It's Sunday which means it's time to take a look at what the wonderful world of the NBA taught us this week.
Lakers Can't Afford to Lose Odom
Losing Trevor Ariza was one thing. The prospect of losing Lamar Odom is a different thing altogether for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Spending the last few days in Las Vegas and talking to player personnel people from around the league, there's one notion that has become virtually universal: When Odom is playing well the Los Angeles Lakers are essentially unbeatable.
Does that mean the Lakers can't win a title next season without him? Of course not. However, things will be much tougher should he depart.
At this point it's hard not to be curious and deconstruct what exactly is going on between Odom's camp and the Lakers. Thing is, it doesn't matter.
The Lakers have to do whatever it takes to get Odom back in Los Angeles, and that's the bottom-line. Now is not the time to worry about blaming agents or to start playing games. The Lakers have to reach out and do whatever it takes to bring Odom back.
One Western Conference GM speaking on the condition of anonymity this week told me: "I hope Portland or Miami gets Odom. Anything to get him out of LA."
Other NBA people around Las Vegas this week expressed similar sentiments.
That should be all the Lakers need to hear.
Yes, Odom is inconsistent. And yes, if the Lakers give him what he wants they may be overpaying for his services.
However, the risks involved with not retaining Odom are simply too high.
The Lakers need to act... now.
Patience Required with Thabeet
Memphis Grizzlies rookie center Hasheem Thabeet has been a punch-line on media row this week in Las Vegas. In short, he hasn't looked like a player worthy of being a high second round pick let alone the #2 overall pick in the draft.
In Saturday's game Thabeet actually missed four dunks. To say he looks raw on the offensive end would be an understatement.
"Sometimes I'm rushing the shots," said Thabeet. "I ended up missing a couple of dunks (Saturday). To me this is a process of growing up as a player and as a person. I want to be a better player, and I'm going to keep working hard."
When asked what has been the biggest adjustment for him thus far, Thabeet replied: "The game pace. The guys are so big and fast and as strong as you. When you go out there you've got to be ready."
Spending some time with Thabeet this week I really like the kid on a personal level and believe he means well. However, fans in Memphis are going to have to be patient because he's not NBA ready yet.
"I've only played basketball now for a short time, just a couple of years," Thabeet explained. "To me, I'm progressing pretty well. I definitely know I am going to work harder than the other guys because they've been playing basketball their whole life and I've been playing basketball only for a short time. In order to win the battle I'm going to have to work harder than them."
Thabeet has been heckled by fans and ripped by some in the media this week largely because he hasn't lived up to the billing as a #2 overall pick. When asked if that has him feeling additional pressure, Thabeet responded: "I wouldn't say that it puts that much (pressure on me). When you go out there you're not a number. In the draft they are looking at a lot of stuff. They are not looking at the first year to take your team to the playoffs. They are looking forward for the future, what you're going to be doing the next couple of years. I want people to say I really came a long way because if you look at seven years ago I never thought I would be in Vegas one day playing summer league."
Like it or not, Thabeet is a project. There's certainly no way I'm ready to proclaim he's a bust, though, and anyone willing to do so this early in the game is not someone I would take seriously.
All that said, fans in Memphis need to be realistic with this kid next season. Reasonable expectations will lead to far less disappointment and more patience with the process.
MORE BY TRAVIS HEATH
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State of the New Orleans Hornets: HOOPSWORLD takes a look at the state of the cash-strapped New Orleans... 
State of the Denver Nuggets: HOOPSWORLD examines what the Denver Nuggets have done so far this summer... Former Denver Nuggets guard Dahntay Jones was sitting directly behind the Nuggets' bench just prior to Friday's summer league action talking to the young son of one of Denver's assistant coaches. Despite the fact he had just signed a four-year, $11 million deal with the Indiana Pacers, it was easy to tell that Jones was still trying to come to terms with the reality that he was no longer going to be a Denver Nugget.
"It's definitely tough," Jones confided. "I'll be honest with you, my heart probably got in it a little bit too much. I really didn't want to leave my guys in Denver. I love those guys. They are like brothers to me, and we had a great time together. But this was a decision I had to make for me and my family and for the rest of my career. It never really clicked with me until I actually signed my contract that I was leaving Denver. I hadn't really prepared for it and it was really rough for me."
Jones spoke with Nuggets' players and coaches throughout the night on Friday and almost looked like he was still a member of the team. And truth be told, had things gone the way he wanted he would still be in Denver. While he still loves his teammates, Jones is currently wrestling with some conflicted feelings he has towards the front office.
"I think Denver did want to keep me and were just unwilling to match the number," Jones explained. "I don't know how to gauge that situation. They knew I wanted to come back, but they didn't want to make that kind of commitment. That's really what it was."
While the Nuggets were focused on retaining Chris Andersen, the front office of the Indiana Pacers was busy making an offer Jones simply couldn't refuse.
"Indiana is a young team on the rise," said Jones. "It was an opportunity for me to play the same role I did in Denver and expand upon it. Larry Bird and David Morway were very excited about the opportunity to get me and told me they really believed I could help their team."
Making $11 million over four years may not seem like much money by NBA standards, but for a guy who was in Las Vegas last year fighting for the chance just to be on a NBA roster again it's quite an ascent in one year's time.
"I had to create some kind of niches for myself and some kind of identity," Jones explained. "That was something I was struggling with. In Denver I found that. I'm happy with the role I have to play in Indiana, and it's a role I'll play throughout the rest of my career. I had to work for my opportunity, and I wasn't given anything. Because of my personal struggle to get to where I am I really think I appreciate it more."
Expect to see Jones frustrating his fair share of offensive players over the next four years in Indiana, and don't be surprised if he very quickly becomes a fan favorite.
Is Vinny Del Negro The Long-Term Answer For Chicago?
It has been said that being a rookie in the NBA isn't easy. The same can be said about rookie head coaches. Such was the case last season with Vinny Del Negro in Chicago.
"There's just so many decisions that have to be made everyday from practices to player decisions," Del Negro explained. "It was a very big learning experience for me. I'm just trying to get better at my craft all the time. I still have room to improve as a coach.
"I was so lucky to have played so long and learned from so many coaches, but I think it's important to have your own philosophy and do your own things that you want to do as a coach. I do also try to pick the brain of other successful coaches while trying to continue to develop my own philosophy."
After a very difficult start, the Bulls made a nice run late in the season. It appeared that Del Negro was becoming a better coach on the fly. However, next season will present some unique challenges for the second year general, not the least of which will include adjusting to life without Ben Gordon after he departed the Windy City in favor of Detroit earlier this summer.
"It's tough to lose a guy like Ben who can put the ball in the basket," Del Negro admitted. "He bailed us out a lot at the end of games. Other guys are going to have to step up and make plays. We're going to have to be more efficient in other areas to make up for that loss. Derrick Rose has to continue to develop along with Joakim (Noah) and Tyrus (Thomas), our young core. We just have to try and build on the momentum we got last year.
"Every year is a different challenge. We still have a young team and got two new draft picks in James Johnson and Taj Gibson. We are trying to build on the momentum at the end of last year, but understand that we have still a lot of growing to do as a team. Adding John Salmons and Brad Miller, some veteran guys to go with Kirk Hinrich, really stabilized us a little bit, but there's still a lot of work to be done."
Fans in Chicago have been waiting for Thomas to realize his potential after showing flashes of brilliance. Del Negro is hopeful he can deliver in a big way next season.
"He's had a very productive summer so far," said Del Negro. "He's trying get a little bit stronger. He's already so athletic and does a lot of things on the court. He grew some as a player last year but now has to continue to grow and be more consistent. He's still got a big upside and has been working really hard, so I expect him to have a good year."
Del Negro is going to need Thomas and others to have a good year in order for him to convince Bulls' management that he is the long-term answer as head coach. Even though Del Negro is under contract through the 2010-11 season, NBA front offices have shown an increasing tendency to pull the plug on young coaches very quickly.
That's not good news for Del Negro unless he can help the Bulls pick up where they left off at the end of last season.
The Troubling Tale of Skita
Nikoloz Tskitishvili was the 5th overall selection in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. At the time, GM Kiki Vandeweghe was hoping to cash in on the European craze. The end result was not what the Nuggets were hoping for and that's probably putting it lightly.
It's easy to jump on Skita and say he didn't live up to the hype. However, it's worth asking how much blame should be put on the player in this kind of situation. It's not as though Tskitishvili was the one creating his own hype.
It's tough to see a person like Skita fail because he's such a nice guy. Unfortunately, being nice counts for nothing in the NBA. Just talking to him, though, it becomes clear pretty quickly that he wished things would have worked out for him in Denver and feels as though he let some people in the organization down.
"It really hurts seeing other guys make it, especially when you are one of the top picks and you can't really make it," Tskitishvili admitted. " Also, I understand myself that maybe I wasn't ready yet, I was too young, I came too early. I wasn't getting down on myself. I had a long time to reach my goal. Now I'm 26-years-old and I'm pretty sure I'm ready."
The good news for Tskitishvili is that other NBA teams are still giving him a look this summer. Prior to Vegas Summer League his old coach with Benetton Treviso, Mike D'Antoni, came calling.
"Two years ago I played in summer league games with the Nuggets," Tskitishvili explained. " After that I played in Italy and Spain. I played some decent minutes, had decent numbers, and feel really good about my game. I'm playing on New York's summer league team and trying the best I can to make it back to the league again.
"(D'Antoni) contacted my agent and asked about me. I was in San Francisco just working out with Bob Hill who used to coach Seattle. My agent told me about it and I got really excited to be with an NBA team especially with Mike, one of my favorite coaches in basketball history."
Honestly, Skita has looked pretty good this week playing for the Knicks summer league team. That said, this is a venue where he has always looked pretty good, so it's hard to know if anything productive will come of it once the NBA's regular season commences. Moreover, it seems as though the European game may be a better fit for Tskitishvili's skill-set.
"I played better in the European game because I'm a shooter," he acknowledged. " They play more tactically, and here it's a more physical game. Before I was really weak playing here. My physical ability wasn't there. Now I've gotten stronger, grown up, and matured. I feel pretty confident in myself, and I think I'm ready."
I hope Tsktishvili is right because I really like the guy. However, the rational part of my brain tells me Skita will likely never play a meaningful role on a NBA team.
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