Posted on Mon, Jan. 16, 2006

HEAT NOTEBOOK
Payton, Odom set for Round 2

BY ISRAEL GUTIERREZ
igutierrez@MiamiHerald.com

It was the type of interaction fans wanted to see from Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

Instead, they had to settle for heated exchanges between Gary Payton and Lamar Odom.

The two were in each other's faces regularly during the Heat-Lakers game on Christmas Day, escalating to the point where they had to be separated after the final buzzer sounded.

In the locker room after the game, Odom said Payton's words were harsh enough to potentially lead to an off-court confrontation.

''It's dudes like that, that's why things happen off the court between players and their friends and things like that,'' Odom said. ``He needs to watch how he talks to other men.''

Was that a threat? Probably not. But Payton is ready just in case.

''If he wants to do that, then he can bring his boys into the fight, because I got a lot of them,'' Payton said. ``I don't care about that.''

Actually, to Payton, the incident ended once the two players left the AmericanAirlines Arena floor.

''I might have said something that might have gotten into his skin,'' said Payton, who wouldn't repeat what he told Odom. ``That's fine. I'm not going to take it to another level. But if you want to take it to another level, I'm not going to back down.

``I don't need to take it to the streets. Taking it to the streets for what? Because we played some basketball and said something about somebody? That's childish to me.''

Odom said Sunday that the quiet approach might be the way to go in tonight's rematch.

''I'm not going to answer him,'' Odom said. ``The last time I got into it with him, he kicked our butts.''

And just like the Kobe-Shaq relationship, Odom doesn't expect any kind words from Payton, either.

'He doesn't have to say `I'm sorry,' '' he said. ``For what, competing on the basketball court?

``Everything is cool. Hunky-dory.''

Posted by nyk4ever:

Posted by BigC:

Some guys like Payton are stuck in a timezone. Some people are the same person they were when they were 17. Their personality do not progress. They stay stagnant while everyone else keeps on evolving.

Millions of dollars, a posse, people being a yes-man and when you've been coddled by coaches since 17 will do it.

Posted by nyk4ever:

Posted by BigC:

Posted by nyk4ever:

Posted by BigC:

Some guys like Payton are stuck in a timezone. Some people are the same person they were when they were 17. Their personality do not progress. They stay stagnant while everyone else keeps on evolving.

Millions of dollars, a posse, people being a yes-man and when you've been coddled by coaches since 17 will do it.

Agreed!
You have to hear AI's posse. They walk around saying ,"Your the Man," almost every time he says, "Who da Man?" Atleast his old crew did when he first got into the league.

Good god. I guess he must treat them pretty well for people to demean themselves like that.

AI's Crew and mother are known to max out his credit cards. You can only imagine his credit limit.

Posted by BigC:

Some guys like Payton are stuck in a timezone. Some people are the same person they were when they were 17. Their personality do not progress. They stay stagnant while everyone else keeps on evolving.

Posted by BigC:

Posted by nyk4ever:

Posted by BigC:

Some guys like Payton are stuck in a timezone. Some people are the same person they were when they were 17. Their personality do not progress. They stay stagnant while everyone else keeps on evolving.

Millions of dollars, a posse, people being a yes-man and when you've been coddled by coaches since 17 will do it.

Agreed!
You have to hear AI's posse. They walk around saying ,"Your the Man," almost every time he says, "Who da Man?" Atleast his old crew did when he first got into the league.

My son, daughter, and wife (aka: my posse) does the same thing for me.