Well, this didn’t take too long to unfold. Just prior to Turkey Day it was reported that Turkish club Besiktas had set their sights set on Lamar Odom. Just after Thanksgiving it looks as if Odom will be headed to Turkey where he’ll join Deron Williams as early as next week.
LO is said to have agreed to a deal that will pay him up to $2-million should he play out the entire season in Turkey. Naturally if the NBA lockout ends Odom will be allowed to return to the States. For now he’s on his way to having Turkish delight.
This seems like an ideal situation for both the Lakers and Odom.
Odom enjoyed the most consistent season of his career after competing with Team U.S.A. during last summer’s FIBA World Championships in Turkey. A big man like LO was built for the international game. So it is only right he gets some run overseas in hopes the NBA season can be salvaged.
If the NBA season is lost then Odom will earn some scratch to help keep his Kardashian fund full.
But let’s keep it positive.
This is a big positive for Odom. He is as unique a talent as you’ll find in the game so this will only help expand his global brand from a hoops perspective. No doubt Lamar has got to be thinking about the next phase in life with his NBA career nearing its end in the coming years.
For the Lakers they’ll get the benefit of having one of their most important players getting some conditioning through actual competition. Hopefully Odom will remain healthy (knock on wood) and will return to Los Angeles ready to put together another stellar season as a 6th man.