Good vs. Evil: Signing Lamar

There is no hotter topic in Laker Land right now than the ongoing (and going and going) negotiations between the Lakers’ front office and Mr. Lamar Odom.  But who’s to blame for the fact that the two parties still can’t come to an agreement?  Let’s turn it over to Good and Evil to get to the bottom of this conundrum:

Good: Frankly, I do not understand what is taking so long to get this contract done.  The Lakers want Odom back and he wants to rejoin the Lakers.  This should be the easiest contract negotiation of all time.  I know they are trying to agree on a dollar figure but shouldn’t they just meet in the middle so that everyone is happy and we can all just move on?

Evil: Why should the Lakers cave?  They have all the leverage here.  Nobody worth a damn has any cap room left except maybe Portland who is currently gotten all tied up with an offer sheet to Paul Millsap.  So why doesn’t Lamar put down his Abba Zabba bar, pick up a pen and sign the Lakers’ generous offer and get this over with.  What other choice does he have?  Is he going to take $2 million less to sign the mid-level exception with some other club just to spite the Lakers?  Yeah, right.

Good: Using your leverage is all good and everything, but why take such a hard line with a player who was instrumental to the recent Laker championship?  No player elevated their game more this past post-season than Odom and he should be rewarded for his efforts.  Rewarding players for giving their all is what winning franchises do.  Is saving Jerry Buss a few million bucks really worth potentially alienating one of the core players on the team?

Evil: Reward him?  He should be kowtowing to Jerry Buss that he isn’t toiling away in obscurity in a hell hole like Charlotte.  Let’s not forget that after the 2008 NBA Finals everyone was ready to run Odom out of town on a rail for being such a giant wuss.  The only value anyone thought he was going to have for the Lakers this season was as an expiring contract to peddle away on the trade market in exchange for a player who wouldn’t go into a shell when the going got tough.  Instead the Lakers showed totally unwarranted faith in his abilities and stuck it out with him.  Everyone forgets that a few years ago Odom was considered a total head case that no contender could possibly stomach on their roster.  If not for the Lakers believing in him, he’d probably be floating around on the free agent market as persona non grata hoping that some bottom feeder team would throw him their full MLE.

Good: Well, that certainly is cynical isn’t it?  If you want to take such harsh stance against Odom, then what do you suggest that the Lakers do without Odom if their low-ball offer scares him off?  The Lakers have no way to grab other free agents with their exceptions all used up.  With Andrew Bynum still a question mark they need to have another quality big man on the roster and I don’t think signing Mikki Moore to a minimum contract doing the job.

Evil: It’s called a sign-and-trade, that’s how they do it, smart guy.  If Lamar is really going to be dumb about things I’m sure the Lakers will have no problem finding a willing trade partner to give the Lakers some quality talent back.  Christ, if the Clippers can find somebody to take Zach Randolph off their hands, I’m sure that the Lakers can do well for themselves with a much more reliable commodity like Odom.  I can’t help but wonder if the Jazz might not get antsy about Carlos Boozer and want to swap him for someone in a long-term deal.  Or maybe Miami wants Odom back and would give up Udonis Haslem who would immediately give the Lakers consistent toughness rather than cross their fingers that LO is downing the right combination of candy bars to inspire him to sack up again next post-season.

Good: I don’t get the urgency to rid the team of Odom.  What has he done that was so bad?  He’s been a great teammate since day one as a Laker.  He hasn’t complained at all about coming off the bench or taking a lesser role in the offense because it is for the betterment of the team.  Good Lord, the man even lost a child and has still been able to put on a brave face and give 100% every single night.  Sure, he has his ups and downs, but who doesn’t?  Besides, who could possibly replace him?  There are a scant few big men in the league that can handle the ball, pass, shoot and rebound like LO.  You really think Udonis Haslem can replace that?  I think not.  Odom is just too perfect a player for the triangle offense and letting him get away would be a huge mistake for the Lakers.

Evil: It isn’t that the Lakers want to get rid of him, but right now he is forcing them to make a choice.  If he keeps being a little bitch about his salary he is going to force the Lakers to do something that they may not want to do just so they don’t get caught with an empty bag in their hands if Odom decides to jump ship to the Blazers.  He’s got to realize they have a business to run and they are hemorrhaging luxury tax dollars even without him on the team.  When he demands an extra $2 million from the Lakers, he’s really asking for $4 million.  That is why the Lakers let Trevor Ariza walk because they are trying to keep costs down and weren’t going to screw around with a guy trying to squeeze a few extra dollars out of the team when there is a sure thing sitting right next to him willing to take the same lower offer.  So don’t go calling Mitch Kupchak heartless for not rewarding Odom, he’s just doing his job.  If Lamar Odom ends up playing for another team, he’ll only have himself and his greed to blame.

Tags: free agency rumors, Good vs. Evil, Lamar Odom, Mitch Kupchak