I have not watched the movie, but I'm going to take a wild guess that the character Omar Epps plays is a big fan of both love and basketball. And which fella in the universe isn't? Love and basketball go together like goby and shrimp, chambray shirts and raw denim, Shin ramen and rainy days. Most fellas in the world, though, don't have enough game to excel at both. Unless your name is Lamar Odom.
Lamar Odom has always been one of my favorite athletes to watch, even before he came to the Lakers. He glides on the court with that lanky 6'10'' frame, and despite his decision to completely ignore the existence of his right arm on the basketball court, he has made a name and career for himself as a versatile passer and efficient scorer around the basket. If you've been paying attention, though, Odom has improved his game by leaps and bounds this season. He's averaging 15 and 9 in just over 33 minutes a game while shooting at a career-best 54.7% clip from the field. He has dramatically reduced his TO ratio, helped stabilize bench play with both smart passing and aggressive drives, and come up with big rebounds in at least a few 4th quarters. In any other year, Odom would have been named to the All-Star Team.
Analysts and players have taken notice, but much of the discussion regarding the source of his improved play has focused on his participation in the 2010 FIBA World Championships this past summer. Which probably did play a major role in getting him ready for the season. Training with some of NBA's most talented players will do that for you. But why the sudden focus and motivation at this point in his career, with 11 NBA seasons and 2 championship wins under his belt, and the most lucrative contracts behind him? What has convinced Odom to show up to play each game, when years of criticism about his tendency to float through the regular season couldn't? I believe the answer lies in this quote Odom supplied NBA.com in an interview last month:
"Right now, there isn't anything that's distracting me from the game, and a lot of that is because of the love that my wife has for me. There aren't any stresses."
There would've been a time in the past when I wouldn't have understood what Odom meant. And I still couldn't explain to you what it means to have that life companion and partner-in-crime by your side, why it matters to love and be loved in return. But I know that as much as I have grown as a person and strived to cultivate the kind of genuine respect and compassion that once felt artificial to me, I can be better, once I take care of this love thing. I'm ready for the pick and roll, baby.
