The Big L (O) of the NBA

Lamar Odom’s inconsistency and enigmatic play has been written about almost too much. The words quirky, talented, frustrating, dominant, and enigma all came to mind and may have been used to describe him in the past. So I thought I’d draw another parallel. In a word, Lamar Odom is basketball’s version of “The Dude.”

In the movie’s introduction of The Dude, Sam Elliot’s voice rings out:

Sometimes there’s a man… I won’t say a hero, ’cause what’s a hero? But sometimes, there’s a man – and I’m talkin’ about the Dude here – sometimes, there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that’s the Dude. In Los Angeles. And even if he’s a lazy man – and the Dude was most certainly that, quite possibly the laziest in Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin’ for laziest worldwide – Sometimes there’s a man… Sometimes, there’s a man. Ah, I lost my train of thought here. But… aw, hell. I done introduced him enough.

The if you replace the words “The Dude” with “Lamar”, you’d be pretty darn close to how a Lakers fan might introduce him.

Lakers fans first knew Lamar as a Clipper who couldn’t stay out of trouble. He was began his career as a bust: a bad choice for a bad franchise. After four tumultuous seasons with Los Angeles’ also-rans, Odom signed a free-agent contract with the Miami Heat. Although the Odom-Dwayne Wade combination was enticing, the team never was a serious contender.

Miami realized that the need for a strong presence inside and In 2004, Odom was involved in the original Shaq trade (not the watered-down second draft) and came to the Lakers with Caron Butler and Brian Grant. While the Lakers struggled early-on in Odom’s tenure, fans didn’t know what to make of the long, athletic forward with every skill an NBA team could ask for. Some nights, Odom would seem like a talented centerpiece who showed flashes of Scottie Pippen to Kobe’s Jordan. Other nights, Odom would seem like a worse version of a maligned Toni Kukoc; bored and not engaged, puzzling and angering Lakers fans in the process.

The parallels between Odom and the Dude start early-on. Odom was reprimanded by the NBA numerous times for drug use. If The Dude was a real person, Odom probably would have found him during his early years and shared a J – or nine – to, as the dude says, keep his mind limber.

Like the Dude, Odom has an assortment of qualities. While the Dude has a varied background, (avid bowler, roadie for Metallica on the Speed of Sound Tour, and one of the authors of the original Port Huron Statement) Odom has a varied game. He is versatile enough to play outside and long enough to defend and score inside.

While he posessed many Dude-like qualities, Odom was, until he joined the Lakers, without a forceful and dominant personality – a Walter Sobchak figure. When he arrived in Los Angeles, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman’s loud-mouthed, gun toting counterpart to Bridges’ dude) came in the form of a player named Kobe Bean Bryant. Just as The Dude’s laid back attitude needs militaristic and high-strung Walter, so too did Odom need Kobe to keep him on the “righteous” track more often.

While the dude needed Maude as a partner to realize his best thinking and open his mind about the world, Odom may have found his Maude this year in the form of a Kardashian.

While some other character parallels can be drawn such as, Phil Jackson; as the Big Lebowski, Gasol; as Donnie, Artest; as, maybe Knox Harrington (the video artist), none are as strong or interesting as Odom as the dude.

The parallel only runs so far though. Even while he is married and trying to continually build and change his image, his most true basketball self may be as a Dude-like player. The farther he gets away from being the eclectic and free-flowing player he is and the more he cares about what other people think, the less valuable he may be.

Odom has (deservedly) received much praise for his play on the USA National Team over the summer. The reason he was so effective was his attitude on and off the court. It almost bordered on a Manny Ramirez-like blissfull indifference. I’m sure he cared some, but he stayed mentally loose throughout the summer and was more successful than he’s ever been. That play carried over into the beginning of the season. Lately, some of the old Lamar has crept back in at times as he tried to find his role on the bowling team, err. Lakers.

In the NBA and especially with the Lakers, a player has to play a cerebral, team-oriented game. Unlike the Dude, laziness will get Lamar nowhere when it comes to playing a team sport like basketball. While Odom will always have to “fall in” with his teammates, I would argue that the closer he gets to the “I’m comfortable in my own skin and I don’t care what anyone else thinks”, Dude-like attitude – just as he had all summer – the more successful he and the Lakers can be.

Bridges’ character, like Odom, is too eclectic to warrant any one label. Except that he’s the dude. Fans of the Lakers should hope this is one label Odom doesn’t try to shy away from.