Lamar's keeping up with the Kardashian's

Washington (ANI): Socialite Kim Kardashian has confirmed that her sister/reality TV star Khloe is dating Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom.

"They're very, very happy . They've been together a few weeks, and are literally inseparable. Khloe thinks he's amazing and makes her laugh and smile constantly," People quoted her as telling.

The 'Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami' star was recently spotted nightclubbing with her new love in L.A. Odom, who comes from Queens, N.Y., has appeared in pro skater Rob Dydrek's MTV show Fantasy Factory, as well as the Busta Rhymes and Linkin Park video "We Made It."

Lamar Odom is finally back with the Lakers

It had taken all month for Lamar Odom and Mitch Kupchak to reach this point, with the free-agent forward and the Lakers' general manager sitting side-by-side at a news conference Friday.

Odom agreed to return to the Lakers, but Kupchak noted that the contract negotiations "took many twists and turns." Odom called it "a tedious time."

Still, Kupchak and Odom were finally together at the team's El Segundo training facility.

"I guess it's a little late to ask him for a little bit more," joked Odom, who then signed his contract -- a four-year deal worth about $33 million, with a team option for the final year.

"You can ask," Kupchak answered, getting laughs from reporters.

Odom acknowledged he kept weighing his options, "even today when I woke up."

Yet despite interest from the Miami Heat that Odom described as aggressive, the lure of winning another championship with the Lakers prevailed in the end.

"At this point in my career, all I want to do is win. That's how we're going to be remembered as, winners or losers. Right now I want to be remembered as a winner," Odom said.

The deal capped off a busy month for the Lakers. Free agents Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza essentially switched places, with Artest going to the Lakers and Ariza to Houston.

The Lakers also waived guard Sun Yue, 23, who played in only 10 games last season as a rookie and spent part of the season on the team's Development League squad. The Lakers had until Aug. 1 to exercise their option on Sun. He would've earned $736,000 next season had the Lakers kept him.

Sun, a 6-foot-9 guard from China, was the Lakers' second round pick in the 2007 NBA draft.

After Odom signed and Sun was waived, the Lakers had 13 players under contract. And Kupchak said it was likely the team would open training camp with that number.

"We're where we want to be as a team," Kupchak said. "We brought back basically everybody that we hoped to bring back."

That includes Odom, who can play both forward positions and fill in at center, and whose versatility made him a key component of the Lakers' 2008-09 championship season.

After Odom became a free agent on July 1, the Lakers presented him with two offers, each worth about $30 million guaranteed.

Then owner Jerry Buss took the offers off the table because Odom and his agent, Jeff Schwartz, didn't respond quickly enough.

And though Odom said Friday that Buss' move was just "bluffing," he also acknowledged that it hit a chord.

"That was the first time in my life since I was 8 years old where I wasn't picked to play," Odom said.

Odom said he talked to Buss and the owner explained his concerns about the Lakers and the NBA's luxury tax threshold, which dropped from $71.15 million last season to $69.9 million next season.

That's when Odom said he decided to tell Buss directly that the money issues were his least concern, even if the prolonged discussions created a different impression. "It makes me feel awkward when I have to pitch myself," Odom said.

"I let him know how important it was for me as a person to be a part of his franchise, why I love L.A. so much. All I could tell him was the truth."

In the end, Odom sounded relieved.

He also said that he's looking forward to the future.

"If we can win six, seven, eight, nine, 10 championships in a row, I want to experience that," Odom said.


By Mark Medina
August 1, 2009
mark.medina@latimes.com

Lamar Odom to resign with Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have at last reached terms on a new contract with sixth man ,Lamar Odom after a month of frosty negotiations that might have troubled the team and its fans more than just about anything they saw during last season's playoff drive to the championship.

"I always wanted to come back because we won the championship," Odom told ESPN's Shelley Smith. "I'm playing for the biggest brand in the world. And I'm playing with the most fluid, talented center in the world in Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum's coming back and of course Kobe Bryant.

"But to now get an opportunity to play with Ron Artest, a guy I've known 16 years, it means a lot. I told Ron Ron a few weeks ago I couldn't walk away. I still had to fight. Every time negotiations didn't go the way I thought, I just took a step back, like them pulling the offer off the table, I just knew I had to fight."

Sources with knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com that Odom and the Lakers on Thursday agreed to a four-year deal worth up to $33 million if the Lakers exercise their option on the fourth season. One source close to the process said that Odom will come away with a guaranteed $27 million from the new contract, matching the original value of the three-year, $27 million deal Lakers owner Jerry Buss pulled off the table earlier this month.

It's believed that the structure of the new contract calls for Odom to earn $25 million over the first three seasons, with the Lakers owing him a buyout of $2 million in the fourth year if they elect not to pick up their team option.

Team sources indicated that a sense of relief poured through the organization after word of the agreement spread, with Odom known to be giving serious consideration to leaving the team he helped last month to the 15th title in franchise history for a reunion with Pat Riley and Dwayne Wade with the Miami Heat.

Wade had been publicly lobbying for Odom to come "back home" for weeks. Limited in what it could offer as a team well over the salary cap, Miami was nonetheless prepared to give him a five-year deal worth $34 million with an option to return to free agency after four seasons or a four-year deal with a provision to go back on the open market after three years to try to negotiate a richer deal.

Read the full article at espn.com

J.A. Adande and Marc Stein are senior NBA writers for ESPN.com. ESPN's Shelley Smith contributed to this report.

Vegas oddsmakers consider Lakers the team to beat with or without Odom

This shouldn't really come as a surprise, but Vegas bookmakers have ranked the Los Angeles Lakers as the favorite to win the NBA championship in the upcoming season regardless of how the Lamar Odom situation plays out.

Jay Rood, the director of the MGM/Mirage Race and Sports Book, who was quoted by the L.A Times, stated "Getting [forward Ron] Artest is better than losing Lamar. The core of that team still is what it is, and as long as you keep Kobe [Bryant] and [Coach] Phil [Jackson], nothing changes."

At MGM/Mirage, the Lakers are an 8-5 favorite to win the NBA title, followed by the Boston Celtics, and recent addition Rasheed Wallace, at 3-1, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Shaquille O'Neal joining LeBron James, at nearly 4-1. The Orlando Magic are 13-2 and the San Antonio Spurs are 7-1.

"We didn't change anything when they got Artest, and if they lose Odom it'll just be a wash," said Jay Kornegay, executive director of the Las Vegas Hilton's Race and Sports book, which has the Lakers as the 2-1 favorite over the 3-1 Cavaliers and 5-1 Celtics.

"Odom's a component, but he's not a star. As that team has already shown, if they lose someone, they'll find someone else."

I can see what they're saying about it being a wash after acquiring Artest, but what they dont really consider in this article is the fact that Ariza is now in Houston. I don't think one could make the argument that gaining Artest is better than losing Lamar and Ariza, two intregal factors in the Lakers run for NBA supremacy.

I like the attributes that Artest can bring to the table but for now he is bringing some uncertainty as well, where as the guys were already proven to mesh with the team.

With that said, I like the picking up of Artest over Ariza(sadly), but I would not like to see this Lamar situation go the same route. Lamar, please do yourself and the fans a favor by kicking your agent in the nutts and getting this damn contract negotiation over with. Miami is a fun place to visit but L.A. is your home, and in the wise words of Adam Sandler's character Happy Gilmore "go to your home."

Lamar Odom In talks with the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks

LAS VEGAS -- Amid a growing sense around the league that the Miami Heat have a real shot at stealing Lamar Odom away from the Los Angeles Lakers , Odom is expected to take the weekend to ponder his next move.

Sources with knowledge of Odom's thinking told ESPN.com that he has not abandoned hope of resuscitating serious negotiations with L.A. after Lakers owner Jerry Buss angrily pulled a three-year, $27 million offer off the table earlier this week.

According to a broadcast report Friday night from longtime L.A. television anchor Jim Hill, Odom called Buss directly on Thursday in an attempt to reignite talks.

The Heat, meanwhile, have made it clear that they are prepared to offer the richest contract they can in an attempt to convince Odom to stop haggling with the Lakers, with the Dallas Mavericks also eager to offer the same fallback option.

Heat star Dwyane Wade made a public plea Friday for Odom to return to the franchise that sent him to the Lakers in the Shaquille O'Neal deal in the summer of 2004, announcing that "we want him back home."

According to sources close to the process, Odom has been apprised that he can sign a five-year Heat deal consuming all of the team's mid-level exception, which would be worth $34 million and include the option to return to free agency after three years and negotiate a larger contract with Miami.

With the Lakers possessing Odom's Larry Bird rights, Miami can't match the $9 million annual salary that sources say he and the Lakers agreed to last week before talks collapsed. But the difference between the first three years of a Heat contract -- worth nearly $19 million -- and the $27 million over three years offered by L.A. might not be as wide as it appears. It's estimated that the absence of state taxes in Florida would represent close to an extra $1 million per season of take-home pay for Odom.

ESPN.com reported Tuesday night that Odom and the Lakers had reached an accord on a per-season wage of $9 million, but Odom balked at L.A.'s unwillingness to extend an offer spanning more than three years in length,

The Los Angeles Times, in reporting that Buss had pulled the offer, said Buss grew impatient after a few days that he didn't receive a firm response from Odom's camp. Yet one source told ESPN.com that Odom was never given a deadline to accept or pass.

Lakers spokesman John Black acknowledged Tuesday to the Times that "talks have broken down for the time being" but conceded that a resumption in negotiations is "within the realm of possibility." That remains what many rival teams camped at the NBA's annual summer league in Las Vegas expect, given Odom's importance during the Lakers' championship run last season and the fact that the only apparent issue between the sides is believed to be contract length.

The possibility exists that Buss has simply decided that he is no longer amenable to absorbing the luxury-tax implications of even a three-year deal worth Odom, but it would be an undeniable blow for the Lakers to report to training camp in October without Odom and Trevor Ariza after their contributions to the 15th championship in franchise history.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, approached by ESPN.com in Vegas on Thursday, said he could not publicly discuss the Odom situation. Attempts to reach Odom and agent Jeff Schwartz have been unsuccessful.

"I want Lamar to do what's best for him and his family because we love him as family," Wade said Friday in a phone interview with the Associated Press to discuss his new shoe deal with Brand Jordan.

"But on the other hand we want him back home... to come home. His house is still there. It'd be exciting to see what happens."

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Friday that Heat president Pat Riley, addressing season-ticket holders in a two-day session that was closed to media, revealed that he is also monitoring Carlos Boozer's status with the Utah Jazz but had not yet made a trade approach for the Team USA power forward.

As ESPN.com reported Tuesday night, Odom's unexpected availability combined with a trade for Boozer would flank Wade with two quality forwards and enable Miami to re-sign Boozer in the summer of 2010 without needing salary-cap space because the Heat would own Boozer's Bird rights. It's thought that acquiring Odom and Boozer this summer would greatly enhance Miami's chances of convincing Wade to sign a long-term deal to stay with the Heat, after Wade announced recently that he wants to be surrounded with more proven help before committing his future to Riley.

Sources maintain that Odom, if he can't go back to the Lakers, would strongly favor a return to the Heat over a move to Dallas or Portland. The Blazers once again have cap space to spend now that Utah has matched their four-year, $32 million offer sheet to Paul Millsap, but it is not yet known if they plan to lodge a bid for Odom similar to the five-year offer in the region of $50 million that Hedo Turkoglu accepted from Portland earlier this month and then walked away from to sign with Toronto.

Odom, who turns 30 in November, has made it clear over the past several months that he has no desire to leave the Lakers, whom he joined when L.A. broke up its three-peat duo of O'Neal and Kobe Bryant by trading O'Neal to Miami for Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant. He made $14.1 million last season to complete the six-year, $63 million contract he received from Miami in the summer of 2003.

Although he initially chafed at his move to the bench, Odom ultimately flourished as a sixth man, averaging 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 32 minutes per game during the playoffs, when he frequently wound up partnering with Pau Gasol in the Lakers' frontcourt since young center Andrew Bynum was still developing.

Replacing Ariza with the more physical Ron Artest this offseason has given the Lakers someone to absorb at least some of Odom's minutes and responsibilities if he does leave. But Odom's departure would be undoubtedly celebrated by other playoff contenders in the West, since it's the luxury of having three long-limbed big men to flank Bryant -- Odom, Gasol and Bynum -- that makes L.A. so unique. Odom also ranks as one of Artest's closest friends in the game, so his continued presence would theoretically help Lakers coach Phil Jackson and Bryant manage the mercurial Artest.

Asked in a Monday telephone interview with the Times why a deal was not yet done, Odom said: "I don't know. That's why there are negotiations. I don't know. Of course I hope they can get it done. It's negotiations. Both sides are going to give and take. That's part of it. I don't know how long it's going to take. ... The Lakers have been too good to me to rub people over there the wrong way. The Lakers have been nothing but great to me, and I want to keep the relationship great."

In the event that the talks are not resuscitated, L.A. would have to count on the unpredictable Artest and the up-and-down Bynum to fill the void. And Odom, in that scenario, would almost certainly be returning to Wade's side after they led Miami to a 42-40 record in 2003-04 when Wade was rookie.

"Lamar already knows how I feel," Wade said. "I really don't know how to feel. He's really taken time to deal with it, sit back. It's a very important decision in his life. It could be about where he ends his career."

In 10 seasons, Odom has averaged 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds.

"Lamar and I always had a great relationship," Wade said. "He's always been the guy, one of the guys, that I thought really helped me as a young player."

The Times has reported that Odom had actually been presented with two offers by the Lakers -- $30 million over three years and $36 million over four -- but sources with knowledge of the talks dispute that, saying that L.A.'s best offer topped out at $27 million over three years.

"There are specifics behind why we pulled it, but that's not something we're going to get into," Black told the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lakers Roll Over Nets To Improve 12-1

By Elliott Teaford, Staff Writer-Daily News

The Lakers were imperfect winners again Tuesday night.

Say what you will about their recent method of operation, their consistently inconsistent play and their obvious lack of rhythm, the bottom line was that they routed the New Jersey Nets, 120-93, at Staples Center for their 12th victory in 13 games.

What's more, the Lakers have won five consecutive since suffering their lone defeat of the season, a 106-95 loss to Detroit on Nov. 14, a game that in hindsight was as close to flawless as the Pistons have played this season.

Lately, the Lakers' victories have lacked the sort of resounding nature that some of their early-season wins did, but the results have been winning, nevertheless.

They are four wins away from matching the club record for the best start in Lakers history, a 16-1 mark in 2001-02, when they won their last NBA title.

They certainly reverted to their earlier form Tuesday, taking their biggest win from the Nets since New Jersey joined the NBA as one of four ABA refugees in 1976.

Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting. He also had eight rebounds and three assists. Jordan Farmar added 18 points in a reserve role, Andrew Bynum had 15 points and six rebounds and Lamar Odom had 13 points.

Oh yeah, and Kobe Bryant scored a season-low 12 points on 5-for-17 shooting.

Of the Lakers' starters, only Bynum played in the fourth quarter.

"It's a good sign, a healthy sign," Lakers coach
Phil Jackson said of winning big without getting much offense from Bryant, who averages a team-leading 23.7 points. "But we want Kobe to shoot the ball well and have good games, obviously. That's the focal point of our offense. We want him to be the threat that everyone has to overplay and be concerned with because that makes everyone else have an easier game."

In the end, holding Bryant well below his average only got the Nets so far. The Lakers toyed with them during the third quarter, turning a tight game into a runaway.

The Lakers broke open the game by outscoring the Nets, 34-22, in the pivotal third quarter. They did it by shooting 59.1 percent (13 for 22) and limiting New Jersey to 26.1 percent shooting (6 for 23) in the quarter.

"It just shows you their balance," New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank said of the Lakers. "I think that's the greatness of the Lakers. You know, Kobe is one of the elite players in this league, but they have so much around him."

The Lakers went inside to Gasol and Bynum early and often, hoping to take advantage of the inexperience of Brook Lopez and Li Jianlian. Gasol and Bynum more than made up for Bryant's shooting struggles - he would miss eight of his first nine.

Still, despite 16 points from Gasol and 11 from Bynum, the Lakers led by just two, 56-54, at halftime. The Nets, like the Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls, weren't rolling over and playing dead in the first half.

The Lakers made their break in the third quarter, however.

Unlike some recent games, the Lakers would not let down in the fourth quarter. Their lead grew to 29 points late in the game. Moreover, they outscored the Nets by a whopping 64-39 in the second half.

Farmar sparked the Lakers' second unit with 12 points after halftime, leading the reserves to a 56-19 edge over the Nets' backups.

"I thought we came out and played a stellar second half," Jackson said. "The first half was like feeling each other out. We had trouble stopping their penetration and they shot the ball well. The second half, we got our defense in order.

"Our emphasis tonight was an inside game. They have a lot of young players. I thought both (Gasol) and Andrew would be players we could feature as far as getting the ball inside. (Gasol) hit outside shots as well. He had a fine game."

Devin Harris led the Nets with 24 points. As expected, the Lakers had heaps of trouble guarding Harris, who had 16 points and five assists in the first half.

http://elliot.teaford@dailybreeze.com