LAMAR ODOM’S ROAD TO SIXTH MAN

It’s hard to describe the allure, if there be any, of playing a reserve role. Lamar Odom is a reserve. He is a good one too but he’s a reserve nonetheless. But he’s the guy that everyone knows could and probably should start. They say you can’t teach 6’11”. True. and I’ll do you one better by saying you can’t teach 6’11” with 5’10” quickness, 7′??” reach and more specifically, Streetball handles. Put simply, Lamar can get you 10+ rebounds, double digit points and a host of other intangibles that come with his versatility. His tool shed is freakishly complete and at times, people have said he’s far too gifted to be so erratic. After all, I remember his Clipper days and his struggles with violating league drug policies.

Then there was one year in Miami and a quick move back to the city of Los Angeles where his career began. But this time, it was with the real LA basketball representative, the Los Angeles Lakers. He was part of the transaction that rid us of Shaq Diesel and brought us “the goods” along with Caron Butler and Brian Grant. Lamar is “the goods” as they call him.

He’s an interesting case study having lost his mother at 12 years old. He’s also lost a child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Quite honestly he seemed lost in the limelight with its fickle fandom and lofty expectations. To add, he wound up a member of a storied franchise whose leader is an unrelenting demagogue bent on winning. But something about Odom refused to be rendered obsolete because of a learning curve malfunction. For the last three seasons, he’s redefined the sixth man role deferring publicly and privately while finding ways to offer his value. His 14 points per game weren’t the most points per game average he’s ever posted in a season but it’s only about 3 points off it.  He was an incredible catalyst this season displaying contentedness and dependability in 82 straight games. This is the second straight year he has played the entire season without missing a game. Odom also did a little mentoring last summer for USA Basketball during the 2010 FIBA Championships.

L.O. has finally been rewarded, not so much for his expert use of his skills but because he has accepted a destiny, at least in part. Sometimes your destiny is attaining a type of significance that people smirk at. We all have a little “Ricky Bobby” in us thinking that if you’re not first, your last. What good is Sixth Man of the Year if it means your the best of the non-elites? On the contrary, what good is a futile quest for a certain grade of stardom. Odom has found both significance and vitality and strangely enough about 3,000 miles from his hometown in Queens, New York. From the outside looking in, tthis dude is happy in his role. He’s a husband to woman he wanted to love and plays on a team that allows him to be himself. He’s a true sixth man reinforcing and at times igniting teammates. He talks little now and doesn’t exude anything more than a willingness to submit to the mission. Becoming a sixth man probably saved Lamar Odom from himself.