Was keeping Lamar Odom a good decision?

Though Lamar Odom comes at a steep cost for not being an everyday starter, his versatility has been crucial to the Lakers success. He can play three positions(Small Forward, Power Forward, and occasionally Center) which is crucial considering how often Andrew Bynum and Pao Gasol get injured. Also if Bynum or Gasol get in foul trouble, he can substitute into the game for them without the Lakers skipping a beat in executing their gameplan. Also because he can play so many different positions if a certain player on the Lakers is struggling guarding a particular player, they can put Lamar Odom on that player. Overall, his adept versatilty and skill for dribbling, passing, rebounding, and defense, make Lamar Odom worth alot more than the Lakers pay him yearly(roughly 8 million).

Which Laker was the greatest ever?

This question probably bothers every person who has ever rooted for the purple and gold. This question actually is very difficult to answer considering the wide span of era's the Lakers dominant players have played in. Without a doubt, the most dominant player of all time in his era would be Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, because of his ginormous figure (7'1 275 lbs) in an era where the regular nba center would be around (6'8 220). However in terms of greatest player you would also have to consider Jerry West:(the man who the NBA logo is made after)Relentless scorer,"Clutch" performer and toughness by playing through 15 broken noses in his career. He also was a league leading scorer for much of his career hitting long range shots before the 3 point line was invented in the late 70's(obviously his scoring average would have been much greater if it had been in existance during his career). On the other hand you also have Shaquille O'Neal (arguably the most gifted athlete ever in his prime) who needs no introduction, yet his deficient rebounding in relation to his size instantly disqualifies him. Last but not least Kobe Bryant, an allround superb player who by the end of his career will garner debate of being the greatest all time.
Overall, Wilt Chamberlain statistically is the best player( however only 2 championships in a very long career), Jerry West would be the most clutch, Kobe as an all around player(defense,offense,overall skills), and Shaq and K0be as the most successful(each hold 4 championship rings). It is too hard to label one player as the greatest ever, but by the end of his career I believe Kobe Bryant will be the greatest.

Kobe's Amazing Game Winner!!

If anyone was in doubt about who is the best player in the game and what team he is on, they got their question answered in the Laker's last game vs. Miami. Kobe Bryant, hit one of the luckiest shots ever to win the game with only four seconds left on the clock. When the ball was passed in to him, Kobe wanted to drive to the basket but instead he slipped and had to run around the arc and shoot a running three pointer off one foot with Dwayne Wade in his face. Amazingly, the shot hit the backboard and went in. Lakers ended up wining the game by one point!!

The Trade Off

The trade off between Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza was definitely a success. The Lakers are playing better and have more of a power player now that Artest is in the picture. He can get more rebounds and has a more aggressive post game. This was definitely a good decision by the Lakers.We traded Ariza, who was a bench player, for Artest, a starter. The Lakers increased their chances of winning by adding another power player in the lineup to bolster the solid inside play of Bynum and Gasol. Good Call Mitch Kuptchak(Lakers General Manager).

Will the Lakers Repeat as World Champions in 2010?

The Lakers repeating as world champions hinges on several factors:Can the post players( Pao Gasol,Andrew Bynum) stay healthy?Can Ron Artest fit into the Lakers triangle scheme and make them a tougher team defensively?Can Andrew Bynum return to last season'sdominance in the post before his knee injury in january?Can Kobe Consistantly put up big numbers? I think so!! The Lakers are the best team period. Individually there are other players out there that have talent, but as a team that works together the Lakers definitely have the top spot. My prediction is that they will repeat as champions.