This is especially ironic, since that season went down in flames with the blowout in Boston where Odom was blasted for being ‘too soft.’

mfeige – I got what he was saying about how Odom on the Heat would have been vastly different than Odom with the Lakers. It’s not just a question of Odom/Wade vs Odom/Kobe, it’s about Odom’s significance to each team, or really where he would have been in the pecking order. In Miami he’d probably have been the #2 guy, whereas in LA he might be the #5 guy. That Heat team with Odom and Caron Butler really was a lot of fun to watch, though IMO it would be quite different now because Wade is not a rookie anymore (I would argue that in Odom’s one year in Miami he was the #1 guy for most of the season, and that Wade only passed him in the very end during the playoffs, and even then it was real close).

I do think Odom alongside Wade now would probably be more like what he was like alongside Kobe for the first three years he was in LA, and it wouldn’t be what Moore had remembered. Odom’s not meant to be a #2 sidekick, and as has been said over and over, he’s much better as a complimentary role player. And yet, for that one year in Miami, he probably shined brightest when he was The Man. Too bad that was the only glimpse we’ll probably ever see of that Lamar Odom, cause I’ll always wonder if it was a fluke, or if he really is at his best when its his team.

But one thing the Lakers Fans or at least the half legit ones get is that Odom is great. Everyone understands Odom is the heart and soul of this team. We see him yelling in the center of the circle before tip off and we see him making jokes on the bench. We see his enigmatic games. We sure as hell saw his inbound defense in the Denver series. The way he sparked runs in the finals.

Everyone in LA loves Odom that’s why everyone was so tense over the contract negotiations. Anyway LA loves Odom especially since they don’t have to depend on him as the team’s number two.

I’d be interested in your thoughts as to how and why LO-Wade would’ve been different from LO-Kobe. And if you did talk about that and regurgitate Kobe as selfish I’d seriously be upset, because you’re better than that. You’re also better than treating LA fans like mindless idiots. I promise you we’re not all like that in fact I’ve met very few like that. You don’t have to like us or treat us with respect, but know we love Lamar Odom. Also we miss Trevor Ariza a lot. He was unbelievable. We will Also love Crazy Pills.

I promise you no one is one dimensional not even Lakers Fans

mfeige

Like after the Lakers won the title, immediately everyone suddenly thought that there was no way the Lakers would spend the money to bring back both Odom & Ariza, even though from a purely impartial standpoint it seemed logical that they would. A lot of people seemed to think the Lakers wouldn’t spend the money to bring back EITHER of those guys! Every time I read that stuff, I couldn’t help but think it was just what people wanted to believe, not what was actually likely to happen. While in the end Ariza went to the Rockets, it wasn’t cause LA wasn’t prepared to pay him what Houston was (Ariza’s getting less there than the Lakers initially offered him), but rather it was because Ariza’s agent screwed up so bad.

Ultimately the Lakers not only spent enough money to keep Odom and sign Artest, but they also spent a couple mil on Shannon Brown. Jerry Buss seems to have picked up a reputation for being cheap, but it’s pretty clear that’s not the case, and has never been the case. For whatever reason though, I’m sure that misconception will continue, and next summer and in future summers you’ll probably hear about how Buss doesn’t want to exceed the luxury tax to sign players. It’s just more of that stuff said/written by people who WANT bad things to happen to the Lakers, even if just taking an unbiased view of things it would seem unlikely for that to be the case.

So keep hating the Lakers, no problems there. But be realistic and don’t tease yourself by hoping or thinking that stuff like Odom signing with the Heat was ever going to happen.