Lakers Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom's voice on the phone frequently was barely above a whisper. The pain clearly registered in words that flowed in stops and starts as he delivered a soliloquy about death and the effect it has had on his psyche. The Lakers forward spoke deliberately and expressed how emotional it has been for him to deal with two recent deaths. Odom attended a funeral in New York on July 13 for his 24-year-old cousin, who Odom said was murdered. The next day, Odom was a passenger in an SUV in Queens when it collided with a motorcycle.

Minnesota rookie Derrick Williams, on whether he was bothered by being the No. 2 pick in the draft and not No. 1: "Sometimes I think being the No. 2 pick is a blessing in disguise. I think it was better overall for me to come to Minnesota. I can learn from some of the players at my position, like from Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. I learn a lot from those guys every single day. " Dallas' Jason Kidd, on Lamar Odom: "Odom is on a team that wants to win, so he couldn't be in a better situation.

Lamar Odom aspires to make the All-Star team, to be recognized as one of the NBA's best who plays on that stage. It has never happened for Odom, something he mentioned he has thought about "a little bit. " On Friday night, Odom was the Laker who played like an All-Star, scoring a season-high 28 points in the Lakers' 93-81 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. He made 11 of his 18 shots and collected eight rebounds. Odom had 13 points in the decisive fourth quarter, going five for six from the field.

Funny that T.J. Simers should wonder if Andrew Bynum will ever grow up and stop being the type of person who takes cheap shots at people while at work. Does Simers think he's the only one allowed to make a career at that sort of thing? John Purcell Quartz Hill :: Will someone please talk Bill Plaschke off the ledge after the Lakers blew the opener to the Bulls? First game — no Andrew Bynum, Kobe's injured wrist causing a glaring eight uncharacteristic turnovers, new players, new coach, new system and these Lakers were right there!

Welcome back, Lamar Odom. . . . When the enigmatic Lakers forward is fully engaged, as he was Wednesday night, he is a pleasure to watch because he competes with a Magic Johnson-like joie de vivre. . . . When he's not, he doesn't. . . . Kobe: Doin' Decoy. . . . Chauncey Billups, wearing No. 7 in honor of John Elway, is the first Denver native to play for the Nuggets. . . .

Already reeling from their worst loss of the season in Portland on Monday, the Lakers suffered another blow Tuesday when the NBA suspended Lamar Odom for one game without pay for leaving the bench area during a scuffle in the third quarter. Odom will miss tonight's game against the Houston Rockets and the suspension will cost him about $104,000.

Away from the swarm of the TV cameras and handheld voice recorders, Phil Jackson got somber for a moment, revealing how close the Lakers were to losing Lamar Odom as a free agent last July. "We thought there was a chance he may be gone," the Lakers coach said quietly. The Portland Trail Blazers made a multi-year offer believed to be about $9 million a season. The Miami Heat also made a pitch for Odom, offering the most it could — five years, $33 million — and adding the tantalizing proposition of more playing time as a starter for a player who had a career season with the Heat in 2003-04.

There is, as they say, never a good time to get sick. But not all sick days are created equal. Especially when they occur during the NBA Finals. The Lakers' Lamar Odom started feeling unwell on Saturday and his flu symptoms didn't improve much in time for Game 5 on Sunday. "I haven't been sick all season … now I'm sick in the Finals," said Odom after the Lakers' 92-86 loss to the Celtics here in Game 5. "Had to put my hard hat on just to get out of bed. It was tough.

Lamar Odom wasn't entirely thrilled when he found out he was no longer a starter last year in training camp, saying Lakers Coach Phil Jackson was "out of his . . . mind" for making him come off the bench. Times change, people mature and championships get won. Now it's Odom who approached Jackson about returning to the second unit, seemingly eager to go back to reserve status after 11 games as a starter during Pau Gasol's absence. "He came to me about a week and a half ago and said, 'You know that bench really needs me on the floor with them,' " Jackson said Thursday.

Reporting from Salt Lake City -- As soon as Lamar Odom checked into Game 4 Monday night, he quickly went on the attack, drawing a foul that awarded him two free throws. In this best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series against the Utah Jazz, Odom's plan has been to be aggressive on offense, to be the leader of the Lakers' bench. The rest of the Lakers' bench seemed to follow Odom's lead, the group coming alive in pushing the Lakers past the Jazz, 111-96, at EnergySolutions Arena.

The Lakers made a trade Saturday, but it wasn't for Chris Paul or Dwight Howard. Two days after getting rebuffed by the NBA in an apparent deal for Paul, the Lakers sent forward Lamar Odom to Dallas for the Mavericks' first-round pick in the 2012 amateur draft. "It's a done deal," said a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly. PHOTOS: Lamar Odom through the years The Mavericks might also send the Lakers another unspecified draft pick.

Lamar Odom's voice on the phone frequently was barely above a whisper. The pain clearly registered in words that flowed in stops and starts as he delivered a soliloquy about death and the effect it has had on his psyche. The Lakers forward spoke deliberately and expressed how emotional it has been for him to deal with two recent deaths. Odom attended a funeral in New York on July 13 for his 24-year-old cousin, who Odom said was murdered. The next day, Odom was a passenger in an SUV in Queens when it collided with a motorcycle.

Lamar Odom has never made an All-Star team and never won an individual award, unless you count the Eastern Conference player of the month in March 2004. But the Lakers forward is closer than ever to taking home a personal keepsake. Odom and Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry are in a tight race for the NBA's Sixth Man Award. Odom is quick to point out he's already a winner. Lakers show off postseason form to Hornets in 102-84 victory "I've got two awards," he said, pausing for effect.

One thing's for sure as the Lakers improved to 15-1 since the All-Star break. They would love to play New Orleans in the first round of the playoffs. The Hornets continued to be the NBA equivalent of an intentional walk for the Lakers, the latest meeting much like the last several, this one a 102-84 Lakers victory Sunday at Staples Center. Lakers will see you on the flip side . . . or not The Lakers led for almost the entire game, their fans cheered, then the Lakers won by a lot and their fans would be forgiven for yawning.

On the Lakers flipping their switch again. . . . They wish. If today's Lakers bear little resemblance to the ones who didn't beat any of the top teams until February, going 0-4 against the Heat, Spurs, Mavericks and Celtics . . . after trailing by 21, 19, 16 and 16, respectively . . . it's not because they flipped any switch. Lakers show off postseason form to Hornets in 102-84 victory Believe this, if there was a switch, they'd have flipped it a long time ago. Seven weeks after the Christmas embarrassment against Miami when Kobe Bryant vowed to kick teammates' backsides, they went into the All-Star break in an 0-3 spiral, capped by a barely-imaginable loss in Cleveland.

Something clicked for Lamar Odom in the second half. He was more of a force for the Lakers, more in tune to the game against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, more in control of his game. The best person to ask about Odom's epiphany was Lakers Coach Phil Jackson. So Jackson was asked what changed for Odom in the second half. "He got hit in the head," Jackson joked. "That was a really good thing. " Jackson couldn't stop laughing. But he did make a good point.

These have been forgettable games for Lamar Odom , a sixth man gone asunder in the most important series of the season. The Lakers aren't playing Phoenix any longer, as Odom could definitely attest, the 14 points and 11.8 rebounds he averaged in the Western Conference finals apparently a thing of the past now that the Lakers are playing Boston in the NBA Finals. Odom had a five-point, five-foul debacle in Game 1 that somehow got worse Sunday in Game 2, when he finished with three points and five fouls in the Lakers' 103-94 loss.

The Toronto Raptors challenged the Lakers, doing a lot of talking in the process. The Raptors dared the Lakers, strutting around Staples Center on Tuesday night as if they owned the arena, as if they owned the Lakers. The Raptors mouthed-off to the Lakers, clearly not intimidated by the defending NBA champions. All of that bothered Lakers forward Lamar Odom to no end, even though the Lakers defeated Toronto, 109-107, on a 17-foot jump shot by Kobe Bryant with 1.9 seconds left.

Blake Griffin's highlight-reel exploits during his rookie season with the Clippers have excited NBA fans, garnered national attention from the media and apparently have impressed NBA coaches. Griffin, the dunking, high-flying power forward, was selected by the coaches as a Western Conference reserve for the All-Star game Feb. 20 at Staples Center. Joining Griffin on the West reserves list announced Thursday was Lakers forward Pau Gasol. It was his third consecutive selection to the West team and his fourth overall.

Lamar Odom gingerly eased his way out of the Lakers' training room Thursday and onto the fringes of the team's practice court, with his left shoulder noticeably stiff. Odom said his shoulder was "sore today" from a hard fall he took early in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night's win at Phoenix. When asked if he could play Friday against the New Orleans Hornets at Staples Center, Odom replied: "I'll try. " Odom didn't practice Thursday, preferring to get treatment. He was asked if he could lift his arms over his head, but Odom declined.