Photo via David Locke 1 of Flickr
Years from now we may look back on Lamar Odom as the tragic figure of the 2010-2011 NBA season, locked in a perpetual grey area of explanation. Defining the nature of the 31-year-old Laker veteran is akin to defining the role with which he is most often associated – 6th man. It’s a position that has evolved with time but still remains vague in characterization, existing only within the context of “player has come off the bench more times than he has started†nomenclature. Odom has reached a point in his ever changing career where his talent and production levels seemingly eclipse what we consider to be the boundaries of a so-called “role player†and in doing so has subsequently left himself suspended in basketball purgatory.
The easy and immediate argument for those opposed to the awarding of 6th Man of the Year to a player of Odom’s status and ability is the simple fact that he is on pace to start more games than any previous recipient. He so closely toes the line for that hard cutoff of playing time that many are inclined to simply push him over the edge into full fledged starter. Yet, it is the fact that Odom, as a result of his timely and elite level of play, shatters our preconceptions of what a player off the bench can be. This – not the number of starts – is truly the decisive factor in the publics’ decisive opinion.
Consider the other leading candidates: Jamal Crawford, Glen Davis, Ty Lawson, George Hill and James Harden. Do any of these names hold a candle to Odom for sheer force of person? Not even a vital component off the bench for a championship contender like Davis is for the Celtics, can match the Lakers x-factor for perception of performance. It isn’t just that we know Odom is good, it’s that we know he can be and often is great. He exists as one of the few players in the NBA where the general consensus is that his worth is far beyond his numbers (though 14.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 19.8 PER hardly scream unnoticed), and that just doesn’t fit the archetype for a 6th man.
Of course, the tragic and somewhat ironic twist of Odom’s 12-year career is his inability to break through the stereotype that he is at best a supporting cast member. He has reached a level of production where he is considered beyond the scope of receiving an award for being an elite contributor off the bench, yet when considering the best players in the game is still typecast in this mold. His public perception has outgrown one classification, but he hasn’t yet been handed the keys to the next – how else do you explain a complete absence of any recognition of individual achievement in his career?
Perhaps the only archetype for bridging this gap in recent memory has just completed that transition himself, this being Manu Ginobili. The star power of Tim Duncan overshadowed the Argentinean early in his career and it was only when the Spurs franchise player began to digress as he aged, that the true worth of Ginobili became apparent. Much as was the case when Scottie Pippen emerged from Michael Jordan’s shadow in that 1994 season, perhaps Odom won’t truly evolve into a publicly perceived star until Kobe Bryant’s ultimate demise begins.
That of course brings us back to the 6th Man Award. Does Odom winning the award this season exonerate him as a perceived “starter†and rightfully establish him as the game’s greatest bench option? Or does it further condemn him to a career of being underrated, viewed through the lens of good but not great? Or is it both?
Perhaps Odom is at once victimized and elevated by his circumstances. On a team devoid of such star power isn’t it conceivable that the multi-talented forward’s career would run parallel to that of Shawn Marion? The former Sun played on some strong teams in Phoenix to be sure, but not to the degree that Odom has in Los Angeles and yet for the lack of a lasting legacy, Marion is a four-time All-Star. Yet for the absence of plaques and awards, it is the championship banners he has helped hang that will elevate Odom’s historical legacy.
Do these lengthy tangents have any place in the debate of Odom’s classification as it stands? Again, like the vague conceptualization of his role within the framework of his own team, the answer is both clear, yet intangible. As he stretches the boundaries for what we perceive a 6th man to be, perhaps he will one day be viewed as the prototype for the future of this role in the game.
