Once and for all, let's stop blaming Kobe for Odom's disappointing play.
Let's also stop blaming Odom for not being able to change his entire game.
Let's just call it what it is.
Odom is having trouble with the offense.
1) He can't hit the perimeter shot consistently, particularly from three
2) He is not good at passing off penetration in a half-court set
3) He is not good at changing directions, adjusting to avoid the offensive foul
The problem is, Odom is required to do these things, in his role as a facilitating guard in the triangle offense.
More often than not, Odom will not be able to do those things, which frustrates him. He frequently takes it out on the refs. A lot of people think Odom is stupid for taking those threes, or blinding driving towards the basket. Odom is simply trying to force himself into the role. He knows he needs to assert himself, but if he's playing within the confines of the triangle, he has limited options. The triangle depends on spacing. Odom is not stupid. He knows he needs to hit the 3 pointer to keep defenses honest. When he is not hitting, he tries to force his way to the basket, which frequently results in an offensive foul or a missed shot. So Odom goes to option 4, which is give Kobe the ball.
Anybody who watches the lakers can attest to a strange paradox; when Kobe is out of position on the perimeter, Odom gives him the ball. When Kobe is in position on the wing or post, Odom can't get him the ball. What's going on? Something extremely simple and natural. Odom has trouble with entry passes. He's afraid his passes will be picked, as they often do. He's surprisingly inexperienced in half-court playmaking.
So Kobe actually comes out beyond the 3-point line, where defenses allow him to catch the ball, and Odom safely hands him the ball.
Odom isn't frustrated that he's not getting the ball more. Has he ever expressed that? Has he ever criticized Kobe? No, because he's knows Kobe bails him out.
Kobe is the ultimate white-out. The magic eraser. The get-out-jail-free card.
When a play is broken, when Odom sees the defenses that mock his jumper and wait for his offensive foul, he looks towards the emergency button wearing number eight.
So you can try blaming the coaching staff - but who else can initiate the offense? Aaron Mckie was supposed to be the guy. And can we afford to bench kwame, our big offseason acquisition, or put kobe back at the guard spot?
So before we blindly criticize Odom, we have to realize the situation. A guy is being asked to change his game, to develop skills, all on top of learning the intricacies of a complex offense. No other laker, probably no other player in the NBA, has a more difficult task.
