Lamar Will Still Be A Laker*

*Hey. You gotta leave yourself some wiggle room. The only "Unless"....unless one side or the other makes an emotional decision. And I'm not just talking the player here. Front offices and ownership are vulnerable to this. It's the nature of sports. Barring that....

There is no team out there willing to sign Lamar Odom to a 7-8 million dollar deal. In fact, very few capable with the lower salary cap. He would have to take the mid level exception. 5.8 million. And the Lakers will go higher than that. Just not the ten million he's asking for. They are over the cap. Every dollar they give to Lamar, they have to pay a dollar Luxury tax. A 10-million dollar deal automatically becomes a 20-million dollar package. And Jerry Buss is rich by your or my standards. But he's still a single owner versus a large corporation.

It will happen eventually. Lamar's only leverage is time. But he is indespensible as a versitle key to the triangle and a steadying influence in the locker room...especially to boyhood friend and potential chemistry buster Ron Artest. If Lamar waits...the Lakers might be willing to throw in an extra million or so...just to avoid the distraction as training camp nears.

But it will get done. If everyone keeps their head. (Otherwise, this post will disappear in 10 seconds.)