Odom Watch

It's been nearly a month into the NBA free agency period and there STILL is no decision regarding Lamar Odom's basketball future. The star forward is torn between his most recent employers, the Los Angeles Lakers, whom he just won a championship with, and the team that sent him to LA, the Miami Heat. The Lakers had a couple of different offers on the table for Lamar a couple weeks ago, but took them back after Odom allegedly did not respond to them for a while. The latest offer from the Lakers is a 3 year deal worth about $25 million reportedly with performance-based incentives that could push his total salary north of $27 million. The Heat have also approached Odom with a couple different offers, one for 5 years worth $34 million with an opt-out clause after year 4, and another 4 year deal with similar salary per year with a chance to leave after year 3. The Portland Trailblazers have also snuck in an offer of 5 years $40 million, but Odom is not expected to take that into serious consideration.

I understand Lamar wants to do what's best for him and his family, but that has to be staying in LA. The Lakers are not only able to offer him more money than Miami (Side note: This whole "The money is a lot closer once you factor in Florida has no state taxes" is bogus. NBA players are taxed for the money they make in the state they play a particular game in, not by the state in which the team they play for is located in. This means that even though Odom would be playing for Miami, he would be taxed by California when the Heat visit the Lakers and the Clippers. Similarly, When Odom played for the Lakers, he wasn't taxed by Florida when the Lakers were at Miami or Orlando. So Odom gets tax relief for only half a season, not for all 82 games, as if he needs it anyways), but are also built to win championships for the next 3-4 years at least (pending Kobe signing his extension). The Heat, meanwhile, are stuck behind a slew of Eastern Conference teams who also improved this offseason and Dwyane Wade appears ready to jump ship after the upcoming season. There's abslolutely no reason for Lamar to go to a situation like that. No one seems to know Odom's mind in this matter. Some report that Odom is strongly leaning towards Miami and will accept one of their deals shortly if the Lakers do not improve their offer as he wants them to. Others believe Odom's flirtation with the Heat is nothing more than an act to drive up the Lakers' offer before he agrees to return. The most concrete rumor swirling about at the moment is that Lamar will announce his decision very soon.

As frustrating as I'm sure it has been for the Lakers front office to deal with Lamar this month, I honestly don't know why they don't just bump his offer a little more to secure him back into the fold. Wouldn't 4 years $36 million do the trick?? I think that's all he wants. A 4th year for at least $9 million per. The Lakers need to realize that they have an incredible opportunity here with the players they have. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest are all still going to be playing at elite levels for at least the next 3 years. Wouldn't you want add Lamar Odom, who's still on the good side of 30, to that mix?? It would be an upgrade over a team that won the championship last season with the Artest for Ariza swap. The Lakers really can't afford to let Lamar walk away. All the other contenders improved over the offseason. From San Antonio, Dallas, and Portland in the West to the big three of Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando in the East. Essentially trading both Ariza AND Odom for Ron Artest would be a major step backward, and there's no more room for that. When Lamar plays at a high level (which unfortunately is not every game) the Lakers are absolutely unbeatable. It's a guaranteed win. So if Odom plays well in just 4 out of every 7 games during the playoffs, the Lakers are GUARANTEED a title. How sweet a deal is that?? You can't say that about any other team in the league. There's just no replacement for Lamar. His unique skills and talents are extremely valuable. A guy with his size and length, who can handle the ball, pass the ball, and shoot the ball like he does, in addition to being an underrated defender and great rebounder is a rarity in the NBA. In fact, I don't think there's any other player in the league right now comparable to him. The Lakers present all sorts of matchup problems with Odom in the lineup to complete their trio of towering men in the middle. Orlando got to the Finals by creating matchup problems for every team they faced, but the Lakers were able to neutralize them largely because Lamar was the one power forward in the league who could hang with Rashard Lewis on the perimeter defensively and also make him pay on the other end. If Los Angeles loses Lamar, they also lose all the advantages over the rest of the league that they were able to cash in on with him on the squad. They would no longer be favorites to repeat as champs, and I'm not even sure if they would be favored to win the West after the way the Spurs have reloaded their roster. Without Odom, the Lakers would become heavily dependent on the development of Andrew Bynum into a dominant center. That's not an option I'm ready to rely on at this point. Bynum has shown some amazing flashes the last couple seasons, but he has also shown a tendency to get hurt, foul constantly, come up with poor showings in big games, and worry more about getting his own than helping out his teammates and dominating the interior on defense like the Lakers need him to do. I still think he can become a valuable part of a title-winning team, but with Odom on the roster, the pressure is not on Bynum to come up big right now. His development becomes a luxury instead of a necessity. And if he does come along nicely on the back-burner, then the Lakers become an even MORE dangerous team, and downright impossible for anyone to beat. The bottom line is this: The Lakers need Lamar Odom and Lamar Odom needs the Lakers. I'll even buy him candy everyday if he agrees to sign. And I think he will. I gotta belieeeeeve.