The Weekside: Lamar Odom, Basketball Player

Lamar Odom’s near-death experience hit the NBA hard. He may not be one of the all-time greats in terms of points per game or All-Star appearances, but he had a transformative skill set coupled with a grace of movement that defied his size. He was just the smoothest dude on the court, almost always. He played like few ever have, using a distinctive approach that defied comparisons to anyone.

Scott Van Pelt, with an assist from UGK rapping legend Bun B, aptly pointed out that this is who Lamar Odom was: Basketball player. Van Pelt heralded Odom as an NBA star with bonafides that can never be taken away — not “a Kardashian reality star” — while responding to the general media coverage of the sad incident that nearly took his life. “His name is Lamar Odom, and we knew it, long before he got married on a TV show that we don’t watch.”

We first knew it at Rhode Island.

Man, was he special in those days. The school had been put on the map in recent years by Cuttino Mobley, but Lamar made it something … more. Even with lesser results, those games felt larger. I watched more Atlantic 10 basketball in his one year on campus than I had since Marcus Camby had jetter for the league.

Even with his gangly, still-immature physique, he was a step above everyone in the conference — almost everyone in college hoops — and it was a delight to see the mixture of playmaking, ballhandling, rebounding, scoring, and everything, really, that would become the hallmark of his career.

Players his size doing the things he could do aren’t as unique now, but there weren’t many like him in the 1990s. He had the size and all the abilities plus the southpaw aesthetic that ensured he would never, ever blend in on a basketball court. Even in the league, you would never confuse Lamar for anyone else, and the degree to which he towered over his peers in the A-10 was remarkable.

When he hit a 3-point game-winner to send his middling squad to March Madness, you could see pure joy in his eyes as his future-banker and future-car salesman teammates tackled him in awe. I don’t think we knew at the time that this was such a rare emotion for a man whose upbringing was full of wounds that even an adulthood full of riches, adulation and trophies couldn’t heal.

The two-time NBA champion’s struggle to adapt to post-basketball reality has been difficult to watch unfold. Life is a hard slog to go through and it has been more difficult for him than most.

The game never was though. He was a basketball savant, playing a position-less style of basketball before it become trendy in the professional ranks. More than anything, that’s who Lamar Odom is. He isn’t a reality television star nor a warning to younger players entering the league. He is a man who struggles with emotional damage and addiction, but none of that will ever take away the privilege it was to watch him play this sport.

Around the Association: The East

As we prepare to start the season next week, let’s take a look at some probable stats for players across the league. The following numbers come courtesy of bookmaker Bovada’s player prop odds for the upcoming year.

Over Under East /

Around the Association: The West

Over Under West /

Words With Friends

This week’s five must-read articles about the NBA. Excerpts here — click through to read the full piece.

1. Russell Westbrook post-ups are the Thunder’s deadly secret weapon
by Scott Rafferty, Sporting News

Following a preseason game against Fenerbahce Ulker, in which Russell Westbrook scored on three consecutive post-up possessions, Billy Donovan explained how he plans to feature his point guard in the post more often in 2015-16. His reasoning is simple: They’d be silly not to make the most of Westbrook’s physical advantage. “Against most guards, he’s gonna be bigger and stronger,” Donovan said. “So I think that’s gotta be part of what we do offensively because from there he can score and then when you’re forced to bring help, he can create space and throw it to other guys.”

2. Can The Jazz Continue Last Season’s Surge?
by Ian Levy, FiveThirtyEight

Rudy Gobert’s late-season ascendance into the starting lineup helped transform Utah’s defense last season. By ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, he was the fourth-best defensive center in the league, and Nylon Calculus ranked him as the top rim protector in the league on a per-minute basis. Last season, he proved he could be an elite rebounder and shot-blocker and an efficient finisher around the rim. The question now is whether he can replicate all of that production in big minutes, across an entire season.

3. Zach Lowe, Kevin Arnovitz Discuss Major NBA Story Lines Entering the Season
by Zach Lowe, Grantland; Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN

Zach Lowe talks to ESPN.com’s Kevin Arnovitz about the Pelicans’ injuries, the Thunder and Bulls, and other major NBA story lines.

4. Lance Stephenson Seeks Redemption with Clippers: ‘I Have to Prove Myself Again’
by Shams Charania, Yahoo Sports

“We have a lot more talent than I ever had in Indy,” Stephenson told Yahoo Sports. Simple and direct. His talent follows him here, too, but the Hollywood lights shouldn’t glare upon Stephenson the way his game was dissected as a failed signing in Charlotte. He is a rotation player now and the residue of his turbulent season precedes him. If there is a situation made to recapture the peak of Stephenson’s game – a pace changer, a contributor to an NBA title contender – this one is it. One of the NBA’s best starting lineups, a restructured bench and the coach Stephenson respects to be conducive to his skills.

5. The Five Best Coaching Wardrobes
by Miles Wray, Hardwood Paroxysm

I’ve always felt like the best-dressed coach in the league has been Dwane Casey. He never takes a game off. Between him, the casual chic of Masai Ujiri, and the team’s intergalactic press conference set-up, the Toronto Raptors are easily the best-looking team in the league.

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