Are Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince and L.A.’s Lamar Odom the NBA’s best fourth stars?
September 03 08
Imitation is flattery. And nearly every NBA franchise has tried imitating the Chicago Bulls three-star model after Michael, Scottie, and Horace/Dennis spent the nineties winning more championship ice than Jacob the Jeweller.
Most successful teams still build around a star trio, though. Last year, Boston sipped champagne because of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. San Antonio has won three NBA Titles behind Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker.
Still, with the league becoming increasingly competitive, a new four-star model is starting to emerge.
The reasons are simple. The NBA is a talent driven league. And teams with the most talent host June parades with the Lawrence O’Brien trophy. If trios become the norm, franchises would likely move towards four-stars to stay competitive.
Detroit, for example, used this system to win an NBA Title. Tayshaun Prince, their ’fourth piece’, spent the summer with Redeem Team USA and is one of basketball’s best two-way players.
The lanky swing does most things well. On offense, he thrives as a complementary option, hitting open jumpers and scoring off broken plays. On defense, the Prince is very much a ‘King’. He can guard four positions and possesses the athleticism to challenge shots.
(Ten of Prince’s crunch-time blocks.)
Prince, however, suddenly faces competition from L.A.’s Lamar Odom. That’s right. Jadakiss’ former running mate is now a fourth star (click here and wait until three minutes of the youtube clip).
After all, Kobe Bryant is the Lakers’ undisputed top dog. Pau Gasol is the new number two and Andrew Bynum, when he returns to health, is likely the third option. So Odom, one of the NBA’s most polarizing players, has fallen to fourth-banana status.
The Southpaw could thrive in a reduced role. Odom never enjoyed being the purple-and-gold’s second option on offense. As the fourth piece, he’ll still post double figures in points and rebounds, while maintaining the ability to facilitate for teammates.
Detroit and L.A. are providing alternatives to the trio system. If either wins the 2008-09 NBA Title, imitation could once again become flattery and four-stars could become the championship standard.
Is the four-star model replacing the trio system? Who is the NBA’s best fourth star: Prince, Odom, or someone else? Get at us in the comment box below and return to HoopsVibe The Blog for more NBA tidbits. Photo courtesy of compujeramey.
14 Comments: Are Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince and L.A.’s Lamar Odom the NBA’s (...)
lamar odom is underated.. tayshaun get his props, here and there .
Posted by john on 09.5.2008
damn, prince looking like a beast in that video with them long arms he got.lol .
Posted by john on 09.5.2008
lamar odom is underated .
Posted by ghjtgjk on 09.5.2008
tashawn prince sucks .. he was team bitch of the usa team .
Posted by
on 09.5.2008
I actually like the Raptors 4 of Calderon, Parker (very underrated) Bosh and O’neal. They are a really deep team. .
Posted by Sniper’05 on 09.5.2008
lol!!! LAKERS SUCKS!!!! that’s the truth!!! they are overhyped by the media, but the truth is... they are OVERRATED!!! remember the finals against boston, the media brainwashed basketball fans how the lakers are dominant, but in fact they really sucks!!!! KOBE,PAU and ODOM was shut down by PIERCE, KG and ALLEN!!!! lol!!!! go BOSTON!!!! .
Posted by
on 09.5.2008
yo keg, shut up. u r just hating because your teem isnt as big as the lakers. of course a 4star team is good but remember when it comes down to it, the whole team matters! .
Posted by john on 09.4.2008
Watch out for Luis Scola this season if he continues to improve. He’s a slimy, slippery little S.O.B. .
Posted by Lefty Love on 09.4.2008
Why do they have to be 4th starters? I could make a strong case that they could be atleast 3’s on their teams. They are underrated that’s for sure .
Posted by
on 09.4.2008
i like hearin’ these comments from scrubs who think they know everything, while never gettin’ any kind of burn on any kind of court...while they criticizin’ every lil’ mistake the players make, they stil gettin’ paid to play pro bball so unless ur suitin’ up next season, i’d say there’s very lil’ room for arguments over one player’s status when the rest of these chumps can only dream of bein’ the center of any type of sports-related attention so just leave it at that .
Posted by Sniper’05 on 09.4.2008
odom will look like a bench warmer when they face the Celtics again in the finals! lol!! i’d go with prince... he’s solid and consistent!!! and terrific defender, of course!!! .
Posted by dc on 09.4.2008
haha yeh odom need 2 give it up.... and they needed 2 get ron ron! .
Posted by Odom pand g on 09.4.2008
Odom is the NBA’s best star. Better than Prince He will help LA WIN THE NBA Title. I like the four star model indeed .
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About Oly Sandor
Daily take on NBA
Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More
