Monday, October 25, 2010

SCOUTING THE ROSTER: POWER FORWARDS

Lamar Odom is surrounded by members of the media at a U.S. national basketball team practice in Las Vegas, Nevada July 21, 2010. REUTERS/Laura Rauch (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

LAMAR ODOM: (Also Small Forward) Things have been getting better and better for Lamar Odom whilst he's been a Laker. Those troubled Clipper days seem so far away right now. Now on the other side of the staple, these days L.O. is an established Laker and a better choice than Shaquille O'Neal right now. Although we miss daddy this Laker child worked out better in the long run after all. Lamar should be sixth man of the year this season and definitely deserves an over due All-Star selection. Still however most All-Stars don't have gold medals or Kardashians. Things are looking up for Lamar. Odom doesn't need it all however because he does it all. L.O. Is still versatile his initials should be changed to X and O. On both ends of the floor this centre tall forward (that runs the floor like a guard) brings Magic every night. Providing the Lakers with more tricks up those long sleeves. Speaking of long sleeves Lamar's wing span is so huge, it's more Hollywood sign than the Staples floor. This season nobody's going to pass him by.

NEW YORK - MARCH 09: Derrick Caracter #32 of the Louisville Cardinals handles the ball against Levon Kendall #14 of the Pittsburgh Panthers during the semifinals of the Big East Championship at Madison Square Garden On March 9, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

DERRICK CARACTER: To make it on this team you need a little bit of character. Derrick may be short of a 'h', but he isn't a loss on 'D' ensuring the Lakers don't have an '0' in the middle. Sure Caracter was taken even later in the draft than Ebanks (58Th to be exact) but he has still impressed early in seldom time in the preseason. He's come up big in preseason games when star players have taken a night off and when the big games start this week Derrick may not burn the brightest but he still won't be small time. We may even see Derrick shine more in highlights with his frontcourt versatility and the Bynum setback. It's time for Caracter to show us the real him.

Los Angeles Lakers Pau Gasol screams after being fouled and scoring a basket during the second half in Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series against the Boston Celtics in Los Angeles, California June 3, 2010 . REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL IMAGES OF THE DAY)

PAU GASOL: (Also Centre) Pau Gasol is the perfect sidekick to Kobe Bryant. Scottie Pippen to Kobe's Jordan with a little Kukoc. Pau can flip between the forward position and the spot left vacant by Bynums knee. Gasol is a heavy scorer, heavy on defense and an all round player. Without Bryant, Gasol is the franchise player, still believe that. It's surprising this dynamo has been asked to step it up because even though he's 'taken a vacation' this offseason when he's been on the floor he's been all work. You can tell by that greasy, sweaty mop some would call hair and that psycho killers stare and scream after big plays. Sure Gasol might not look his best sometimes, (doesn't matter though the ladies still love him) but his game is nothing but beautiful. Plus he has stepped it up to boot. Ever since Kevin Garnett bullied him in the losing '08 finals Gasol has showed the strength and competitiveness of the fighting Irish, something Beantown didn't want to see this year. This former Jackson dubbed 'grasshoper' has turned into a Spanish bull fighter. Jiminy Crickets! Once you see Gasol working those Olive Oil flapping arms in the post it's hard not to slip up. The green team better have eaten their spinach this year. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

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