Lamar Odom: NBA Sixth Man of the Year




Lamar Odom receiving award

Lamar Odom of the Los Angeles Lakers received the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award for the 2010-11 season. This is not only a great accomplishment for Odom, but also for the Lakers franchise because Odom is the first in the organization’s prestigious history to achieve this feat. There have been some well-known sixth men for the Lakers over the past two decades, such as Michael Cooper and Kurt Rambus, but Odom stands alone in Lakers history.

This year was not Odom’s best campaign as a pro statistically, but it was his best “all-around” season as a well-rounded player. The point-forward averaged 14.4 points, eight rebounds, and three assist per game, but his experience with Team USA at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey helped Odom mature as a vocal leader. Serving as a co-captain along the side of Chauncey Billups of the New York Knicks, Odom returned to LA with a gold medal and a will to “lead.”

Standing at 6-foot-10 and weighing 230 pounds, Odom has the size of a power forward, shoots like a small forward, has the handle of a two-guard, and exhibits the court vision of a point guard. Odom’s skillset is very unique and it allows for him to cause matchup problems for his opponents. Odom can play inside the paint, on the perimeter, and take bigger defenders off of the dribble when  isolating.

With these assets and the newly found leadership traits within Odom’s persona, the Lakers benefited from his presence throughout their “perplexing” season. Odom provided great energy when the Lakers were in slumps and looked a little lethargic during their short losing streaks. Though the Lakers season seemed puzzling at times, they managed to finish second in the Western Conference to the San Antonio Spurs at 57-25 and are on verge of conquering their third consecutive NBA championship.

Life in the NBA has not been easy for the former No. 4 pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. In the early part of his career as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, Odom endured consecutive losing seasons and received multiple suspensions for violating the league’s substance abuse policy in 2001.

From 2002-03 he dealt with a severe ankle injury that hampered his career; in the 2003 offseason Odom signed with the Miami Heat. After one season in Miami, Odom was traded to the Lakers for center Shaquille O’Neal. In 2006, Odom’s 6½-month-old son, Jayden Odom, died in his sleep.

As one can see, the Queens, NY native has overcome some of the darkest moments of his 11 years in the NBA. Now a two-time NBA champion and a newly married man to reality star Khloe Kardashian, Odom’s career has turned out to be a success.

Odom and the Lakers will take on the New Orleans Hornets Sunday night in New Orleans for game four of their first round matchup at 9:30 pm ET on TNT.  

Morehouse Football: Spring Training

Morehouse Maroon Tigers

Spring training is underway and the Morehouse Maroon Tigers are currently gearing up for another successful season. The 2010 season was filled with great triumph as the Maroon Tigers finished the regular season with their highest ranking ever at No.5 with an 8-3 record, and made the Division II playoffs for the first time in school history.

A few players such as running back David Carter and offensive lineman Stacy Louis were superb. Carter led the SIAC in rushing with 122 ypg, 1347 on the year, and scored 10 touchdowns while Louis received multiple SIAC player of the week honors.

Head coach Rich Freeman looks forward to getting his players into the best shape physically and psychologically in order to duplicate the success. Though the Tigers will lose its leading defensive lineman, senior Derrin Nettles, the Tigers remain confident about their upside in 2011.

Sophomore quarterback Donnay Ragland is confident in his team, as he expounds on the Tigers work ethic during spring training:



NFL Draft prospect Derrin Nettles

“Yes, everyone is working hard and our goal is to get better on the small things. We already have a great team, now we have to be discipline and continue to play fast hard and smart, which is our team philosophy. We want to get better each day and build from last year’s success.”

The Compton, Ca native is excited to get back onto the field, and conveys that the coaching staff is doing a great job at developing the team psychologically. Players such as Elijah Anderson, Derek Hector, and Jarvis Canty are also contributing their leadership in order to keep the Tigers on the right track. They are giving it their all every time that they step onto the field.

At 6-foot-2 and weighing 180 pounds, Ragland is exhibiting his leadership by running the offense with confidence and putting his teammates on his shoulders in order to gain their trust. Ragland and junior quarterback Byran Ingram will compete for the starting quarterback position, but despite who gets the starting job, the two look forward to making quality contributions.

  

“Our goal is to win a championship, Ragland said. “We want to continue to build on the small things such as being discipline, getting stronger in the weight room, and listening to what the coaches are teaching us. If we work on the small things, we’ll be able to beat the big teams in our conference such as Tuskegee and Albany State.”

The Morehouse football team will hold its annual Maroon and White Spring Game, Saturday, April 9, at 3 p.m.