From the perspective of a professional athlete, flying under the radar and being unappreciated for your immeasurable contribution is more than likely a seldom-sought prospect. But when it comes to the notion of accepting and playing that role of the unselfish jack-of-all-trades on a potential NBA dynasty team, no one could execute the task or a smooth rangy take to the cup at 6’10 better than Lamar Odom.
Next to Kobe Bryant, Lamar has endured the most criticism as a Laker since his arrival through the infamous Shaq-to-Miami deal many moons ago.
When the Lakers spent the first few immediate years into Odom’s arrival as a bottom-dwelling “playoff” team in the strong Western Conference, fingers were pointed towards Lamar. He was nowhere near the stratosphere of the strong legacy that three-time NBA Finals MVP, Shaquille O’Neal, had built for the better part of seven years in L.A.
Year after year, Odom’s name would be thrown in multiple trade rumors and such, to the delight of many Laker fans, but for whatever reason, the trigger was never pulled.
Perhaps back then, not even LO realized his full potential as an instrumental piece to the hopeful championship puzzle we all dreamt of resurrecting, but maybe the Lakers’ front office and coaching staff did.
Now here we are, seven years post-Shaq, nearing the end of 2010 and chasing what would be an outrageous fourth three-peat for the Lord of NBA Rings, Phil Jackson.
Would we be in this position if not for Lamar Odom being a part of the glorious affair?
Not a chance.
NEXT: Summer Solstice
For many NBA players, the summer season is the perfect time of year to go fishing – some obviously taking more trips than others. For Lamar Odom and the rest of Team USA however, those two to three months that we all look forward to year-round, were spent collecting gallons of sweat in the name of continuing this country’s reinstitution of dominance in basketball worldwide. On the heels of winning one of the most dramatic NBA Finals to date, Odom immediately embraced a role of leadership on a team where he was all of a sudden, one of the old guys.
Not only was Lamar essentially asked to set the tone in the locker room and practice by Coach K, he was also asked to play heavy minutes as the team’s center following a string of injuries and unforeseen circumstances.
If it was indeed the case that LO did not truly realize just how far he could go as a basketball player, the road could not have been paved any clearer for the most versatile big man in the game today – maybe even ever.
Granted, the numbers, 7.1 ppg and 7.7 rpg in nine games, aren’t going to force anyone to bat an eyelash, but he did shoot 53% from the field and we have to keep it all in proper context.
This past summer’s 2010 FIBA World Championship gold medal team featured to-be perennial All-Stars such as Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose.
Again, Lamar was picked for the team due to his invaluable experience of having played in mega playoff series en route to winning back-to-back NBA titles.
By nature, he is a cool customer on the court, always remaining calm and collected in the face of adversity, perhaps a product of enduring heavy trials and tribulations throughout his life.
With fellow NBA veteran and champion Chauncey Billups by his side as the other senior member leading the way for a very young Team USA squad, Lamar and his more youthful cohorts captured the gold medal against host country, Turkey. The victory capped off what currently stands as the best year of basketball in his career.
Aforementioned stud point-guards Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook are having All-Star seasons and other Team USA players such as Kevin Love, Rudy Gay and Eric Gordon are having comparably outstanding seasons.
So is Odom. In fact, he’s playing the best basketball of his entire career.
While he only speaks on the matter when the question is proposed, if Lamar is ever going to be an NBA All-Star, the honor that has evaded him forever while even the likes of Mo Williams has gained de facto admission, that time is now.
NEXT: What more do you want?
This season, Lamar is averaging 16.2 points per game, his highest as a Laker, snatching 10 boards a game and shooting a blistering 59% from the field, 40% from deep, both career highs. More importantly, he’s started all year long, playing an average of 35 minutes per contest in the absence of Andrew Bynum so, the argument that he’s “only a reserve” carries absolutely no bearing. While this particular condition may soon change, it shouldn’t matter if he continues to play at this clip.
We know he’s always been a beast on the boards, but his scoring efficiency is what is truly making this a standout season for Lamar. Never before has he let the game come to him with such fluidity and ease, which is what we’ve all wanted to see for so long.
The honor of being an NBA All-Star is determined by how a player performs in the first half of the season and by all accounts of measurement and pure fact, LO has never had a stronger case to finally have the outsoles of his sneakers squeak up and down the illustrious stage.
It’s funny to think that about a year and a half ago, when the prospect of potentially losing Odom to free agency was on the fringe of becoming a regretful reality, for the first time, his value to the Lakers was truly recognized and honored.
What other big man in the league do you know that can put the ball on the deck with the precise handling of a point-guard and take his man to the rack pretty much anytime he wants?
Is this to say that he’s always played up to expectations?
Of course not.
Sure, there have been more than enough moments where Odom left all of us scratching our heads in utter frustration, but there have been many more plays and instances where he showed us all why he belongs – especially this season.
And back-to-back titles later, can you really say that we could have done it without him?
There is no other “reserve” player in this league who can start on any other team in the league and easily be a 20 and 10 guy night in and night out. That’s what makes LO so special. He is that irreplaceable steady hand that perfectly complements Hall of Famers like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in our championship mix. He doesn’t have a huge ego to check at the door nor does he need to get however many touches on offense to positively impact each game.
Personally, I can only hope that coaches around the league recognize the luminous season Lamar is having thus far and will anoint him worthy of being an All-Star. But since the politics involved in that arena guarantees nothing, Laker fans, I urge you, log onto NBA.com every chance you get and vote for him as I have been.
One way or another, Odom deserves to grace the planks of the All-Star court and what better city is there to do that for the first time in than, his own homecourt.
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