Odom is back where he belongs

By Vince Thomas, for NBA.com

At the end of the day, Odom was never shy about admitting he had no intentions on leaving. For the past six weeks, every time I turned around, Odom was making some comment about being a champion. When talks first broke down, he was asked if there was interest in him from other teams. His response? “I mean, I just won a championship, I’m sure there’s other interest.” He carries that “champion” title around with him everywhere he goes. For a player often maligned throughout his career, being the third best player on a championship team has validated him and he knows it. In fact, he revels in it. And he should. He deserves to. He didn’t wanna give that up.

As far as the NBA goes, there’s nothing like being a popular player on a successful Lakers squad. The city worships you. Lamar himself has talked about being “well received” whenever he steps out in La-La Land. Like he told ESPN’s Shelley Smith Thursday: “I’m playing for the biggest brand in the world.” He didn’t want to give that up, either. “I told Ron-Ron a few weeks ago I couldn’t walk away,” he said, “I still had to fight. Every time negotiations didn’t go the way I thought, I just took a step back, like them pulling the offer off the table, I just knew I had to fight.”

Read More