Lakers star Kobe Bryant is surrounded by reporters at the team's practice facility in El Segundo. (US PRESSWIRE)

You can’t blame Kobe Bryant for looking and feeling a little surly these days.

On the eve of training camp and the start of the 2011 free agency period, the Lakers thought they had All-Star point guard Chris Paul in a three-team deal. Just hours after the CP3 trade began circulating, commissioner David Stern nixed the trade citing the NBA-owned New Orleans Hornets were not getting enough in return.

Days after the Paul trade fell apart, the Lakers moved popular teammate Lamar Odom, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, to the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. How did Bryant react to the news? He said “I hope management knows what they’re doing!” Not exactly a ringing endorsement for general manager Mitch Kupchak and team executive Jim Buss.

Then, on Wednesday, the Clippers – the junior varsity team of Staples Center – landed the coveted Paul, and the Twitterverse started blowing up with plenty of chatter on how the Clippers have now surpassed the Lakers as the No. 1 in Los Angeles.

Two days later, on a very windy Friday afternoon in Southern California, TMZ reported that Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences” and asked for joint custody of the couple’s two daughters. TMZ said Vanessa is ending the 10-year marriage because Kobe has been unfaithful.

Talk about a rough last 48 hours for the Black Mamba! No wonder he left Friday’s practice without speaking to the media and was extra terse with reporters on Thursday when he was asked about the CP3 deal to the crosstown rival Clippers.

Despite all the trouble in Lakerland, Kobe Bryant remains focused on the task at hand, which is to chase his sixth NBA championship ring and a 17th title to the Lakers franchise.

Bryant reportedly looks great in practice and his troublesome knee seems to be healing well. Bryant still has 7-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum to lean on offensively and defensively, and he still has good friend Derek Fisher by his side when things get crazy in the locker room. Newly acquired forward Josh McRoberts is a terrific athlete who will add energy and punch off the bench, and could start on occasion should Bynum or Gasol gets hurt. And don’t think for one second that the Lakers are done wheeling and dealing. They are still in play to obtain All-Star center Dwight Howard and they are still in the market for a point guard.

There are lots of questions left to be answered for the Lakers, including how the team will function without Phil Jackson’s trusty triangle offense and how long it will take them to trust first-year head coach Mike Brown. But one thing is for certain, Kobe Bryant is still one of the best players in the league and he will never allow the Lakers to play second-fiddle to anyone, especially the Clippers.

Kobe will file all the negativity surrounding his life and use them as motivation. Don’t ever count out Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum (right) goes up for a shot against Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler. Bynum and the Lakers were swept by Chandler and the Mavericks in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. (US PRESSWIRE)

Two words come to mind after the Lakers were swept by the Mavericks in the 2011 Western Conference semifinal series: heartless and classless.

The Lakers, the two-time defending champions and the model franchise for the past three decades in the NBA, did not display the heart of champion nor the poise of a champion in Game 4 at Dallas. The Mavericks eliminated the Lakers in spectacular fashion, dropping seemingly endless 3-pointers in a 122-86 win, ending the Lakers’ reign and sending Phil Jackson into early retirement.

What compounded the embarrassment was the way the Lakers reacted in the fourth quarter. With the game out of reach and with just nine minutes to play, Lakers forward Lamar Odom gave Mavs All-Star Dirk Nowitzki a hard shoulder check 23 feet from the basket. Odom’s flagrant foul resulted an ejection.

But that wasn’t enough. Moments later, Lakers center Andrew Bynum joined Odom in the locker room after he intentionally threw an elbow to the ribs of J.J. Barea as Barea drove to the basket, sending the Mavs guard to the floor hard. It was a dangerous move that could have ended Barea’s season. Mike Tirico called it “bushleague,” and Hubie Brown, one of the most respected men in the game, said “amen” to Tirico’s claim. It was a despicable act by a player who totally lost his cool and didn’t know how to accept defeat. It’s a loser’s mentality.

The cheap shots did not sit well with the Maverick, as well Laker legend Magic Johnson. Johnson said, “In Game 4, the Los Angeles Lakers embarrassed the organization by getting blown out by the Dallas Mavericks. Classless acts on physical and hard fouls by Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum. That should have never happened. You have to show class when you win, and you have to show class when you lose. And the Lakers did not show class in Game 4.”

Two games prior to Game 4, Ron Artest delivered a forearm shot to Barea’s head during the final moments of a Laker loss at Staples Center. It resulted in a one-game suspension for Artest, as he had to sit out Game 3.

Those three incidents have no place in basketball. Magic is completely right in saying that the Lakers were classless in defeat, which is a shame because it showed poor sportsmanship from all three players involved. There’s a different between hard fouls in the heat of the moment during a series when the games are still within reach, and cheap shots. Those were clearly cheap shots. There are unacceptable and it shows the true character of a person. It’s easy to ride the wave of emotion when things are going well, but it’s hard to swallow a bitter defeat. However, losing doesn’t give anyone the green light to start get violent against the competition.

Odom said he did what he did because he was embarrassed. Bynum said he wasn’t disappointed in himself for nearly sending Barea to the hospital. Well, if Bynum is not disappointed in himself then it is extremely disappointing to hear his response.

Popularity: 8% [?]

LeBron James told reporters on Friday that he wouldn’t mind seeing less teams in the NBA, a stance that goes against the players’ union. Union president Derek Fisher just so happens to be on the other side of the court today when the Los Angeles Lakers host LeBron and his BFF Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat at Staples Center in the marquee game of the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule.

Fisher told ESPN News’ Sara Walsh on Friday, “I’m going to be real. Other than just going out and playing against a good team, it’s not necessarily personal. Of course, I want a win against the Heat on Christmas Day. That’s the best gift I can give myself.”

Things just got more interesting in the budding rivalry between the Lakers and the Heat.

Fisher is one of the more politically correct people in the league, so he’s not going to drag this brewing issue to the media. However, don’t be surprised if Fisher sends LeBron a little message in the form of a forearm to the chest. Remember the Luis Scola play? Things could get a little testy. Here’s a look at the matchups:

Dwyane Wade could be matched up against Kobe Bryant for much of today's highly anticipated contest. (GETTY IMAGES)

GUARDS: Other than Dwyane Wade, the Heat really don’t have much while the Lakers have a wealth of experience in the backcourt with Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake and Shannon Brown. The only way this position matchup evens out is if Carlos Arroyo or Mario Chalmers has a career game – which is probably not going to happen. It will be interesting to see if Wade guards Kobe for the majority of the game. If he does, Wade’s offense will suffer a little bit because he’ll have to waste a lot of energy on defense. If he doesn’t, then his buddy LeBron will likely draw the assignment, but that would mean Wade would have to guard Ron Artest which is no walk in the park either. EDGE: LAKERS

FORWARDS: LeBron James will likely face Ron Artest in a head-to-head showdown worth the price of admission. Artest may be the only player in the league who can dislodge LeBron off the box, and the Lakers don’t have to send an extra defender toward LeBron because Artest can play him straight up. The Chris Bosh-Lamar Odom matchup is an interesting one. Both are lefties and both are streak shooters. Against any other team, Artest and Odom should prevail. But against a Heat squad with two All-Star forwards, the Lakers will have their hands full. EDGE: HEAT

CENTER: The Heat may have The Big Three but the Lakers have The Hollywood Hills in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Gasol will start the game, but expect Andrew Bynum to have a major impact in the game off the bench. Outside of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Heat don’t have another 7-footer who can bother The Hills. Gasol and Bynum are matchup nightmares for 29 teams in the league, and the Lakers are nearly unbeatable when both are healthy. The Heat will be at a severe disadvantage. EDGE: LAKERS

COACHING: Erik Spoelstra is one of young, bright coaches in the league but, let’s get real, he’s facing a living legend in Lakers mastermind Phil Jackson. End of story. EDGE: LAKERS

PREDICTION: LeBron and D-Wade need to be extra special for the Heat to have a chance, while the Lakers just need to play their normal game to take control of the game. Lakers win, 99-93.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Kevin Durant will be the leader of USA Basketball at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, beginning Aug. 28. (GETTY IMAGES)

Not a single player from the 2008 U.S. national team will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, so Team USA will have a brand new look.

If the 2008 U.S. squad – a group that included Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade – was nicknamed the Redeem Team, then the 2010 U.S. team should be branded the Rebuild Team.

USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski will have their work cut out for them as they reconstruct the U.S. men’s national team that will not only represent the country in the World Championship starting on Aug. 28 in Turkey, but be the core of the squad that will participate in the 2012 Olympics in London.

To win the World Championship, USA Basketball must have the following:

1) Big, strong point guards. Because FIBA allows hand-checking in international competition, it is important to have ball-handlers who can handle heavy pressure and physical play.

2) Shooters. You can’t have enough of them on your roster. The international 3-point line is three feet shorter than the NBA line so NBA snipers should be able to feast on this advantage.

3) Versatile big men. European big men possess guard skills so you want your power forwards and centers to be able to guard out in the perimeter.

4) Physical and mental toughness. In a single elimination tournament, players who can rise above pressure are essential. Having Kobe Bryant on the 2008 Olympic team was key to winning gold in Beijing. You need rugged and tough-minded players to beat battle-tested teams such as Spain, Greece, Argentina, Russia and Croatia.

5) Zone busters. At the international level, zone defenses are not just a gimmick. It’s important to have players who can defeat a zone on offense and play a little zone on defense.

Center JaVale McGee and forward Jeff Green were cut last week and Rajon Rondo decided to withdraw from the team this week. Here’s the scouting report on Team USA:

GUARDS

Chauncey Billups, PG-SG: At 33, the Denver Nuggets point guard is the elder statesman of this group and his value will come off the floor, acting as an extra coach on the roster. Billups is also a clutch outside shooter, which always comes in handy during international competition. His championship pedigree is a luxury Coach K and the rest of the coaching staff should utilize, especially on a team loaded with 21-year-olds.

Derrick Rose, PG: To be an effective point guard at the international level, you must be able to be physical enough to handle hand checking on the perimeter and quick enough to dart through the zone defenses. Rose fits the mold. It would be interesting to see who Coach K will start, Rose or Billups, because during the scrimmage in Las Vegas Rose blended well with Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, while Billups meshed well with Rajon Rondo.

Stephen Curry, PG-SG: Versatility will be a theme on this year’s U.S. team, and Curry is one of those guys who can play more than one position. The son of Dell Curry is a shooting guard in a point guard’s body. He can play both positions very well, but his forte is shooting the basketball. Curry is an absolute sniper; one of the best in the league. During his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors, he averaged 17.5 points per game and made 43% of his 3-point shots. Steph Curry is a pure shooter, make no mistake about it. He hould get plenty of open looks if he’s paired with Rose, who excels in the drive-and-kick game.

Stephen Curry made 43% of his 3-point shots as a rookie with the Golden State Warriors. Barring an injury, Curry should make the 12-man roster for Team USA. (GETTY IMAGES)

Russell Westbrook, PG: Though Westbrook doesn’t possess the long-range shooting of Billups or Curry, he makes up for it with his defense and incredible ability to get to the basket. During the scrimmages and the exhibition circuit, Westbrook hounded the other team’s point guards and forced a lot of turnovers and poor decisions. The OKC PG is one of the quickest players on the squad and he’ll be used as a situational player by Coach K.

Danny Granger, SG-SF: You can’t have enough shooters on the team, and Granger is one of the best in the NBA. The 6-foot-7 Indiana Pacers All-Star forward can also play some shooting guard, which affords Coach K more options. Granger didn’t have a particularly good camp in Las Vegas, but the coaching staff will give him every opportunity to make the roster. He redeemed himself with a better effort at the Nike World Basketball Festival.

Kevin Durant, SG-SF: Durant is the only sure thing to make the team. In fact, he might be named one of the team captains. With Kobe Bryant resting his knees and LeBron James and Dwyane Wade hosting parties in South Beach to celebrate their union, Durant is now the face of USA Basketball. The Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star and reigning NBA scoring champion has the game and the right mind-set to lead Team USA. During the week-long training camp in Las Vegas, Durant was easily the best player on the court.

Rudy Gay, SG-SF: Fresh off an offseason that proved to be very lucrative for the Memphis Grizzlies forward, Gay adds scoring, defense and versatility to the squad. Gay played well during the scrimmage in Las Vegas and at the World Basketball Festival in New York. His length (he’s got freakishly long arms) will come in handy on defense. Coach K has mentioned that he might use Durant and Gay at the 4 position to create some mismatches on offense.

Lamar Odom, PF: Odom not only brings NBA championship pedigree but he also brings plenty of international experience with his stint with Larry Brown’s Olympic team in 2004. Odom is one of only four players 6-10 and taller on the 15-man roster, and one of them is Durant, which tells you everything about the 2010 U.S. squad. So, because of the team’s lack of size, Odom should be a cinch to make the squad. And depending on certain matchups, Odom will be asked to play center.

Lamar Odom was part of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team that finished a disappointing third in Greece. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Kevin Love, PF: Because of the dearth of big men in the U.S. camp, Love has a very chance to make the roster. Love is not very big (he’s listed at 6-10, but probably closer to 6-8) but he’s a wide body (250 pounds) who carves out a lot of space in the paint. Love’s game may not be as fluid or as versatile as Odom’s, but he’s the type of player who can thrive at the international level. He’s tough, he’s gritty, he’s physical and has a nose for rebounds.

Tyson Chandler, C: The U.S. currently has just two 7-footers on the roster and Chandler is one of them. So, there is no way Coach K will cut Chandler because that leaves the U.S. extremely vulnerable inside. Chandler may not possess great offensive skills, but he makes his money on the defensive end. He’s a very good shot-blocker and rebounder, and is battle tested. He participated in the Tournament of the Americas in 2007 and actually played well. Chandler also adds a veteran presence in the locker room. Expect TC to be Team USA’s starting center at the World Championship.

Andre Iguodala, SG-SF: Iguodala could be used as one of the defensive stoppers for Coach K. The Sixers’ leading scorer can be a very good perimeter defender, and brings more versatility to the squad. If anything, Iguodala could be used as insurance policy in case Granger doesn’t pan out. Iguodala is not a pure shooter, but he can occasionally make a 3-point shot. But his ability to crowd people with his speed, length and athleticism will be his role for Team USA.

Eric Gordon, SG: Gordon has made it extremely tough to cut him because he has been so effective during practices, scrimmages and exhibitions. Gordon is a natural shooting guard and has shown that he can make wide-open threes as well as take the pounding inside on off dribble penetration.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Suns center Amare Stoudemire is sandwiched by 7-footers Pau Gasol (left) and Andrew Bynum. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

When you pick on the biggest bully on the block, you better be prepared to back up your talk.

Phoenix Suns center Amare Stoudemire first picked on Lakers forward Lamar Odom, dismissing his impact in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals saying that Odom got “lucky” despite scoring 19 points and grabbing 19 rebounds. Then Stoudemire turned his attention to Lakers centers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, saying he used to dominate Gasol when the 7-foot Spaniard played for the Memphis Grizzlies.

“It was total domination,” Stoudemire told The Arizona Republic of his 2005 first-round playoff matchup with Gasol. “But now he has a little brother (Bynum) with him so now he’s a little more confident because he’s got someone to help him in the post.”

Though Odom, Bynum and Gasol didn’t respond publicly to Stoudemire’s statements, they did their talking on the court as they took turns in punishing Stoudemire in the low post, combining for 59 points and 27 rebounds in the Lakers’ 124-112 destruction of the Suns in Game 2.

“Well, what can you say. We’re just having a hard time slowing them down,” said Suns coach Alvin Gentry, whose team is averaging 109 points and shooting almost 50% from the field in the series but still find themselves down 0-2.

“We played well offensively, but every time we make an adjustment to slow them down they go somewhere else. You do a great job on Kobe [Bryant], which I thought we did, they to go to Pau. We go double team Pau and there’s Lamar; we get it out of Lamar’s hands and Jordan Farmar makes shots. They are the reason they’re the world champs.”

After the Suns tied the game at 90 after three quarters, the Lakers went back to their low post attack, which meant a whole lot of Gasol and that’s when the game turned into a rout.

Gasol scored 14 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter and made 11 of 19 shots for the game.

He took advantage of Stoudemire’s inattentiveness on defense. On one play, Stoudemire totally misplayed a pick-and-roll situation and allowed Gasol to slip in for an easy layup. On another play, Stoudemire completely lost Gasol in a crowd and Bryant was able to spot him for another uncontested layup under the basket. And when he’s not embarrassing Stoudemire on pick-and-rolls, Gasol punished him on simple isolations on the low block.

“We had to try to play him straight up, and when we played him straight up Pau had some success,” Gentry said. “The one time we tried to double he turned it over, the next time we doubled he found the open guy and the guy makes a three. You really do have to pick your poison.”

Gentry added: “We just have to take a look at the tape tonight, and maybe we’ll decide we let Kobe score 80 and try to guard the other guys.”

Bryant, who lit up the Suns for 40 points in Game 1, scored just 21 points but had a team-high 13 assists.

The Lakers are making nearly 58% of their shots from the field and averaging 126 points through the first two games in the series. They enjoyed another big advantage in points in the paint (54-46) and, thanks to another stellar game by Odom (17 points, 11 rebounds) and timely contribution from Farmar (11 points), the Lakers bench outplayed the Suns bench for a second time.

Though his team initially didn’t target Stoudemire on the low block, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said it became a top priority once the Suns’ All-Star center got into foul trouble.

“He’s the initiator of their screen-and-roll offense because of what he can do off his roll activity,” Jackson explained. “We took the ball down in the low post because he had five fouls and we knew it would tough for him to play defense at that time.”

This series can’t end soon enough for Stoudemire, who finished Game 2 with 18 points and six rebounds. The Lakers are just too big, too strong and too talented for the Suns, who will need a lot of luck just to win a game in this series.

Popularity: 3% [?]

It’s great to be a Los Angeles Laker these days, especially when your name is Lamar Odom. You’re team is the defending world champions and it seems like everywhere you go, you are the toast of the town.

Odom is certainly soaking in all the attention being thrown his way, and he now has someone to share it with – girlfriend Khloe Kardashian.

The two were spotted leaving popular Beverly Hills restaurant STK hand-in-hand on Sept. 3, and besieged by paparazzi as they waited outside of the restaurant. They left the location in Odom’s Mercedes. The couple was also seen on the red carpet at the Sept. 9 premiere of “Whiteout,” which stars Kate Beckinsale. The event was held at Mann Village Theatre in Westwood.

Us Weekly and Access Hollywood have both confirmed the two are romantically involved.

Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom and reality TV star Khloe Kardashian were recently spotted at a Beverly Hills restaurant.

Kardashian, 25, currently stars in the reality show “Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami,” with her older sister Kourtney. Khloe is following in the footsteps of older sister, Kim, who had been dating New Orleans Saints star Reggie Bush. All three sisters starred on the E! reality show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”

Lamar, 29, recently signed a four-year, $30 million contract to stay with the Lakers, and Kardashian recently had a body makeover and is beginning to match the sexy bod of her more famous sister, Kim. She had reportedly been dating another NBA player, Rashad McCants, before upgrading to Odom.

Odom is a New York native, but has been living in Los Angeles for quite some time now. He’s been spotted hanging with WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko before a recent training session at the Pound4Pound Gym in Los Angeles.

While the 6-foot-10 Odom gears up for another NBA season, the 6-7 Klitschko is focused on his Sept. 26 bout with Cris Arreola. Klitschko will defend his WBC belt against the unbeaten, No. 1-ranked Arreola at Staples Center.

The Lakers report to training camp sometime in October and their first preseason game is Oct. 7 against Golden State at the Honda Center in Anaheim. They begin defense of their NBA title on Oct. 27 at Staples Center against the Clippers (7:30 p.m., TNT).

Popularity: 6% [?]

Jerry Buss would like to re-sign Lamar Odom, but the Lakers owner is not willing to go all in to bring him back.

All the cards are on the table and it is now up to Dr. Jerry Buss to reveal his hand. Re-sign Lamar Odom or let him go to another team without compensation? That’s the million-dollar quandary facing the longtime owner of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Buss, a known poker player who is fearless when it comes to betting the future of the franchise, is playing a high-stakes game of “deal” or “no deal” with Odom and his agent Jeff Schwartz. Buss reasoned that he yanked the team’s previous offer – reportedly worth $27 to $30 million for three years – off the table was because he felt Odom and Schwartz were “too slow to respond” to what he thought was a fair contract. Odom and Schwartz originally asked for $50 million for five years, but that asking price is just too rich in today’s poor economy.

The Miami Heat are now actively pursuing Odom, and Yahoo! Sports reported that the free-agent forward is “leaning towards” the Heat unless the Lakers increase their offer.

This is familiar territory with Buss. On the heels of the Lakers getting swept by Detroit in the 2004 NBA Finals, he faced a similar dilemma when Shaquille O’Neal asked for an extension. Buss didn’t think O’Neal was worth the hassle so he placed all his chips on Kobe Bryant and traded O’Neal to Miami, banking on the fact that the three-time Finals MVP was on his last legs and does not have the power to lift a team to a championship.

Fold!

His gamble backfired as O’Neal won a championship with the Heat in 2006 and the Lakers had to deal with all the scrutiny and all the questions as to why O’Neal won a ring with another team. But Buss stood by his decision and basically stayed the course, even when his beloved franchise dropped to the second tier.

Then, in 2008, Buss found luck – or luck found him, depending on how you look at it – as the Lakers found a sucker in Memphis. The Grizzlies were looking to dump salary and gift-wrapped forward-center Pau Gasol to the Lakers for center Kwame Brown and guard Javaris Crittenton.

Royal flush!

With Gasol playing Robin to Kobe’s Batman, the Lakers vaulted back to the top and captured the NBA title this past June. It was the franchise’s 15th championship and the team’s ninth trophy with Buss at the helm.

The Lakers are optimistic that forward Lamar Odom will re-sign with the team.

Buss would love to bring Odom back, but he’s not willing to bet all his chips to make it happen. Remember, Bryant has his max deal, Bynum is on the books for $58 million and Gasol should also get an extension soon, so Buss is unwilling to go over the salary cap threshold and get hit by a steep luxury tax. Odom, who turns 30 in November, has made it known that returning to L.A. is his preference, but he’s also looking out for his financial future.

It’s the summer of 2004 revisited, a time when Lakers were still considered the dominant team in the league and re-signing O’Neal to pair with Bryant would have made L.A. title worthy. But Buss simply refused to put up with O’Neal’s and Bryant’s verbal sparring, and the old-school owner said “enough is enough” and sided with Bryant and sent O’Neal packing.

Now, it’s Odom’s turn to test Buss’ patience.

Enter the Miami Heat. Again.

Odom played one season in Miami and wouldn’t mind returning to South Beach to play alongside All-Star guard Dwyane Wade, a player close to Kobe’s skill level. Odom’s best season as a pro came in 2003-04 as a member of the Heat. Miami President Pat Riley likes what the versatile 6-10 forward brings to the table and so does Wade.

How serious is the Heat in acquiring Odom? Very. So serious that Wade is currently in Los Angeles to convince his former teammate to ditch the world champion Lakers, come back home to Miami and turn the Heat back into an Eastern Conference powerhouse.

Wade wrote on his Twitter page on Sunday: “I’m in LA to bring odom bac to miami with me lol lol lol. LA fans dnt get mad at me..”

So why is it taking so long for Odom to strike a deal with the Heat? Quite simply, he doesn’t want to leave L.A.

And besides, Odom going to Miami won’t necessarily guarantee the Heat an NBA title or even a trip the conference finals. The Heat has a logjam at the forward position and the team would have to trade either second-year player Michael Beasley or co-captain Udonis Haslem to make room for Odom.

But if Odom re-signs with L.A., the Lakers should be the heavy favorites to repeat as champs. Odom is insurance policy in case Andrew Bynum goes down again – which he has done the past two seasons. He complements Gasol extremely well because he doesn’t need to camp in the low block. Odom may not be a franchise player or even a secondary option but, as the third or fourth option, he is an absolute dynamite player.

Once cooler heads prevail – mainly Buss’ head – Odom and the Lakers will likely agree on a four-year deal around $36 million. For now, Buss will keep everyone guessing on his next move.

Check!

Popularity: 4% [?]

The Lakers' terrific trio of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are poised to win an NBA title. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

After sleep-walking through the first two rounds of the playoffs and the first four games of the Western Conference finals, the Lakers are now fully caffeinated and wide awake.

Pau Gasol is fully stretched, Lamar Odom is back to form and Kobe Bryant looks unstoppable. To borrow a line from the popular Nike Most Valuable Puppets commercials that features Kobe and LeBron James … “What makes his unstoppableness unstoppable?” Nobody knows.

So, cue the Lakers’ championship parade. Bring back Mark Madsen and let him do a little reign dance in front of Staples Center. Give Jack Nicholson a chest bump. And find one of Hef’s Playmates and give her a smooch. As the late great Chick Hearn would say, “This one is in the refrigerator. The door’s closed, the lights are out, the eggs are cooling, the butter’s getting hard and the Jell-O’s jiggling.” The Lakers are back in the NBA Finals and four victories away from a 15th NBA championship. It’s banner time!

When the Lakers are locked in on defense and playing with a high efficiency on offense, no team in the league – and that includes Cleveland and Orlando – that can stop them. The Denver Nuggets saw the Lakers at their best in Game 6 when the Lake Show dispatched the Nuggets, 119-92, on Denver’s home floor.

The domination was evident from the start. Trevor Ariza got the party started by hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter. After the Nuggets took a 31-30 lead thanks to J.R. Smith, the Lakers went back to work and the game became one-sided. When the Lakers kicked it into sixth gear, there was nothing the Nuggets could do. Kobe Bryant punctuated the first-half assault by swishing a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Lakers a 13-point lead right before halftime. Dagger!

“All through the series, I saw little cracks in the Lakers. Somehow we’ve cemented those cracks back up and I think they’re the best team right now in the NBA,” said Denver coach George Karl, who reluctantly congratulated the Lakers after they eliminated the Nuggets from the postseason.

As usual, Bryant led all scorers with 35 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the line. The Black Mamba, who also had six rebounds and 10 assists, showed Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith how to close out a series.

“Their offensive execution was the best it’s been all series, and their box defense kinda frustrated our offense,” Karl added. “Then No. 24 had a great five minutes at the end of the (half) that no one in basketball could have covered. He made about four shots during that stretch; I think Jesus would have had trouble covering him.”

Though Karl was mesmerized by Bryant’s holy game, Kobe was not alone in cutting up the Nuggets. Pau Gasol also flirted with a triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and his proficiency in the post allows the other Lakers to get involved and creates a better balance on offense and defense.

“The last two games we really proved to ourselves and everybody else that we can be an extremely high quality team that deserves to be in the NBA Finals and is going for the NBA championship,” Gasol explained. “We have to do more of that. I think we have been a little inconsistent throughout the year with that. When we move the ball and use all of our weapons, we become really dangerous because the defense then hesitates and doubt if they double team Kobe or not, or go double team me or not and they’re out of balance. Hopefully we can keep it this way.”

Lamar Odom came off the bench to score 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting and Luke Walton enjoyed his best game of the series with 10 points. When Odom is actively involved in the game, teams have a really hard time matching up with the Lakers because it gives them three highly-skilled scoring options. A perfect triangle offense built to overcome any defense. “Whoever woke up Lamar Odom should be fired,” Karl joked. “I thought we had him contained, but he has been sensational the last two games.”

Karl hinted that when Bryant has is going offensively, Gasol is working his post-up game and the 3-point snipers are hitting their mark, the Lakers become unstoppable.

“We never got control of their post-ups,” Karl said as the Lakers made 43 of 75 of their shots from the field (57%) and were 9-of-16 from 3-point range (56%). “When we doubled it, they scored – the three or the two. And when we didn’t double it, they scored on the post-up. Offensively, they got into control of us more than we got in control of them.”

Right now, the Lakers are in complete control of their destiny and it would not matter who plays them in the NBA Finals because there is no stopping the Lake Show.

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Lamar Odom is posting All-Star numbers since Andrew Bynum went down with a knee injury.(GETTY IMAGES)

Lamar Odom’s game is as volatile as the New York Stock Market. Sometimes it is way up, and sometimes it is way down.

When the Los Angeles Lakers season tipped off, the Odom Meter was running low as all eyes were on Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. The casual fan and longtime basketball experts were curious to know whether the two 7-footers can co-exist when paired in the post in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. That meant Odom was relegated to the bench, a move he openly accepted but with some reluctance. Trade rumors started flying around Staples Center.

Because of Odom’s massive contract, most in the organization and the basketball community anticipated that the Lakers were not about to keep a double-digit salary player, with reduced minutes, stay on the roster the whole season. That may have been the prevailing thought until….

Down goes Bynum!

Almost a year to day when Bynum suffered a dislocated knee cap against Memphis, the Lakers center sprained his MCL against (who else? the Grizzlies) when Kobe Bryant slammed into his right knee while driving to the basket.

But one man’s misfortune became another’s good fortune.

With Bynum out, Odom was back in. The versatile 6-10 forward was inserted back into the starting lineup and, not coincidentally, the increased playing time injected some much needed energy boost into his game. The Lakers are 10-1 with Odom playing with the first unit, and two of those victories came against Eastern Conference powers Boston and Cleveland on the road.

Odom is averaging 17 points and nearly 14 rebounds per game since the promotion. In a four-game stretch that began in Cleveland, Odom hit double figures in points and rebounds: 28 and 17 against the Cavs, 12 and 18 against Oklahoma City, 19 and 19 against Utah, and 15 and 20 against Atlanta. He followed that up with a 12-and-17 outing against New Orleans and a 25-and-14 performance against Minnesota.

The Odom Meter is definitely way up.

The Lakers may not be willing to admit it, but they are much better on offense with Odom and Gasol working together in the frontcourt. Odom’s versatility allows Gasol to just play in the block and not worry about having to share the post with another big man. It is the same formula that powered the Lakers all the way to the NBA Finals last season. Although Bynum’s absence allows opposing teams to penetrate the Lakers defense with a little more ease, L.A. has been able to stem its deficiencies on defense with an offense that has been incredibly explosive and efficient thanks to a rejuvinated Odom.

The odyssey of Lamar Odom brings us to this point, a point where the Lakers are now counting on the same player who they nearly cast aside for some cap relief. Odom is now in a position where he holds the key to his L.A. lifeline. He is hoping for a new contract, whether it will be in L.A. or not.

Even if Bynum does not completely heal in time for the playoffs, the Lakers should feel secure as long as Odom is playing at an all-time high (oops, no pun intended). He says the 39-point debacle at Boston in Game 6 last year still haunts him, and would love nothing more than another oppotunity to play the Celtics in The Finals. Well, if Odom keeps this up (and that’s a big “if”), the Lakers should be big favorites to bring home the chip and stock up for another Larry O’Brien trophy at Staples Center.

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