Lakers are at their best when Odom plays up to potential

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Fact: Kobe Bryant is the best basketball player on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Whew! Glad to clear up that debate. But here's a new one:

With L.A. trying for one goal this season, to win an NBA title, Bryant isn't the X-factor. Neither is Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum nor Derek Fisher. Rather, that distinction goes to Lamar Odom.

It's simple really — and this is true regardless of whether Bynum is in the lineup or injured: When Odom is at his best, the Lakers are the best team in the league. Better than their Western Conference rival Spurs. Better than the defending-champion Celtics.

And as they showed Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, better than the Cavaliers.

Even when No. 24 isn't feeling right.

While Bryant was vomiting before the game and chillin' — literally — during it, Odom was lifting L.A. almost single-handedly, making the Lakers the first team to win in Cleveland this year.

The Cavaliers will have to settle for a 23-1 start at home.

But back to Odom. If Phil Jackson actually had some hair with color remaining, it would likely turn gray quickly because his 6-foot-10 power forward's performances define hot and cold.

One night, he'll attack the basket with his long frame, he'll grab all the key rebounds and he'll intimidate opposing players trying to score on him. The next night, he'll be unassertive offensively and get into foul trouble.

Against the Cavs, the nation got to see "Good Lamar." He was all over the floor, taking control of the offense with Bryant in no mood to pull an M.J, a la Game 5 of the 1997 Finals.

Plays ran through Odom. Rebound after rebound were snatched out of the air by Odom. The game was won by Odom.

The veteran finished L.A.'s 101-91 victory with 28 points on 13-of-19 shooting, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked a shot.

But the most telling number is that when Odom was on the floor, the Lakers were +9 points. Check that final score again — he was the difference.

And Odom could be the difference between another season that ends just short of the Lakers' ultimate goal or the first post-Shaq title for Bryant.

Yes, even as a bench player.

If Bynum returns healthy and retakes his place in the starting five, Odom will return to his sixth-man role. But don't think that diminishes his importance.

Just look at the Spurs' dynasty of the past 10 seasons. They definitely wouldn't have won at least the past two titles without Manu Ginobili coming off the pine, sparking them with highly difficult shots and hustle plays.

Every championship team needs a difference-maker off the bench. Odom, L.A.'s second-most talented player, could be that guy for these Lakers.

As good as Gasol and Bynum are, they don't touch the ball nearly as much as Odom. That's because even with his size, he's a good ballhandler and he's strong when he takes the ball to the basket.

Odom is a guy whom you can give the ball to on the perimeter and let him create. Especially when Bryant is out of the game (or sick), Odom is needed to do such a thing.

He also possess a great ability — and athleticism — to rebound. Between their three big guys, the Lakers should be able to dominate games by outrebounding opponents. And nothing is more deflating than playing 20 seconds of good defense only to have to face another 20 seconds.

Odom gave the Lakers plenty of extra possessions with seven offensive boards Sunday against a strong Cleveland front line. Sans Bynum, the Lakers tied the Cavs with 42 boards apiece.

We all know how Bryant can take over a game.

In Cleveland, his very talented teammate picked up the slack.

It's something Odom is capable of doing on a consistent basis — starting or not.

It's something his team will need if it wants to have an L.A. parade come June — sick Kobe or not.

Kobe's Lakers will win the NBA title -- and probably a few more

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I never thought the moment would come when I would lose all my faith in the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs.

Even prior to Game 5, with the Spurs facing a 3-1 series deficit and a road game in L.A., I told the mailman Thursday afternoon, "I'm not counting them out." And I certainly felt that way when I turned on the game midway through the second quarter and saw San Antonio 33, Los Angeles 16.

But as the game progressed, I realized the Spurs' fate. They would lose that lead, and lose the series and, ultimately, probably not win another championship with their current core.

Thank Kobe Bryant's Lakers for this.

When the season began, there were so many questions swirling around Bryant and the Lakers. The one nobody was asking: "Does this team have a chance to win a championship?" (If asked, the answer would have been a resounding, "Nope.")

One thing I was wondering: "Is Kobe Bryant the best player in the NBA?" What with LeBron James coming off his first NBA Finals appearance at the ripe age of 22 and even Dwyane Wade already blinging a championship ring, I had serious doubts.

Not anymore. Bryant is clearly the best player in the association, and, not coincidentally, he plays for the best team.

Don't get me wrong -- either Boston or Detroit will give the Lakers a great series, a Finals David Stern has been hoping for. But the difference will be Bryant.

He has an unbelievable feel for the game that he used to lack. Remember Game 7 against Phoenix two seasons ago? Bryant basically quit, refusing to shoot the ball during an embarrassing blowout. Now, at 29, Bryant knows when he must take over a game offensively and when to get his teammates involved.

And when he gets that fierce look in his eyes, he's virtually unstoppable. Bruce Bowen is supposed to be one of the league's best defenders. Bryant made him look old and slow in scoring 39 points from all over the court in LA's 100-92 victory.

It was a case of good defense getting beat by extraordinary offense.

Bryant could pull up and shoot over Bowen whenever he liked. And he could do it from anywhere -- 25 feet or 12 feet. Additionally, he does such a good job of keeping his dribble alive, that double-teams become useless because the big man who creates the double -- Tim Duncan for the Spurs -- can't stay with Bryant. Kobe showed this with a pair of drives right past the two-time MVP Thursday.

What was even more scary in the closeout game, however, was Bryant's fitness level. He didn't miss a minute of the second half, and yet he got better in the fourth quarter. If he can show that kind of endurance on one day's rest, imagine how much energy he'll have when the Finals commence in a week.

Simply put, when the Lakers have Bryant on the floor, they are the better team. The supporting cast is rock-solid, but even when Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol are on the bench, Bryant can control a game.

The only player I've watched in my lifetime whom the current Kobe reminds me of? Yep, you guessed it. (And if you didn't, look up the greatest players of all time.)

There are no weaknesses to Bryant's game. Early in his career, his outside shot needed work. Two years ago, he was called selfish and a bad teammate (and rightfully so) -- heck, people were even saying that after last season.

But something clicked in Kobe's head at the beginning of this season. No, the addition of Gasol didn't make Bryant who he is. It was before that, when Bryant was helpingAndrew Bynum look like a future All-Star. He saw that his teammates were working almost as hard as he was to make the team successful, and he gained a trust in them.

It's obvious that Bryant shares more than supreme talent with M.J. It's their competitiveness that stands out. (If you don't believe me, read this Sports Illustrated article.) That's why both players had a hard time dealing with an underachiever like Kwame Brown. They couldn't understand why he wasn't getting the most out of his ability.

But now, equipped with very capable teammates and one of the NBA's greatest coaches, Bryant has all he needs to play the lead role in this success story. And don't expect the show to end anytime soon. Don't think that Bryant's fourth NBA championship this spring will be his last.

By the time he's hung up No. 24, he might have more rings than a certain No. 23.

Questioning the Suns' trade

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The more I watch the Phoenix Suns play basketball, the more I can't help but question the blockbuster trade that sent Shawn Marion to Miami for Shaquille O'Neal.

I hate to say this, but the Suns are no longer the NBA team I enjoy watching the most. They're not even in my top five.

Not that G.M. Steve Kerr or anyone within the organization cares about my viewing interests, but they do care about finally getting to the NBA Finals. If I were them, I'd worry first about making the playoffs in the brutal Western Conference.

Phoenix has lost its identity. If it wants to make the postseason, it better rediscover it or create a new one ASAP. That's where the trade gets in the way.

Think about it: What, before the trade, made the Suns such a dangerous team?

1. Their ability to run. Steve Nash would get the ball with four options spaced to his right and left. Now, when O'Neal is on the floor, there are just three players racing downcourt in front of Nash. Big difference. The Suns' transition baskets have dipped big-time.

2. Room to work for Nash in the half-court offense. This is huge. Nash used to be able to dribble from the top of the key down to the baseline, along the baseline, and then back out top -- all the while looking for the open man. Now, "The Diesel" gets in the way. He's simply too big, and he's not nearly as agile as Amare Stoudemire. Phoenix's half-court offense -- which pundits said would improve with O'Neal -- has gotten worse.

The Suns say they made the deal for defense. But here's the problem, and I'm surprised that the former champion Kerr didn't realize this: Defense is more about a team's attitude and mentality than its makeup. Sure, the Pistons haven't been nearly as good defensively sans Ben Wallace, but the reason for this has been that Flip Saunders doesn't stress "D" to the extent that Larry Brown did.

As long as coach Mike D'Antoni doesn't make defense a huge priority -- something I don't see happening -- the Suns are not going to be a good defensive team. Period. They certainly haven't been since O'Neal's arrival.

Phoenix is 2-4 with O'Neal, and five of their opponents have scored at least 113 points. Only an anemic 77-point showing by the Celtics made the Suns' defense look good. Otherwise, it's appeared even more vulnerable than pre-Diesel. In other words, very bad.

The Suns' ability to stop people has been so poor, the Grizzlies scored 113 points and the 76ers put up 119. Any time you allow Willie Green 17 points, you know you're doing something wrong.

The Suns are giving up 104.9 points per game this season. I'm sure this number has gotten a ripe boost over the last two weeks.

Kerr n' company might not admit it, but they might be realizing just how much the team misses Marion's versatility. O'Neal is the opposite of Marion. At his old age, he is limited in what he can do. He's slow to run up the court, you can only post him up on offense, he can't shoot free throws, and on defense he's not a great shot-blocker.

Marion, on the other hand, is a high-flyer who can do it all -- finish on transition, shoot the 3-pointer, guard shooting guards and power forwards, rebound.

Most important, Marion was a perfect fit in Phoenix's system. He and Nash had a great working relationship, and the rift between him and Stoudemire was overblown. Plus, he was young. At 29, Marion probably has another good six or seven years in the NBA. O'Neal, 35, might be out of the league by 2010.

I don't question O'Neal's desire. I know he truly wants to prove that he can be the man to push Phoenix over the top. And come playoff time -- if there is a playoff time in the desert -- he'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. But whether that's enough is another question.

The more I see the Suns play, the more I view the trade as a panic move. The Lakers had taken a huge step forward by acquiring Pau Gasol for close to nothing. The Spurs are, well, the Spurs. Kerr thought that a change was needed. I tend to disagree.

It's not as if the Suns haven't come close -- really close -- to getting to the finals. Consider last season. If not for the suspensions of Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for Game 5 of the conference semifinals against the Spurs, there's a decent chance Phoenix would have won that game and the series. Then, they certainly could have beaten the Jazz in the conference finals.

Go back two years. If not for a huge Dallas comeback in the Mavericks' clinching Game 6 victory, the Suns would have taken the Mavs to a winner-takes-all Game 7 with a finals appearance on the line.

The Suns have been on the brink of making the finals -- so close that a personnel shift wasn't needed. All they needed was a few more big plays. A block by Stoudemire here, a few more midrange jumpers by Diaw there (which he's provided this season), a little more defense by Nash everywhere.

It's still too early to write off the new-look Suns. We'll likely have to wait until April or May to do that.

But early indications are that they made an unnecessary trade that not only will hurt them in the long run, but isn't paying off in the present either.