Will Lamar Odom Kiss the Lakers Goodbye?

When Lamar Odom was spoken of by ESPN and TNT commentators throughout the playoffs, he was known as "that guy" who, if he played well, made it a sure thing for the Lakers to not only win a certain series, but win the NBA championship as well.

After dropping 12.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 BPG, and shooting a ridiculous 51.4 percent from beyond the trey arc during 23 games played off the bench in the playoffs, Mr. Candyman literally uplifted the Los Angeles Lakers as a team, being one of the main ingredients in winning the NBA title.

With the offseason under way, Mr. Odom has now turned into an unrestricted free agent and is currently in need of a new team—or, of course, a re-signing.

News has broken out that Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss has "taken the deal off of the table" and that "talks have broken down for the time being."

It was reported that the Lakers proposed LO a contract sheet offering a three-year, $27 million deal, which Odom never personally responded to.

Apparently No. 7, who has asked for a contract within the range of five years, $50 million, is not happy with the Lakers' proposition.

On the other hand, it is clear that the Lakers are not too pleased themselves, relinquishing Odom's contract from the table.

Yes, Mr. Buss declared that "talks have broken down for the time being," but is this the first sign of Odom kissing the Lakers organization goodbye?

Let's take a look at this for a minute.

The Lakers NEED Lamar Odom if they want to remain the most powerful team in the NBA.

If they do not re-sign Odom, their bench becomes unimaginably weak, and they lose a guy who can do virtually everything on the NBA court, clearly diminishing their team's overall ranking.

From my perspective, I believe this is by far the dumbest move on the Lakers' part.

They are literally pushing Odom to the side and obviously blowing the whole "Odom didn't give us a response" situation out of proportion.

If the Lakers simply acted like they play basketball, they would sit down with Odom, negotiate a contract, and re-sign him then and there.

Instead, they're causing a scene throughout ESPN and every other NBA website, giving a team like the Portland Trail Blazers (if the Jazz match the Paul Millsap offer) an opportunity to sign the 29-year-old star.

What color jersey will Lamar Odom be wearing next season?

Will it be yellow and purple or possibly another two-color combination?