"I know, I know, this time it's ... serious."

(Morrissey/Girlfriend in a Coma)

Very nice footage, AK, great job.

LO comes across more nuanced -- deeper, I guess, and introspective -- than I have every previously pictured him. often I saw him as confused about his own thoughts and feelings, but here it almost seems as if he has spent some time untangling them and even now has insight into what he thinks and why. It was good that he stayed inside for the apst few weeks!

I have always been sympathetic towards him, but this person he is presenting now is different. He strikes me as a substantial person who would be really nice at a personal level to know. And his maturity and balance is impressive.

And, of course, it is good to seem him have a solid perspective on the business element of the negotiations. Not personal and he isn't taking it that way -- unfortunately, that also means he will feel no necessary loyalty to stay with LA if it comes down to business.

Way to get the horse's mouth to speak finally!

Just pull the trigger already Lamar and let's get back to the business of winning championships. 9 million isn't enough?! It makes me question his motivation. A lot of what I'm hearing is all about business, business, business. Not a lot of other free agents are getting 9 mil a year offers.

Do it!

one more thought, I think he doesn't go out too much because he is scared of the emotional response he will get from the fans. Not scared in a sense like "omg their going to attack me" but scared in a sense that he will get attached and stray away from good "judgment". At the end of the video I could tell he was getting really emotional because the fans in LA embraced him so openly. I seriously think he will go out once a deal is set on the table, lol.

I REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY HOPE HE COMES BACK.

I love u lamar, so does LA.

So close yet so far away.

It will get done. A mill apart is nothin' after taxes.

5 years is the number holdin' it up. If LO bolts for the security of a long term deal, understandable He's peakin' now, time to cash in for tomorrow.

The Lakers sold the draft picks for ~6 million. Signing Ron Artest, they did not use any of that. Why can't they take out ~2 million more for Lamar next year? Winning a championship and getting a pay cut, (10 million is already a pay cut for him), is that enough for a core player?

R you all freaking kidding me? I'm so sick of LO - dump his ass already!! Let him go - I don't even want to see him in a dang Laker uniform!! Let's get players who want to be Lakers. They are giving him more than a fair deal - sign or get the hell out!!!!

I just can't believe how many people wanted to trade his lazy azz - FOR Artest. Now we got Artest and peopel are begging to keep this inconsistent loser for nearly 9 million/year?!?!? OMFG!!!!!

I can't read his mind but in his own words - he is comparing himself to other players - what they get paid so you know where you fall. Well - freaking Luke and Sasha's contracts come to mind!!! He is comparing his worth - to their worth and their contracts. SO - those contracts DO matter!!!!

All these athletes are overpaid crybabies - unbelievable that while people are getting laid off - California is writing IOUs - we are wasting our time begging for the Lakers to pay this guy 9 million dollars!!!

good job, AK. nice advocate/interview...

Mi hombre por favor firmas la contrata!
NO LO = NO Repeat!

I don't know what to think about these Lamar rumors. Has he really turned down a 3 year deal starting above 9 million per?

"The Times has reported that Odom and his agent, Jeff Schwartz, are seeking $10 million a season. The Lakers have offered Odom a deal north of $9 million a season for the first three years.

Odom and Schwartz are seeking more money and years.

"I can't discuss that," said Odom, who attended a screening party Monday night for the DVD featuring the Lakers' 2008-09 championship run. "You talk about money, it's touchy. It's a touchy subject.

"The Lakers have been too good to me to rub people over there the wrong way. The Lakers have been nothing but great to me, and I want to keep the relationship great."

Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who improved on his offer of $8 million a season to Odom, is getting frustrated and is thinking about pulling the deal off the table soon."

I guess he wants a 5 year deal and the Lakers are offering 3. Maybe if he comes down a bit from 10 million a year we can go past 3 years.

When Portland comes across with a 5 year 50 mil deal for Odom, he's as good as gone.

Wes

Dang!! Doesnt sound very promising!!! This L.O thing is driving me crazy!!!!

let's not be so hasty now to jump all over lamar's back or demand him to take whatever is on the table right now. all we know is that the number that was offered to Lamar was somewhere (a little) over 8 million per. last season he made 12 million per. so, yes, Robert was correct. the 10 million that Lamar was reported to have been seeking would be a pay cut. (which was something Kobe and Trevor refused/decided not to do)

i think some people are failing to realize Lamar's worth to the Lakers. i think if he bolts, that seriously threatens their chances to repeat. with him in the line-up, they are favorites to repeat. AK really hit the nail on the head when he stated the major reason LO must be resigned is that the Lakers have no other options (due to the salary cap) to go and sign any other free agent that is anywhere near the level of LO. honestly, it looks like Lamar has a very big hand. even if other teams can't afford to offer more, doesn't necessarily mean he has to take whatever LA offer him. he can always sign a one year deal with whatever club, and test the market again next year. or he can go play in Europe. or take the year off and just go fishing with the kids. whatever.

so, i think it's in the Lakers absolute best interest to resign him, and if it means going up to 9 million or 9.5 or even 10, they shold do so. (although as a rational person, i believe both sides should find a middle ground and compromise, at say 9 million per... and maybe throw in a few incentives) but what do i know? i'm no Mitch Kupchak!

Considering Lamar's history in the NBA, the position taken by Odom and his agent is insane. Do you think there might be a reason the disappointed Clippers shipped him to the Heat for a season before he ended up on the Lakers. No one is after Lamar because he has a history of inconsistency. He proved he wasn't a #1 or a #2 option. He proved his highest value is coming off the bench.

The Lakers' current offer north of $9M a year is a solid offer. The rub, he wants more than 3 years. Four years from now will he still be worth $9M? Who knows. If he is, someone will pay it. If he's not, why would the Lakers want to be stuck with an extended commitment? Prove yourself, Lamar. All of us are only as good as our last performance. Sorry.

All that said, I want Lamar to return. He's shown he can contribute when motivated, as he did in the Playoffs. His contribution to team chemistry is unquestioned.

If Mitch gets so frustrated that he pulls the offer, so be it. Mitch has shown us that he has matured into a GM who knows how to get done what the team needs. If Lamar would rather play a season in Europe than remain a Laker, I'm sure he can make good money over there. But getting a deal done now is what's best for both sides. Lamar and his agent need to back off. But if they don't, it's not the end of the world.

This is all about money! Lamar has close to $28M for 3 years on the table and 3 potentail NBA chmapionship. Miami is offering him $34M for 5 years. if lakers match that for another 6 mil 2 more years, he will net $3M for playing 2 more years and no championships in miami. give me a break. He was overpaid at $14M a year for last few years for the performance he showed during most games. He better get off his bottom and be grateful to Dr. Buss. His agent is definitely is not helping things. Look what happened to Ariza. I would take 3 years in LA to 5 in Miami or anywhere in the world! geeeeeez man

are you people crazy?! he was willing to take a 30% pay cut, but they offered him 50%. how many of you would be willing to take a 50% pay cut after you have just help your boss secure the biggest account/project/whatever? and he was injured and still played his heart out the whole playoff.

not to mention that andrew bynum is getting $12.5mil? and adam morrison at $5mil? what for?! omg! really?!

did someone forget to give mitch kupchak his medication again? he was doing so well the last couple of years!

After all he did for lakers I can't understand people here asking Lamar to take pay cut. If he has better offer (and I don't think he does) he should take it. LA has been ungrateful.
Why don't you ask Kobe to take pay cut ? He couldve opt out and take less money. Next year half of salary cap will go to KObe.
LA low balled Trevor Ariza and now is doing same with lamar.

I was afraid this was going to happen. Things have been feeling a tad ominous to me since late last week. So, from a numbers standpoint, it seems like LO and his agent are most likely at $10M for 5 yrs, total $50M, whereas the Lakers are probably now at $9M for 3 yrs, total $27M, which doesn't seem like that much of a difference at first glance. All of this, of course, is subject to the luxury tax and very likely will be for the entire length of the contract. What this means, to me, at least, is that Dr. Buss and Mitch probably see the real gap in the negotiations as $54M over three versus $100M over 5 years in actual dollars spent for LO. That is real money, even is 1 lousy million a year isn't real money (to all of us it is, but you know what I mean).

I would assume that, given Dr. Buss' historical reluctance with paying the luxury tax, the Lakers are probably willing to suck it up for a few years with the hope of winning a couple more rings and catching Boston at 17 (which is important to Dr. Buss, by all accounts), but are not willing to do it forever. I don't believe that Dr. Buss has a ton of income from other sources, so he's not going to let the Lakers ride along "in the red" for very long, if at all, and I'm sure he has every intention of pairing down the salaries towards the end of Kobe's contract. If we assume that Kobe will go another 5 years at between $23M - $30M (2 signed plus 3 in extension), Bynum's here for I think 5 at I between $12M and $15M, Artest at about $6 per for 5, and probably Pau at around $16M and $20M per (who will get an extension for 3 - 5 years I think next year), the Lakers will have over $70M tied up every year for the next 5 years, or $350M total, just for those four guys. Throw in another $10M per / $50M total, plus another $10M per / $50M total in luxury tax for LO, and I bet Dr. Buss is choking on his oatmeal at the thought. And in years 4 and 5, we're lookng at a 35-36 year old Kobe (who will most likely still be his great self and will surely retire as a Laker), but also a 34-35 year old Artest and a 34-35 year old Odom. The odds are that all of those guys aren't going to still be healthy and great that late in their careers, but the Lakers won't be able to reload until the expiring contracts come around in 5 year at least. Having $44M less committed to LO is probably very attractive to management when you think about it from that perspective. Someone correct me if any of my facts are wrong.

All of that having been said, I still believe that LO is key to the Lakers championship hopes, so they better sign him. I'd take a year or two of salary cap hell to win 2 or 3 more rings. Wouldn't you?

Seriously, 7 million was 5.8 of his market value + 1.2 as a gift from the Lakers.

He balked.

We upped it to "just north of 8"

So now he's getting his 5.8 market value + 2.2 as a gift and this is STILL not enough for him??

If he didn't like these numbers, maybe.... just maybe he should have worked on his game in any one of the last 5 summers. If he did that, maybe he'd be looking at a legit $10 million offer.

Some people here probably insane or at least acts like ones. 10M it’s pay cut??? From what, 14M he is making last season? So what? Did he play like 14M player? Marbury was making recently from Knicks 21M and not even playing, should we also take this into consideration too? Contract negotiations it’s 2 way street, with both sides making baby steps toward finding common ground, it seems to me so far Lakers covered 90% of this distance. LO needs to decide for him, what does he wants to do? If it’s money, no one on the market offering more, I mean per year. If it’s about respect, Lakers show him plenty through all his years of inconsistency, dumb plays and underperformance. He wants to leave? Just say the word… And please, please, don’t bring again and again Luke or Sasha’s contract into this, different time, different economy, different negotiation.

Chris,

You are worng, check the sources, Ariza actally got less money from Houston than he had on the table from Lakers, check your sources

Rick Friedman

, I think you're wrong. I like and trust Mitch but Mitch can't play power forward or help win a SHIP without the pieces.

The Lakers don't have any choice but to sign Odom or play this season with less talent than last yr. You can't ask Kobe to turn it up a notch at 1 yr older. Pau is playing more Euro ball this summer which is wear and tear. You never know when Andrew will be healthy. We need Odom if we gone be in the mix come next June. Odom needs to compromise off the 5 yr - 50 million.
Buss has come up to 9 million which is very fair.
I think 4 yrs should seal the deal or give Odom a early termination clause like after 3 yrs.
Make year 4 a team option or a player option for 7.5 million.

Odom can get mad and play for less somewhere else. The Lakers can get mad and have less talent.
This just has to happen. If Odom or Buss pull from negotiations then as a Laker Nation they have let us down. NO EXCUSES, WE GOTTA GO WHIP BOSTON's BEHIND.

Wow, a lot of inane comments on here today.

It's a game of chicken right now. Who needs whom more? Lamar won't find more money elsewhere and the Lakers know that. The Lakers won't find another versatile 6'10" forward and Lamar knows that. So who blinks first?

I think money talks and since the Lakers have the most of it, Lamar will blink first. Only if he lets his pride and anger consume him will he wear another uniform next year because he has no other reason to go elsewhere.

9 million is enough.

3 years is enough.

and if lamar doesn't take the offer, i've had enough.

good luck lamar.

and if lamar was smart enough, he would know that after a 3 year, 9 million per season contract with the lakers - he can still get the MLE with the lakers or another team...