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I swear the Lakers offseason is getting overrated.
Cavs Offseason moves >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Lakers offseason moves
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/feature.../30/odom/index.
Lamar Odom (left) will team with Kobe Bryant to help the Lakers again in 2009-10.
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Odom agrees to help Lakers defend their crown
By David Aldridge, TNT analyst
Posted Jul 31 2009 12:44AM
The Los Angeles Lakers will defend their championship next season with one of their key players still aboard.
The Lakers have confirmed on the team's website that free agent forward Lamar Odom has agreed to return to the Lakers next season, accepting the team's multi-year offer and spurning a five-year, $34 million offer from the Miami Heat. The decision ends a month's worth of agony for the Lakers, who had signed Ron Artest early in the free agent period but lost starting small forward Trevor Ariza to the Rockets in what became, essentially, a trade.
But losing the 29-year-old Odom, who was a key part of Los Angeles's run to the championship, would have been a serious blow to the Lakers' hopes of repeating. Kobe Bryant, who has yet to sign his contract extension while waiting to see what happened with Odom, had made it clear he considered Odom's return essential.
Odom and the Lakers had spent the last few weeks squabbling over a new deal, with the Lakers offering him his choice of a three-year, $27 million deal or a four-year, $36 million deal. However, the fourth year of that deal was only partially guaranteed, giving Odom just $30 million guaranteed for the contract. When Odom balked at both options, Jerry Buss, the Lakers' owner, pulled both offers off the table, and formal negotiations stopped for a few days.
However, Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz, and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak continued informal talks on a daily basis, and negotations were once again under way by last week. The Lakers had reduced their offer to Odom, however, according to a source.
Odom accepted a role coming off the bench when Ariza had starred late in the regular season and Playoffs, but he was still viewed as a starter by the team. His length and versatility, combined with that of power forward/center Pau Gasol, made the Lakers very difficult to defend at the offensive end and quite hard to score on at the defensive end. He averaged 11.3 points and 8.2 rebounds last season for the Lakers.
The Heat had offered Odom its full mid-level exception, and hoped that Odom would be swayed both by the opportunity to play again with Dwyane Wade and by the lack of a state income tax in Florida, which would make Miami's offer closer in actual dollars to the Lakers' proposals. Team president Pat Riley and Wade put the full-court press on Odom in a Monday meeting. But when Odom left that meeting without signing, it became apparant that Miami didn't get it done.
Odom was apparantely too comfortable in Los Angeles, where he could be an important part of the team without having to be the Lakers' first or second option, and where he's spent nine of his 10 NBA seasons. (He played his first four seasons with the Clippers, and after one year in Miami, was sent back to Los Angeles in 2004 as part of the Shaquille O'Neal trade.)
Not getting Odom is an equally strong blow to the Heat, which had hoped luring Odom back to Miami, where he had one of his best pro seasons alongside then-rookie Wade in 2003-04, would help convince Wade to remain with the Heat after this season. Wade is expected to opt out of his deal at season's end and explore free agency, though he could return to Miami. The Heat did not match a two-year, $6 million offer sheet given to free agent forward Jamario Moon last week by Cleveland in hopes of keeping cap room available for next summer.
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I swear the Lakers offseason is getting overrated.
Cavs Offseason moves >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Lakers offseason moves
Ya sure, sure.
Care to elaborate?
Cavs gave up nothing to get a legit #2 guy in Shaq who has plenty left in the tank. They signed an athletic 4 in Jamario Moon who will help shaq anchor the D and guard players like Odom/Lewis.
To top it all off, they signed Anthony Parker improving their perimeter d and getting a pretty damn good spot up shooter. When we meet LA in the finals, Kobe wont have the luxary of being guarded by the short Delonte West. Kobe will be guarded by someone near his height. Cavs got much more versatile and their bench is pretty ing good. They are stacked and set for a championship run.
Yeah but in the end, Ron Artest is going to make lebron bricks and the Lakers will end up winning.
I remember that game in Houston last year where LBJ had no assists and shot like 10% from the field.
Naw, LeBron gonna make a poster dunk on Artest
That was more of Houston's defense. Not Artests.
Maybe Artest will confiscate the poster?
I don't even remember if it was Ron or Shane guarding him I just remember LBJ was horrible so I figured I'd run with it.
Now Jamario Moon is a 4. This is ing hilarious. Anthony Parker is old. No athletic 4 still for Cavs. What pot have you been smoking?
maybe odom had a 360 degree turnaround
Are you an idiot? Shaq still has a lot left and Artest is on the decline.
Hadn't seen that one before, only adds to the Odumb legacy.
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