Lamar Odom Contract Omni-Watch: She has finally ended.  What felt like "done and done, just add ink and paper" for both sides stretched out thirty days, creating an environment equal parts "suspenseful," "tedious" and "I'll have another double whiskey with a vodka chaser. "  Lamar Odom wanted to remain a Laker.  The Lakers wanted him to stick around.  How could something seemingly so obvious take a month to hammer out? 

Well, crackerjack reporter that I am, I tracked down Lamar Odom and got the real skinny.*  Turns out, this was quite the complicated affair with more layers than a riddle and enigma sandwich with extra onions.  (Mmmmmm.  Riddle and enigma sandwich!)  But all's well that ends well, which is the bottom line.  Get ready for a heaping dose of "explanation."

TOP TEN REASONS LAMAR ODOM TOOK SO LONG BEFORE SIGNING WITH THE LAKERS

10) I kept misreading the commas and zeroes and thought the offer was 4 years, 3.3 mil.  That's my bad.

 9) I got so caught up in Sun Yue Contract Omni-Watch, I forgot about my own situation.

8) I was about to call Dr. Buss on July 15th and accept the offer, but got caught up in a "Law & Order: SVU" marathon on USA.  Next thing I knew, it's July 30th. 

7) I wanted to see if Dwyane Wade would grow desperate enough to Tweet me his ATM PIN and Social Security Number.  

6) Every time my caller ID read "J. Buss," I thought it was that weird kid who accepted the Larry O'Brien.  Can you blame me for not picking up?

 5) Truth be told, the long wait had nothing to do with "leverage."  I just wanted to see if my first choice Timberwolves would finally even offer me the veteran's minimum.

 4) After countless hours of soul searching and reflection, I finally decided I could handle another year in the same locker room with that mouthy Adam Morrison. 

 3) The last time I attended a Laker function, I got stuck doing a one-on-one with some dopey local writer.  That'll make anybody ponder a change of scenery. 

 2) Jeff Schwartz and I wanted to do David Lee a solid and create a scenario where he doesn't look like the worst negotiator in professional sports.  Once we realized that's an impossible goal, we just called the Lakers and accepted the deal.

And the #1 reason Lamar Odom took so long to re-sign with the Lakers...

 1) Dude, how often does anybody get to be a bigger story than Kobe Bryant?  I was milking that bad boy for all it's worth!!!

AK

* - For the benefit of the thick, I never actually talked to LO.

A few thoughts and a couple of poll questions on the re-signing of Lamar Odom- anyone who frequents this space knows I believe the Lakers had to bring him back, whether based on the metrics or team chemistry issues (You remember the whole Ron Artest signing, right?)- before our traffic completely dies  off...

• The terms, reported by ESPN.com to be worth a guaranteed $27 million for Odom with the chance to up that figure to $33 mil, probably aren't what Odom hoped for when the summer began, but in this market represent a solid deal for both sides.  Odom stays in LA, playing for the team with which he best fits in a city he loves at a healthy salary, while the Lakers keep a vital cog without going overboard in their commitment. As John Hollinger has noted throughout the offseason, the team option for a contract's final year is a piece of financial sleight-of-hand that effectively means should things go horribly wrong- not that I'm counting on it- in or before year three, LA misses out on Odom's production but gains a potentially valuable expiring deal after two seasons. 
• More Hollinger, on what the Lakers would have missed without LO (Insider required):  "This was the opening teams like San Antonio and Portland hoped to exploit with their own huge frontcourts, feeling they could wear down L.A. with their size rather than the other way around. This was the match-up issue that teams like Denver wanted to go away, with Odom frequently creating dilemmas for the Nugget bench. This was the depth New Orleans hoped wouldn't be a factor, removing the frontcourt game of 3-against-2 they faced every time last year. This was the guy Dallas hoped wouldn't be on the floor when they unleashed their five-greyhound lineup in fourth quarters and could run Gasol and Bynum into submission. And this was the ball-handling perimeter player that nobody in Utah's macho frontcourt trio could cover..."  And that's just in the W.C.  Given what Orlando, Boston, and Cleveland have done this summer, retaining Odom was that much more important. 
• Personally, I don't see why fans would hold the negotiating process against him, but I'm curious to see if others agree (see poll below). I figure by training camp, any lingering controversy will have blown over. 
• The process was painfully and perhaps unnecessarily drawn out, but at least we got a good acronym out of it. '
• Odom's presence absolutely mitigates the risk inherent in five years of Ron Artest.
• It can now be said that the Lakers had an outstanding offseason. 
• UPDATE (8:38 am): One more reason why Odom is almost universally seen as a top shelf guy, from Janis Carr at the OC Register.

Click below for more.

Well, that wasn't such a chore now, was it?

The details are limited for now, but early word is Lamar Odom and the Lakers have come to terms.  ESPN's J.A. Adande and Marc Stein are reporting that it's a four year deal, the final season coming at the team's option.  If played out in full, $33 mil will enter LO's bank account.

BK and I will work to get more confirmation, but assuming everything's on the up and up, terrific news all around.  It was pretty apparent Lamar didn't want to bail (otherwise, he'd have just signed with Miami's best offer a while ago) and, in my opinion, it would have been silly to leave a better, winning situation over relatively little money in the grand scheme of NBA standards, especially given what he's already earned. Meanwhile, the Lakers would have badly noticed his absence had he returned to South Beach.  The second unit turns considerably worse (remember the struggles with LO filling in for Andrew Bynum) and, should Josh Powell or Luke Walton end up the starting power forward due to injury, ditto the starting five.  Considering Drew has yet to get through a season of big minutes without getting hurt, ain't like that scenario feels unrealistic.

All along, I've felt Odom would end up sticking around, but I'd be lying if I claimed the dragged out nature of these negotiations didn't have me concerned excess pride from either side could prove fatal.  Thankfully, it appears a mutually beneficial decision has been made, the best resolution for both parties. 

(UPDATE: Broderick Turner from the Times is reporting similar figures, along with CBS Sports' Ken Berger.)

AK

Kobe Bryant is still just 30 years old, but that doesn't mean his odometer isn't flipping digits like an '86 Volvo station wagon owned by a couple of liberal arts professors at a small Maine college.  It's easy to forget how long Kobe's been around and how many games he's played... so allow me to remind you.  948 in the regular season, good for ninth among active players.  (Assuming good health, by mid-season 24 will break into the top 100 in pro hoops history.)  I didn't realize he was that high on the ladder.

Looking just at minutes logged, Kobe is seventh among current players at 34,531  Those numbers don't include his 175 postseason games and their additional 6,888 minutes on of burn.  This is not to suggest that Kobe is ripe for decline- the dude keeps himself in terrifyingly good condition- but the Grim Reaper (roundball version) eventually comes for all who play, even the best in the game. Kobe will be good for a while, likely very good, but won't be Kobe forever. 

The Lakers have a window with him in which to do great things, but it won't stay open forever.

BK

This is fun stuff.  A great advertisement not only for the 1953 World Champion Minneapolis Lakers, so good that "nationally famous magazines have featured their exploits and accomplishments in stories read by millions," but also the Minneapolis Aquatennial, "where day and night millions enjoy observing a week long aquatic Mardi Gras."  (Presumably with less public urination than its land-based cousin at the other end of the Mississippi.)

Apart from an apparent prohibition against jumping, the game was exactly the same then as it is today.  I kid, but the footage does show some great ball and player movement.  Fundamentals you can set your watch to.  And man alive, do I love old-timey narration. 

Click here for Parts II and III. As a side note, I believe the summer of '53 was saddled with the long, frustrating Slater Martin Contract Omniwatch (S.Ma.C.O). Perhaps I'm mistaken.

BK

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

The Minnesota Timberwolves finally seem ready to fill their long vacant head coaching position, and Kurt Rambis remains firmly in the mix, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Now that he’s back from four days in Spain that he termed “productive,” David Kahn is embarking upon his second — and presumably final — round of interviews for a coach to replace Kevin McHale, a decision that presumably could come by the end of the week. Former NBA point guard Mark Jackson, Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis and Houston assistant Elston Turner on the short list — with Jackson and Rambis clearly the frontrunners — in a search in which Kahn appears to have interviewed more than a dozen candidates, including Wolves assistant Jerry Sichting. League executives long have considered Jackson the favorite, but those in the know in the league think Rambis is getting strong consideration.

Zgoda says he believes Jackson is a "slight favorite, if only because it might be easier to get him to sign on the dotted line in terms of years and salary..."  Meaning he'd be cheaper.

More Lamar Odom Watch!!!  But the links provided don't entirely revolve around Lamar Odom Watch.  That's a semi-nice change of pace, right?

The always smooth Jim Hill is reporting that Lamar Odom is meeting with Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade about signing a deal with the Miami Heat.  Hill has also heard the Laker brass is growing pessimistic about Lamar remaining in purple and gold, but today on 710 ESPN's Mason and Ireland Show, co-host/KCAL sideline reporter John Ireland said the people he's talked with- also within the organization- remain optimistic.  As he noted, kinda depends on who's on the other end of phone, which underscores recent sentiments from the Daily News' Ramona Shelborne: This has been one nutty negotiation.  

While a possible Odom defection might not alter the Lakers' status as a Vegas fave, it would certainly alter the aesthetic pleasure gained by Ball Don't Lie's Kelly Dwyer while watching the team.  In a very thoughtful column, Dwyer explains who winds up the biggest loser if Lamar ends up running the break off a rebound in South Beach:

Like ER after Dr. Greene died, the Lamar Odom negotiations have continued long past the point of tediousness, in part because neither side has a whole lot of leverage.  About the only interesting thing to me is waiting to see if Dr. Buss will lower his initial offer to the point that Miami's full mid-level becomes legitimate by comparison.  There's very little about the process that hasn't been kicked around and picked apart, and until there's a conclusion, it's tough to judge winners and losers (beyond fans and local bloggers, all of whom were expecting some sort of mid-summer vacation).  

One thing I do like is the borderline radio silence coming out of both camps.  It's frustrating for people on the outside, but the less this gets played out in the media the more likely Lakers fans get the outcome they want (assuming said outcome is a return to the Lakers for Odom). 

The rest of the league continues not to wait around for the Lakers to put a bow on this thing before making plans of their own.  The Mavs have reportedly reached an agreement with Drew Gooden.  One year, $4.5 mil, notable not only because Gooden was, at least in theory, one name bandied about as a possible (though financially unrealistic) Plan B for the Lakers should LO leave, but also for the peek into how much it'll cost to bring in any of the names still out there on the free agent market. 

Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Lamar Odom could be close to signing the Miami Heat's long-standing full mid-level exception offer.  While it's important to note that no decision has been made, those in AW's ear hint that a return to South Beach could very well be in the cards.

      Odom has not reached a final decision, the sources said, but there is growing belief he will ultimately return to the Heat unless the Lakers improve their current offer.  “It’s close, but it’s not done,” said one source.

Without question, that language feels like it was floated by members of "Team LO" as a means of applying some (pun intended) heat on Lamar's most recent employers.  Not that Lamar can't possibly be mulling a return to South Beach, but the mere hint of an ultimatum does feel like a shot lobbed across the Lakers' bow.  But it doesn't feel like a direct hit sinking the ship, so for the time being, I'm not abandoning ship when it comes to hopes of Lamar remaining a Laker.

I was, however, a little concerned over the detail there Dr. Buss is lowering his offer (which gibes with LAT predictions upon the resumed talks).  As BK noted in the now iconic "Kitten" post, Doc B.'s pride needs to remain in check as well.  Getting upset that Team LO fielded offers from other teams while failing to return calls over his own is understandable, but there's a bigger picture involved.  Just as it would be silly for Lamar to sacrifice a better winning potential over money that- in the grand scheme of things- shouldn't make a dent in his long-time security, it would be equally silly for Dr. Buss to sacrifice championship potential to remind folks that nobody crosses him.  If it made sense and was fair to (reportedly) offer LO 3/30 or a partially guaranteed 4/36 a couple weeks ago, it makes sense and is fair now. 

AK

Andre Miller and the Portland Trail Blazers haven't formally inked a rumored 3 year/21 million dollar deal (the third year being a team option), but Miller's agent told the Oregonian's Jason Quick that everything should become official "shortly."  

Between that public confirmation and Miller sharing no familial blood (to the best of my knowledge) with Hedo Turkoglu, seems like just a matter of time before the veteran point guard is posing for Portland media guide photos.  (And... done... The Oregonian is reporting this is now signed, sealed and delivered).

The news strikes as both kinda bad/potentially good for the Lakers.