Odom’s return ensures Lakers are again title favorites
The Cleveland Cavaliers added Shaq. The Boston Celtics signed Rasheed Wallace. The Orlando Magic traded for Vince Carter. The San Antonio Spurs got both Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess. The New Orleans Hornets traded for Emeka Okafor. The Dallas Mavericks re-signed Jason Kidd and traded for Shawn Marion.
Am I missing a contender for the 2009-10 NBA championship?
Oh yes, the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers. The champs did lose Trevor Ariza but signed free agent Ron Artest. However, the team’s most important move might have been to finally agree on a contract with its own free agent, Lamar Odom, who was very close to bolting for Miami. That signing cinches the Lakers as the odds-on favorites to repeat on WagerWeb.com no matter what all those other teams did.
The valuable sixth man got a four-year deal worth up to $33 million if the Lakers exercise their option on the fourth season. He will get a guaranteed $27 million from the new contract, matching the original value of the three-year, $27 million deal Lakers owner Jerry Buss pulled off the table earlier this month. When Buss pulled that offer, the Heat started really recruiting Odom.
“I always wanted to come back because we won the championship,” Odom said. “I’m playing for the biggest brand in the world. And I’m playing with the most fluid, talented center in the world in Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum’s coming back and of course Kobe Bryant.
“But to now get an opportunity to play with Ron Artest, a guy I’ve known 16 years, it means a lot. I told Ron Ron a few weeks ago I couldn’t walk away. I still had to fight. Everytime negotiations didn’t go the way I thought, I just took a step back, like them pulling the offer off the table, I just knew I had to fight.”
In spite of a back injury suffered in the second round of the playoffs against Houston, Odom averaged 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 32 minutes per game during the postseason. The 6-foot-10 Odom is so valuable because he can play three positions: small forward, power forward or center. So he basically can back up Artest, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. No team in the NBA can match that type of depth.
This is a huge blow to the Heat, who are trying to keep Dwyane Wade happy before he becomes a free agent next summer.
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