Lamar Odom Hit with Untimely Technical

We knew this was coming. Ray Charles saw the writing on the wall. David Stern’s desire to see an emotionless bunch of ballers just isn’t going to happen. Some things just can’t be controlled and no matter how many times Lamar Odom – or any ball player for that matter – gets hit with a technical foul they’re not going to stop screaming “And one!” after getting a hoop and a foul.

While you can’t say that the costly call, which came with under a minute to play in last night’s game, was the direct cause of the Lakers’ loss. You certainly can argue that it did change the momentum.

That is not how rules are supposed to work. Rules are setup to keep competition fair not to keep complaints limited to union grievances filed off the court.

If Odom said something personal to the official then by all means, hit him with a T faster than Rasheed Wallace can tear off his headband. But if a player, in the heat of the moment, feels as if he was fouled (which Odom clearly and perhaps intentionally was) then he has every right to voice his displeasure so long as it does not cross the line.

This is a slippery slope the NBA has stepped onto. Right now, this is a minor issue relegated to the back pages. But what happens when NBA golden boy LeBron James is given a tech during an important moment in the playoffs? Then I’m sure we’ll see some sort of a movement to change this hideous rule.

For now, Odom is just going to have to lick his wounds and forget about how the NBA has just added insult to injury.