(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Sound the horn: Lamar Odom and the Los Angles Lakers have come to an agreement to a four-year, $33 million deal, solidifying LA's place at the top of the NBA entering the 2009-10 season.
Lakers fans all over the world are rejoicing in anticipation of another title. Or should I say, titles?
What separates Phil Jackson from his rival in the West, Gregg Popovich, is that Jackson-led teams have sustained a championship effort for three years in a row three times.
The return of Odom was needed and the addition of Ron Artest keeps the Lakers at the pinnacle in a summer where the NBA's best are all getting better.
Artest can have a Dennis Rodman impact on the game, but unlike Rodman, Artest can actually shoot. The former Defensive Player of the Year shot 40 percent from three-point land last season, which is 8.1 percentage points higher than Ariza shot.
Back to Odom. He is one of the most versatile players in NBA history, and he has accepted his role as the handyman for L.A.
Odom played 26 minutes per game last year while coming off the bench, where he averaged 9.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.
People questioned Odom's value early in the year as he approached his first single-digit scoring average of his career.
When Andrew Bynum was injured for the second consecutive year, fans remembered what Odom does. Starting 32 games and playing 34 minutes per game, Odom averaged 14.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.
Clearly, the re-signing of Odom removes the "what if Andrew Bynum gets hurt?" asterisk from the Lakers.
As previously stated, the rest of the NBA did get better, however.
Are the moves the Spurs made enough to get them past the Lakers?
San Antonio is deeper, but they are just as injury-prone as ever— especially with Tony Parker's latest.
What about Denver and Portland, two young teams with the energy to knock anybody off on the right night?
We saw the Lakers stumble against Houston in the playoffs last season, but neither Denver nor Portland plays with the defensive pressure that slowed L.A. The Lakers also have elite perimeter defenders to stifle the Nuggets and Blazers’ stars.
The only thing standing between Jackson and his 11th NBA title, Kobe Bryant and his fifth, Lamar Odom and his second, and Ron Artest and his first, is the Eastern Conference.
Orlando's moves were not enough to tackle L.A, unless Dwight Howard has learned several post moves and developed a short jumper over the summer.
If healthy, Boston could provide a tough roadblock for L.A., but the Lakers will be looking for redemption, and Artest's life mission is to guard Paul Pierce.
How about Cleveland? The Cavs are the team the Lakers should be most worried about. They are bigger down low than L.A., they've added length and athleticism on the wings, and they have the only other player who rivals Kobe Bryant's game-changing ability.
This would be a battle for the ages, but the thread of 2010 could begin unraveling in Cleveland as next summer nears.
Many love to hate the Lakers, but the stars are aligning for Jackson's fourth three-peat, something that will solidify him as the greatest basketball coach of all time.
Questions? Send them to iwantstats@iwantstats.com for the mail bag or Tweet me @JohnLorge.
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