Signing Lamar Odom Is Low-Risk, High-Reward Venture for LA Lakers

Lamar Odom's career has derailed ever since he left the Los Angeles Lakers.

A fan favorite during his tenure with the Lakers, Odom may be a declining big man, but re-signing him for a discount could help bolster a weakened Lakers' frontcourt.

Consider the risk involved. The only negative here is that the Lakers could possibly sign a deteriorating veteran for the league minimum to ride the pine and play garbage minutes.

As Odom showed last season, he still has some gas left in the tank. 

While his 2012-13 season averages of four points, two assists and six rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game were laughably pathetic compared to his career averages (13.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists), he was still a reliable ball-handler and rebounding presence when given the minutes.



What Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni wants from his players is to run-and-gun. In order to do that, the Lakers have retooled their roster with young and athletic shooters like Nick Young and Wesley Johnson.

Odom can help in establishing this system because he is able to both rebound and simultaneously start the fast break with his ball-handling abilities.

They won't need him to score a copious amount of points on offense or be a shot-blocking machine on defense. All the Lakers would need from Odom would be his rebounding skills and his passing ability.

If he is able to hit a three-point shot here and there, that would be a bonus.

Although Odom only shot 20 percent from three-point range last season, he has proven to be an average three-point shooter in the past.



However, high-volume three-point shooting isn't what the Lakers need from him. If he can provide spacing for them by stretching the floor with his range, he will be a welcome addition to the rotation.

Despite the degradation that is apparent in his game, he is still capable of doin...

About the Author