Now that most teams are undergoing media day and the season is less than two weeks from starting, how are Laker fans supposed to feel about this? Confused? A little. Angry? Definitely. Disappointed? Without a doubt.
Last week was a unique one for sports. It was a week that say arguably the greatest baseball player of his generation, Albert Pujols, leave the only place he’s known (and my hometown) for more money and because he felt “disrespected” by management. During the same week, and same day if I can recall correctly, David Stern vetoed a blockbuster trade that left many players feeling confused, angry, disappointed, and one very disrespected.
That one is Lamar Odom. And that is why I went from being mad at Laker’s management, to angry at Lamar.
Let’s recount the big-time names that were involved in last week’s cataclysmic trade. Pau Gasol. Chris Paul. Lamar Odom. Luis Scola. Kevin Martin. All starters, or Sixth Men of the Year material. Men who certainly add value to their team, and feel as if any team should want them, and that the one that has them should need them. Out of all those names, only one took it so personal that he couldn’t show up to training camp the next day and practice.
Lamar Odom.
He was the one who told his agent to ask Mitch Kupchak to trade him. And within three hours Mitch did just that, to the reigning NBA Champions in a move that has baffled me and just about every Laker fan that I have talked to. It was done behind the premise of there being a bigger plan, but the small plan was to ship out a player who was likely to affect the chemistry in the locker room. He took it more personal than Pau Gasol, who understood that it was a calculated business move that would’ve set in motion a chain of events to land not only Chris Paul, but Dwight Howard. There was a bigger picture in mind to keep the Lakers’ championship hopes alive long after Odom would be an integral part of the team.
This is where the disconnect between Odom and Laker fans begins. That our immediate future is skewered, and that unlike everyone else, he took it more personally. And for him to continue to speak about how “surreal” it is, after the Lakers sent him to the reigning champions is overkill. In doing that, Mitch Kupchak showed Lamar more respect than he probably should have.
Not many of us are going to sympathize LO. You’re getting paid millions of dollars. In all reality, you should feel thankful whether you play for the Lakers, or the Bucks. Lakers fans loved you during the years that you underachieved (and let’s face it, last year aside, he was mostly inconsistent), and we appreciated the unique skill-set you brought to our team. I always thought you were a nice player, and a great personality, but after undergoing this process and seeing you as the only player involved in the trade that just can’t get over it, my opinion has changed.
Something tells me you’ve been around the Kardashians too long.
