A former Clipper gets a chance to see how the other half lives in L.A.
Some would say that Lamar Odom played for the Heat last season. He prefers to view it as an extended vacation in Miami. "I was only there for seven or eight months," Odom says as he ices an ankle at training camp. "It's good to be back in L.A."
In many respects it's as if he never left. Since being acquired by the Lakers in the Shaquille O'Neal trade in July, Odom has returned to the Marina Del Rey house he lived in during his four seasons as a member of the Clippers. He eats at the same restaurants and has the same commute to Staples Center. Except now it will be a little weird -- "good weird," he says -- to play in front of a full house of 18,997 rather than Billy Crystal and his closest friends. "This is a dream come true," he says. "This is the Yankees of basketball. The big stage."
The Lakers will have to keep winning at their recent clip for that Yankees analogy to fly, which means the team needs the Miami version of Odom, the one who stayed on the court and filled up the stat sheet. The L.A. Odom -- version 1.0, at least -- was inconsistent, injury-prone and twice suspended for violating the league's drug policy. "I became a better player and a better man in Miami," Odom says. "I grew up a lot."
That's a good thing, as he'll be given plenty of adult responsibilities with the Lakers: pick up much of the scoring slack created by O'Neal's departure, play everything from point guard to power forward and become Kobe Bryant's second in command. Odom had warmed to that last duty by the end of the team's first practice. All the players had left except Bryant, who was engulfed by reporters. "C'mon, Kobe," Odom said playfully, peaking over a row of cameras. "Bus is leaving. Gonna leave without you."
Bryant smiled. Odom smiled. Could it be: one big, happy Lakers family? -- Chris Ballard
