Memo to Lamar Odom: Don’t Pull a Plaxico

Lamar Odom thought he was in a staring contest with Jerry Buss. While L.O. waited for the Laker owner to blink, Dr. Buss simply got up from the table and walked away.

Now, the free agent forward finds himself in a place that many players better than him have; begging Dr. Buss for a new contract.

When Shaq began to whine about more dough, Buss traded him for Odom. Most laughed at the move, but five years later the Lakers are back on top and the Big Caboose has latched onto the King James express, his third new jersey in four years.

The sticking point appears to be that Odom wants five years at $10 million a clip whereas the Lakers offered four at $9 million per.

What am I missing?

The city of L.A. embraced Odom as a Clipper. He’s been a fan favorite as a Laker. When L.O. is on his game, the Lakers go from unpredictable to unstoppable. There is no other team out there that will openly welcome back an inconsistent performer at 9 big bills a season.

Lamar, do yourself a favor and take a page from the A-Rod book: Fire your agent before he ships you to Dallas. Sure, Cuban might hire you a private masseuse and will have a 24 hour smoothie chef at your command but playing second fiddle to Dirk is a sure fire way to find yourself traded in two years.

The Lakers don’t negotiate like other teams. This is a franchise that is unafraid to make bold moves. Plenty of other FA’s line up to take pay cuts just for the chance at playing for a title.

Meanwhile, Lamar Odom is going Plaxico Burress in a nightclub called My NBA Career. Sure, Dr. Buss might not have searched Odom for any firearms as he was welcomed into the VIP bargaining area, but that is only because he didn’t assume Lamar was carrying heat. The problem is that while Odom was digging for his magic bullet, he forgot that the safety was off.

BANG!

Lamar Odom has shot his career the leg.