| 28 July 2009
I would caution LA Laker fans to not panic over the situation regarding Lamar Odom. Yes, Adrian Wojnarowski did pen a piece that states that "...he will ultimately return to the Heat.", but I really believe that doesn't hold water. I know that in the world of sports, a day is a long time, but merely 2 days before Wojnarowski's piece ESPN's Marc Stein wrote that he believes Odom will return to LA.
"There are simply too many factors -- in spite of Buss' payroll concerns and a standing offer from the Heat that is pretty palatable given Miami's salary-cap limitations -- favoring an outcome that supremely disappoints 29 teams. Again."
This was Stein's take on the battle for LO.
Then only a day before Wojnarowski's piece, the Palm Beach Post has Miami's negotiations with Lamar Odom at a standstill.
"...there's no progression on Miami's pursuit of Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom, but Odom, a free agent, has resumed talks with the Lakers."
The LA Times blog has it likely that Odom returns to LA. Or believes so.
"One thing I do like is the borderline radio silence coming out of both camps. It's frustrating for people on the outside, but the less this gets played out in the media the more likely Lakers fans get the outcome they want (assuming said outcome is a return to the Lakers for Odom)." ...LA Times Laker blog
I also find it poignant that almost nowhere else, is there any news that would declare that Odom has decided to re-join the Heat. Not on ESPN, not SI.com, not anywhere else on Yahoo.
Apparently, only Adrian Wojnarowski has access to this. No where on the net, except for those that credit Wojnarowski as the source.
The vast majority of Wojnarowski's pieces are opinions on the NBA. Very rarely does he "break news". He's obviously a capable writer, and his piece on Odom definitely appears credible.
Call me a sceptic tho'.
None of this is to say that Lamar Odom will definitely sign with LA. Riley and Wade are definitely pulling out all stops to recruit. There is a five-year, $34 million offer on the table from Miami.
And LA/Buss's reticence at giving Lamar an appropriately sized deal is a concern... but LA still has to sign Kobe to an extension (who expects to be a Laker for life), and the messages coming from him is that he's optimistic about Odom re-signing with LA. How happy is he going to be if LA loses one of his wingmen simply because Dr Buss's ego needed massaging? Not very.
The Lakers can also offer a more lucrative deal to Odom than Miami is able to, regardless of any tax breaks Florida affords him. I still see this as happening, with Odom using the Miami negotiations as a bargaining tool.
It will be interesting to see what happens, and apparently Lamar Odom is close to a decision. I'm betting that if he decides to stay in LA, Adrian Wojnarowski won't get any of the treatment afforded BSO's Robert Littal received on his piece on the same subject.
He'll probably just write something asking "was there ever any doubt?"...
