Lamar Odom has seen the enemy and it isn't the Lakers

July 9, 4:55 PMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

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Lamar Odom addresses media after exit interview. AP/Jae C. Hong

After Lamar Odom's standard end-of season interview with Lakers management and coach Phil Jackson, he met with media and seemed serious when he said that money might not be the determining factor for him in negotiating his next contract.

What's that old saying? When someone says it's not about money...it's about the money. Here is some of what Odom said when asked about the topic:

Q: Do you expect to be back?

A: That's where my mind is at right now, coming back. So of course it's gonna come down to negotiating.

Q: What if it comes down to more money elsewhere... less money here, how difficult a decision would that be?

A: It's always difficult, especially in the economic times we have now. When someone offers you money to play basketball, something you love, you don't have to take it. Because at this point in my career, I own the home, I own the car. I do pretty well.

Q: You spoke about having balance in your life with your family and career, does winning play a part in where you might go when you listen to offers?

A: That helps as far as your work is concerned, the mood you're in and how you deal with people, you know if you're on a winning team. You want to be in a situation where you can win.

Q: What are your thoughts about whether the team can keep you and Trevor?

A: That's important, you want to keep the team together. We just won a championship. You don't want to see one piece not there if you can help it.

The Lakers are holding tight to less than the $10,000,000 figure that Odom's agent is reportedly seeking.  And as the days and weeks drag on more teams sew up their situations, spend their money and don't necessarily have room to give him an eight-figure salary.

The announcement of what is expected to be a severely reduced salary cap for 2010 just made the situation even tougher for Odom. Teams that thought they'd be in good shape for next season's expected free-for-all free agency are now realizing that despite all their efforts to dump salaries, it might not be enough to sign one super star, never mind two. And that has made them re-evaluate this year's spending as well.

And then there's the fact that his pal, Ron Artest just signed for the mid-level exception of $5.8 million. Odom is coming off a highly inflated deal that he signed in Miami which he brought with him in the course of the Lakers trade of Shaquille O'Neal. His career numbers aren't as good or as consistent as Artest's despite his unique role in making the Lakers a successful team.

Estimates of what has been offered by the team vary from just above $6 million to about $7.5 million. No team has been reported as ready to come across with anything that is considered serious and more than that amount. That leaves the Lakers in somewhat of the same situation as the Dodgers when the team didn't want to bid against itself for the services of star slugger Manny Ramirez.

Anderson Varejao pulled in a sweet six year deal that starts at $7 million and could be worth more than $8 million per year with incentives to stay home in Cleveland. Arguably you could say that Odom thinks his stats and importance to the team should be worth more than Varejao and you are probably right.

There aren't many other teams out there that have a true puncher's chance to make a championship run next season who haven't staffed up yet. The Spurs picked up Antonio McDyess after stealing Richard Jefferson. The Celts have bulked up with Rasheed Wallace and perhaps even Grant Hill and the Big Shaqtus has moved to Cleveland.

Lamar is an emotional sort of guy and a proud one as well. In the end, Los Angeles hopes the Lakers can throw in a bit of good will money to make the situation more palatable to him. Otherwise, the two big free agents the team had at season's end might be gone elsewhere for essentially the same money as they would have gotten if they stayed. And the Lakers will be worse for the wear and tear.

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