In the NBA, the sixth man is one of the most important players on the entire team. Not only do they relieve the starters and give them much need rest, but they are the first player to step in when there's an injury in the lineup.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, Lamar Odom has not only been a force off the bench—he's averaging just under 10 points and 10 rebounds per game—but he has been a superfluous replacement while both Ron Artest and Pau Gasol both heal from injuries.
Odom, who signed a three-year $25 million contract this off season, was once frustrated with the lack of minutes he was getting as a nonstarter (31 MPG), but has now become the perfect supplement to the high powered offense in Los Angeles.
Unselfish play and the desire to win are what makes Odom the unique player that he is. He expressed his desire to win another championship this summer:
"I always wanted to come back because we won the championship," Odom told ESPN's Shelley Smith. "I'm playing for the biggest brand in the world. And I'm playing with the most fluid, talented center in the world in Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum's coming back, and of course Kobe Bryant." ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by John Engel
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January 6th, 2010 by John Engel Leave a reply »
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