After a brief hiatus, I am back. With a tale of a road trip that ended in a Lakers win versus the Washington Wizards. Alongside of AG, and Mike Tillery, we ventured around the city until it was game time. Of course, I had to take them to the world famous Ben's Chili Bowl, on U st. in NW, DC.
Fast forward to the "Phone Booth" (The Verizon Center, Washington DC). Before the game AG and myself ventured into the visitors locker room to catch up with some of the Lakers. After speaking with Derek Fisher and his love for Nike Basketball, we got a few moments with Lamar Odom..
Now LO is a perfect case of not judging a book by its cover. During last years run to the finals, Lamar was an important member of the starting five. While some feel that he did not show up in the finals, that still takes nothing away from his game. A 6'10 point guard is extremely rare. So entering this season, he was faced with a challenge presented by Coach Jackson. Coming off the bench.
Now to some players, ego would undoubtedly interfere with their ability to contribute, but not LO. "I just bring my energy off the bench. My role is to fill any position that we need...ball handling, rebounding, I come off the bench...score a couple of buckets, and try to get people involved. Basically it's my job to play basketball the right way every night." Spoken like a true veteran..
Odom continues, "That's not really my focus. My focus is to...my job is to basically do what I'm asked, you know what I'm saying...and I just leave it at that, and put my head in the right place mentally, so whatever they ask of me, I can fulfill that. Whether it's coming off the bench or starting...at the end of the day it's basketball."
After speaking with Odom, I developed a new found respect for not only his game and him as a man, but with his ability to put his best effort forward no matter his playing situation to help the team. And with Odom coming off of the bench, the Lakers have surged to a 16-2 start, and on the fast track to finishing another season in June. Now whether or not it will include a NBA title rests on the players, including LO..They Know!
Peace.
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