For the Los Angeles Lakers, Lamar Odom has not only been a force off the bench—he's averaging just under 10 points and 10 rebounds per game—but he has been a superfluous replacement while both Ron Artest and Pau Gasol both heal from injuries.
Odom, who signed a three-year $25 million contract this off season, was once frustrated with the lack of minutes he was getting as a nonstarter (31 MPG), but has now become the perfect supplement to the high powered offense in Los Angeles.
Unselfish play and the desire to win are what makes Odom the unique player that he is. He expressed his desire to win another championship this summer:
"I always wanted to come back because we won the championship," Odom told ESPN's Shelley Smith. "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."
On Tuesday, Odom was outstanding in the stead of Gasol while pulling down 19 rebounds, dropping 17 points and dishing out nine assists—only one shy of a triple double.
Odom clearly deserves to start at any other program in the NBA, but chose to stay with the Lakers and win another championship; the perfect player.
Not only does he have amazing athletic ability, but he has the tenacity and charisma that it takes to be a Los Angeles Laker. No one in the entire NBA will work out harder than Lamar, and he deserves the Sixth Man Award after only three months.
Cohesiveness between teammates is nearly as important as overall talent in professional basketball, and Odom fits into any on-court scenario for the Lakers.
