A Laker to Root For

Recently in the Gray Lady, you've got a nice enough piece on Lamar Odom, arguably the Lakers' best player in the Jazz series (in that he made Carlos Boozer disappear and didn't cost them a game, unlike Kobe in Game 4). It's a good read, in that it takes a guy whose existence in the NBA has been one long case of the same story getting new chapters.

The only thing that anyone ever knew about Odom before this year is that he was talented, a multi-category guy for your fantasy team, a joint away from expulsion, and that you couldn't count on him in big games. Well, maybe there's a reason for that... in that May and June have been the scene of every major hardship in Odom's life (the death of parents, grandparents, and just a year ago, his infant son). As always, a little charity goes a long way.

The story about Odom failing in big games is that it's just that: a story. We all have them about people in our lives, and when the stories are negative, they can't escape them. Let's say you have a co-worker who is known for being cheap with a buck. What do you think if and when they spend loosely? Wow, Big Spender, who are you trying to fool? Your story of them doesn't change, or if it does, it only does so very, very slowly.

Because Odom's game is based around his freakish length (he's 6'-10", with arms like a condor) and his ability to see the floor, he doesn't leap out at you when he has a good game. It's just what someone with his gifts should be doing. But he's a matchup nightmare at the small forward slot, an underrated defender on penetration, and maybe the one Laker who you can really actually root for. I'd like to see him get there, if only to make us find another guy to pin the Choke label on.