When Lamar Odom came to the Lakers, he was the centerpiece of the Shaquille O’Neill trade - a potential all-star with a multi-skill game. The Lakers would succeed without Shaq the way the Bulls succeeded with Michael Jordan. Lamar Odom would be the Scotty Pippen to Kobe’s MJ.
Didn’t happen. Not even close. Lamar is an elite player. He was one of the better players on the disappointing 2004 Olympic Team. He has all-star caliber skills, but he lacks the assertiveness to be a championship team’s second option.
When the Lakers won three championships with Shaq and Kobe, Kobe was the second option. No question about his assertiveness! The Spurs feature a second option tandem of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. No questions there. The Suns have Amare Stoudemire. The Celtics have Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Until this year, the Lakers had Lamar. Given Lamar’s deferential personality, is it surprising the Lakers sputtered?
This year, Lamar is the Third Wheel on the team. Andrew Bynum has emerged as a legitimate second option behind Kobe. He gives the team a low post presence both offensively and defensively. There is now the slightest, vague, shimmering resemblance between Drew and Shaq, and as a result, the team is prospering.
This team is being built on the blueprint of past Lakers championship teams – pair a dominant center with an elite perimeter player and surround them with talented, team-oriented role players. Kobe & Shaq. Magic and Kareem. Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West.
Oh, we’re not there yet. But you can now see the path ahead. Perhaps Mitch Kupchack pulls off a deal before the trade deadline for Jason Kidd (Kwame Brown and anyone else on the roster except for Bynum, Kobe, Fisher, and Lamar) and you’ve got a nucleus that can win now. If not, we keep cheering as Bynum continues to develop. Kobe rescinds his trade demand and professes his undying loyalty to Jerry Buss and the team. Phil signs on for another contract extension. Steve Nash gets a step slower. Tim Duncan, a year or two older, and soon, the Lakers are defeating the Spurs in the Western Conference finals as Bynum dominates Duncan. They face the defending champion Celtics in the Finals and a new era of the Lakers / Celtic rivalry is inaugurated. Kobe takes credit for motivating Andrew Bynum’s improvement with his infamous parking lot diatribe.
And quietly, as this new dynasty emerges, Lamar Odom plays the important role of Third Wheel, behind Kobe and Bynum. He rebounds. He passes. He scores. Occasionally, he dominates. Mostly, he acts as the glue that holds the pieces together. Kobe and Bynum get the glory, but without premier role players like Odom, they don’t get their championships.
