Lakers forward Lamar Odom wins NBA's sixth man award

This is usually a spot reserved solely for Miami Heat talk. But with the NBA's announcement Tuesday that the Los Angeles Lakers' Lamar Odom would be named the leagues Sixth Man of the Year, I thought, why not show the former Heat forward some love.

Odom played for the Heat during the 2003-2004 season, a season that many fans will remember as one of the most exciting in franchise history.

He joined a Heat team that was coming off a terrible year in which they had won only 25 games. Coming into the season there wasn't much optimism surrounding the Heat, but after getting off to a slow start, Odom and a group of young talented rookies such as Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem and savvy veterans like Eddie Jones and Brian Grant proved to be a tough out for anyone.

From left to right: Lamar Odom, Eddie Jones, Dwyane Wade, Brian Grant, and Caron Butler

The Heat newcomers brought an unbridled energy to the team that had been lacking for a couple seasons. After defeating the New Orleans Hornets in a memorable seven game series, the Heat would take the playoff tested Indiana Pacers to six games before being eliminated.

Odom's season with the Heat still holds up as one of his best years as a professional, averaging 17.1 points per game and almost ten rebounds.

I remember being so enamored by Odom's versatility. Here was this 6'11 giant bringing the ball up the court with such ease and shooting (and making) three-pointers without hesitation. There weren't many players that I could even compare his game to.

It's a travesty that Odom has never been an NBA All Star. Many felt that once again he was snubbed this year. He ranks sixth in regular season triple doubles among active players with 12, and every other player in the top eight of that list is a multiple all star.

Odom was traded to the Lakers prior to the 2004-2005 season in a package with Grant and Caron Butler for Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal.

Obviously, everything worked out. Odom has two championship rings and the Heat won their first title in 2006.

But I can't help but wonder what that team would have become. With a core of Odom, Wade, Butler, and Haslem, that Heat squad will always be remembered as the top "what if" team the Heat ever assembled.


Here's a good highlight tape of some of Odom's best stuff through the years