Halftime Hype

Finally, the man made up his mind. After weeks of ongoing negotiations, rumors of heading to South Beach, and pure pandemonium Lamar Odom has chosen to resign with the Lakers. The report initially came from Halftime Hype's longtime fav, J.A. Adande, with L.O. reportedly earning $33 mil in the next four years. This move doesn't just equalize the playing field between an Eastern Conference dominated free agency, but almost ensures another ring for the Lake Show.

Even before Odom was resigned, if you think about it, the Lakers still had the pieces necessary for contention: clutch shots and the IQ of D-Fish, the best player in the game, Kobe, one of the best defensive players and total mad-dog, Ron Artest, finesse, post-play, and some mid-range game in Pau, and lots of potential ready to burst at any time from Bynum. However, you and I can only imagine the stress on these starters - after all, the once infamous "Bench Mob" is no longer much of a threat.

Odom's acquisition actually does several unique things. First off, it buys Ron Artest more time to learn the triangle offense and get settled in. I predict that Lamar would be starting during the initial stretch of the season, maybe just a few games, until Ron Ron gets the hang of things. Secondly, once Artest does start, fans and the team alike can be sure that the Lakers' five on the floor won't plummet when a substitution is made. Plus, there's always that possibility that Artest gets thrown out of the game and a replacement is needed right away.



Before one gets too carried away, though, one should examine what Odom turned down. The Trailblazers, a team that has desperately been negotiating with free agents but all to no avail, was ready to pay the champ $40 mil in 5 years - slightly, less than his current contract. The Heat, on the other hand, who seemed anxious to sign Lamar after hearing D-Wade's demands, offered a deal of $34 mil for 5 years - equal to $6.8 mil a season.

So far, there's nothing to my knowledge that could've changed Odom's mind other than a bit more cash. Although, there was news that his teammates, Fisher and Kobe, were trying to reach his cell, but that was happening weeks ago. Maybe L.O. couldn't help but to nostalgically remember his days in the Sunshine State. After all, in his lone season with the Heat, he averaged 17 points and about 10 rebounds. He also was healthy (and talented) enough to start in 80 games, a career-best which he's only matched once. And if he chose to venture off to Portland, he would be arriving to a young team and would play the role of the wise veteran (translation: the whole team would look up to him).

It may have just been the championship giddiness that caused the delay. Of course, in the end it probably came down to money - and the possiblity of winning another championship.