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 - Nobody knows exactly what was said, but rest assured that 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. and Gary Payton
They don't have the history of Bryant and O'Neal. They don't carry the Corvette corvette, small warship, classed between a frigate and a sloop-of-war. Corvettes usually were flush-decked and carried fewer than 28 guns. They were widely employed in escorting convoys and attacking merchant ships during the great naval wars of the late 18th and and brick wall storyline. They don't even match up against one another. Yet it was Odom and Payton who turned friction into hostility on Christmas. As the two teams left the court three weeks ago in Miami, Odom had to be restrained from going after Payton, then told reporters the veteran guard and venomous venomous secreting poison; poisonous. trash-talker needs to watch ``how he talks to other men.'' ``It's dudes like that,'' Odom said back on Dec. 25, ``that's why things happen off the court between players and their friends and things like that.'' What Payton said to set off Odom has not been revealed, though Odom repeatedly called Payton ``extremely disrespectful'' in the aftermath. They will be reunited tonight as the Lakers play host to Miami, taking away some of the spotlight from O'Neal and Bryant. ``I'm not going to answer him,'' Odom said after practice Sunday. ``The last time I got into it with him, he kicked our butts. He kind of needs that. He fuels off that. So I'm not going to add any fuel to his fire. ``If he's going to have a good game, it's just because he's going to have a good game. Not because I amped him up.'' Payton, who matched a season-high with 21 points on Christmas, told the Miami Herald that Odom escalated the war of words with his comments after the game. ``He took it to a personal level,'' Payton said. ``I might have said something that might have gotten into his skin. That's fine. I'm not going to take it to another level. But if you want to take it to another level, I'm not going to back down.'' The focus on Odom will be intensified tonight after the 6-foot-10 forward followed up a near triple-double by finishing with an anemic two points in 33 minutes Saturday against Golden State, his lowest scoring game since coming to the Lakers. Coach Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana) is the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, an American professional basketball team. was loath to criticize Odom, especially considering the Lakers beat the Warriors with big games from Smush Parker William Henry "Smush" Parker (born June 1 1981, in New York, New York) is an American professional basketball player, currently with the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association.[1] Parker played shooting guard in college, but moved to point guard in the NBA. and Kwame Brown. But Jackson did note, ``It's almost impossible for a guy of his talent to go 1 for 8 or whatever in a game.'' Odom could tell the game would not go his way when he missed one shot around the basket in the third quarter, missed the follow-up attempt and then was called for a foul fighting for the rebound. ``Sometimes it's not your night,'' said Odom, who had a mystifying mys·ti·fy tr.v. mys·ti·fied, mys·ti·fy·ing, mys·ti·fies 1. To confuse or puzzle mentally. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. To make obscure or mysterious. 1-for-11 shooting night earlier this season against New Jersey. ``That's why you have teammates.'' But Odom said his head will be in the right place tonight. He felt he got baited in the Christmas game by Payton, though Odom did finish with 14 points and 16 rebounds. ``My team needs me on the court,'' Odom said. ``Mentally, they need me, too.'' For his part, Bryant said Odom simply needs to tune out Payton. During the one season Payton played with the Lakers, Bryant said he would antagonize Payton just to start his mouth running and snap the team out of a funk at practice. The Lakers have won five of six games since Bryant returned from suspension, with the superstar guard averaging 41.5 points in that stretch. He will be matched up tonight with Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. (born January 17, 1982) is an American basketball player who currently plays for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames include "Flash" and "D-Wade". , who has had two triple-doubles in the past five games. Once again, Bryant had little to say about O'Neal, though the Lakers have yet to beat the Heat in three games since O'Neal was traded. ``The guy's in Miami,'' Bryant said. ``Who the hell cares anymore? He's down there doing his thing, we're doing our thing here.'' The two have acknowledged each other less and less in each game they have played. Jackson was asked Sunday about his view of O'Neal not even extending a hand in Bryant's direction when he came out for tipoff on Christmas. ``He's such an emotional guy,'' Jackson said of O'Neal. ``It's just not the forum for him to deal with it.'' Added Jackson: ``There's plenty of time in their lifetimes for them to hopefully make up the distances between them, and that process, that'll happen. Until Shaq's ready, my words aren't going force them together. I don't enjoy seeing his actions, but I understand his reasons.'' --Also: Bryant estimated that he could be wearing a protective pad on his injured right wrist for weeks, as opposed to days. Bryant is suffering from ligament and bone soreness after suffering the injury Thursday. ... Forward Ronny Turiaf Ronny Turiaf (born January 13, 1983 in Le Robert, Martinique) is a French basketball player, selected in the second round (37th pick overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. was granted a waiver to work out at the Lakers' facility and did so Sunday. Turiaf cannot practice with the team until he is signed. Ross Siler, (818) 713-3610 ross.siler(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: The Lakers' Lamar Odom, right, and Miami's Gary Payton exchanged words during, and after, the Christmas Day contest. Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images Box: LAKERS vs. MIAMI - Ross Siler |
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