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Answering your NBA questions: Lakers need Odom
How important is it for the Lakers to re-sign Lamar Odom? Does Ron Artest make Odom somewhat expendable? Or will it be impossible to replace him? — JJ, Los Angeles, CA

Meanwhile, the young man is an extraordinary athlete with adhesive hands and way above-average speed and quickness. Injuries have interrupted his education, and his lingering adolescent mindset has been another impediment.

I don't think there's any doubt that the Lakers were wise to make an expensive and long-term commitment to Bynum's future. Unless they could get somebody like Dwight Howard in exchange, trading Bynum would be foolish.

Where do you rank Maurice Stokes in the pantheon of NBA greats? Did you ever see him play? I'm 74 and a lifetime NBA fan. — Andy Goldman, Rochester, NY

Yes, I saw Stokes play several times, wearing the striped shorts that the Rochester Royals had back then.

Stokes was a 6-foot-7, 240-pound powerhouse who played from 1955-58 before a brain disease terminated his career and ultimately hastened his death (1970). He could handle, pass (5.3 assists per game lifetime) and rebound (17.3), and given the lower scores characteristic of that era, he could also put points on the board (16.4) on powerhouse drives and midrange jumpers. Among his contemporaries, his lifetime shooting percentage of 35.1 percent was also slightly above average. Even though he was still in the process of learning the pro game, Stokes was a three-time All-Star back when the participants were chosen by the league's coaches.

More than his numbers, Stokes' exuberant presence dominated ball games. He played with a joyful intensity that was contagious and that raised the level of play of both his teammates and his opponents.

Stokes would certainly be among the top 20 power forwards in NBA history.

A modern equivalent would be Charles Barkley — with Stokes being more consistent on defense, showing more game-to-game intensity, but with a more limited offensive repertoire.

If Stokes had stayed healthy and continued to develop, I'd much rather have Stokes on my team than Barkley in his prime.

You rated Blake Griffin's NBA potential as average to slightly above average. But most of the pro scouts rated him as he best player in the draft and a future star. So, are you more astute than all the others, or what do you see that they do not? — Ken Driscoll, Cedar Rapids, IA

Being the best player in the draft is a relative judgment and says more about the other draftees than it does about Griffin.

In any event, even Marty Blake, the NBA's guru of talent evaluation, says that the draft is always a crapshoot.

And as far as the expertise of many NBA scouts, I can only refer to the following first-round picks that have been made in recent years: Shelden Williams, DerMarr Johnson, Troy Bell, Luke Jackson, Maurice Ager, Julius Hodge, Darko Milicic, Mateen Cleaves, Patrick O'Bryant, Brandon Armstrong, David Harrison, Cedric Simmons, Mike Sweetney, Frederic Weis, Reece Gaines, Jiri Welsch, Casey Jacobson, Sergei Monia, Saer Sene and so on.

What I feel are Griffin's most serious shortcomings include his ineffective jumper, his lack of sophisticated face-up moves and his utter lack of any NBA-ready defensive technique. His speed, power and athleticism are not necessarily enough to make him a budding All-Star.

Of course, his game will improve over the years. But to repeat: The Los Angeles Clippers are not the best environment for Griffin to learn his trade. That's because the front office is a mess, Mike Dunleavey is not an especially good teacher and the roster is clogged with selfish knuckleheads.

For sure, Griffin may eventually put up sufficient numbers to warrant being a "star", but that's the easy part. Otherwise, there are too many factors he has to overcome to ever be considered a bona-fide elite NBA player.

Only time will tell.

Do you think Allen Iverson will begin the 2009-10 season in a situation in which he is happy and can be himself? — Alusine Barry, Philadelphia, PA

It's clear that A.I. will be happier starting for a bad team than coming off the bench for a good team. Indeed, if starting is his top priority, then he'll eventually sign with a bum team like Memphis or Sacramento.

For Iverson to "be himself" means the following: