Glad the passion is running deep!  BTW, if I'd used spell check with Derek, it would have given me Derrick, but thanks for noticing.  It;s fixed.  Commenters seem to be missing the analogy of a game of horse, bringing the aforementioned Fisher into the equation.  Certainly the Lakers would lose out without Odom, but as stated, they've already gone WAY beyond any offer they needed to.  If he'd rather be a Heat, that's his choice, but when your agent puts those figures out there, and the team you claimed during all of your first title celebrations was the one you wanted to retire with and come back to, meets those demands, and said agent doesn't even return a call to the most accomplished and generous owner in the NBA, that's a LOSER.  Lamar is risking his reputation, and what's left of his career with some really bad advise and poor representation.  The Lakers deserve better, and so does he, but if you read the summation of the column, enough is enough, and let's get an agreement and both end up WINNERS.  Let's not forget Lamar started barely a 3rd of the Lakers games this season, and many of those were due to others' injuries.  Or, that despite how valuable, and at this point practically indispensable I feel he is to this team, this was the first season he's exhibited consistency from the early season through the playoffs.  He hasn't earned five years from the Lakers, especially about to hit 30 in the first month of the season.