Points in the Paint

» July 27, 2009 9:22 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

John Ireland, who co-hosts 710 ESPN’s Mason & Ireland show, and covers the Lakers daily for KCBS 2 and KCAL 9, reportedly said on radio this morning that Lamar Odom would sign with the Lakers sometime in the next couple of days.

Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times: “No reason to panic, Lakers fans. Whether free agent Lamar Odom stays in Los Angeles or leaves for the Miami Heat, Las Vegas bookmakers said Monday they don’t anticipate anything that would drop the Lakers from their perch as preseason favorites to win the NBA championship — again. ‘Getting [forward Ron] Artest is better than losing Lamar,’ said Jay Rood, director of the MGM/Mirage Race and Sports Book. The Lakers signed free agent Artest this month. ‘The core of that team still is what it is, and as long as you keep Kobe [Bryant] and [Coach] Phil [Jackson], nothing changes.’ At MGM/Mirage, the Lakers are an 8-5 favorite to win the NBA title, followed by the Boston Celtics, and recent addition Rasheed Wallace, at 3-1, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Shaquille O’Neal joining LeBron James, at nearly 4-1. The Orlando Magic are 13-2 and the San Antonio Spurs are 7-1.”

Pistons coach John Kuester describes the interview process for NBA coaches: “In my situation, which is probably different from some of the other candidates, you have to have a plan: what you wanna do with your players, what you wanna do with your practices, what you wanna do with your shootarounds, what you wanna do with your offensive game plan / defensive game plan. I think that is something that has to be discussed, which was, and that was were the process was very thorough… Our conversations on the phone lasted almost, one of them was like two and a half hours, the next one was like two hours, we met for almost two and a half, three hours before that in person.”

The Plain Dealer’s Bud Shaw on “Shooting Stars,” the book LeBron James co-authored with author Buzz Bissinger: “The book deals with his high school years. That was waaaaaay back in the old days. Hence, the rich perspective. Truth is, given the hero worship heaped on him by people of all ages and professions and the challenges he faced growing up, James conducts himself well enough. But self-destruction? Michael Vick is self-destruction. I’m not sure anyone could have become overly smug watching James hit a few speed bumps over the Hummer and the throwback jerseys. It’s customary to blame the media for building someone up, then tearing him or her down. At times it’s even true. James hasn’t lived enough for all that to happen though. To suggest it has is to inject these short-lived incidents with artificial drama.”

Frank Dell’Apa: “The Celtics were prepared to renegotiate with Rondo even before last season’s playoffs. Then, after a strong playoff performance, Rondo believed his value had increased. The problem was, the Celtics thought Rondo was overestimating his worth. Both sides started sending out messages through the media, the Celtics placing Rondo and agent Bill Duffy on the defensive before a truce was apparently called. Any dealings with Rondo will probably remain on the back burner until other roster issues are sorted out and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge returns from vacation next week.”

John Schuhmann on Kevin Love’s showing at the minicamp: “Though he didn’t do much on Saturday, Love opened some eyes with his performance in the two days of practice. He rebounded well on both ends, passed well, and shot well from mid-range. He’s young, but there will be a need for another big man next year, and he was the best big in camp.”

Coach K on Derrick Rose, as reported by Sam Smith: “Derrick’s a much better player now,” said Krzyzewski. “Vinny (Del Negro) and his staff have done a great job with him. I don’t think the NBA gets credit with the amount of teaching they do. With Derrick you can see the maturity. I’ve talked to him about his shooting and he said, ‘Coach, I know I have to get better. I work every day.’ I said, ‘Your defense has been better.’ And there’s his commitment. I watch the NBA game a lot during the year. In trying to get to know these guys I talk to them. I said to Derrick, ‘You were a rookie who never hit the wall. How did that happen?’ He said, ‘I play basketball. That’s all I did.’ He said, ‘You hit the wall if you are doing other things.’ I think that shows his passion and love for the game.”

Scott Bordow of the East Valley Tribune: “After listening to Steve Nash for 15 minutes on a conference call Monday, I can’t decide whether he’s incredibly loyal or completely misguided. By signing a two-year contract extension with the Suns, the 35-year-old Nash all but guaranteed he’ll never win an NBA title. Yet he’s not only OK with that, he’s reveling in the fact he’ll likely finish his career as a Sun. ‘Even if you go to the team that comes in second, what does it matter?’ Nash said. ‘If you don’t win it, you don’t win it. I’d obviously love to win a championship but chasing that can be really fleeting. I think it’s a much more stable and intelligent outlook to be part of a group that you really love and enjoy a situation and an organization that you’re proud of and want to be part of … I don’t want to give up on this team and this franchise.’ On one hand, I can appreciate Nash’s sentiments. Too many people define success as having it all. If Nash never wins a title but plays out his final days content with what he’s done and who he is, can that be considered a failure? Wouldn’t most of us love to feel that way? And yet I wonder if Nash eventually will have second thoughts. If the Suns go downhill quickly, will he berate himself for not being more ambitious?”