Just a Little Pep Talk Gets Odom on the Right Track

By T.J. Simers

Jan. 17, 2006 12 AM PT

Before the two babies made nice at mid-court, I stopped by the Laker locker room to remind Lamar Odom he has the potential to be one of the best players in the NBA just like Kobe & Shaq, but to date has been a disappointment.

“The only thing keeping me from [being considered one of the game’s best] is 10 more Ws in the win column,” Odom argued.

The Lakers would have 10 more wins if you were the player I thought you would be, I said, and as pregame pep talks go, I thought this one was going just fine.

I said, “You should have spent the summer with your left hand tied behind your back since you can only go to your left,” and he said, “People have been telling me that since I was 10 years old and here I am in the NBA.”

Just imagine how good you might be if you could dribble with your right hand, I said in my best Gary Payton-like voice -- some folks in the NBA referring to Odom as the “one-arm bandit.”

He said some people have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to basketball so what they have to say is really irrelevant, and my guess was he was referring to Payton.

I asked Odom to define his role with the Lakers, thinking maybe he had gotten the wrong marching orders, and he said, “to facilitate, rebound and lead the team in assists.”

That’s why Phil Jackson likes the guy, of course, and why Kobe has to score 40 points most nights -- because the second-best player on the team remains a reluctant scorer. So I told Odom he has to score more, and he said, “OK, so I’ll score more tonight,” and why do I get the feeling sometimes that I do more coaching than Phil?

THE FIRST half just ended and Odom has scored more points in two quarters than what he has been averaging per game this season. Odom, playing brilliantly, scored 15 points, led the team with five assists and had six rebounds along with Chris Mihm to lead the Lakers.

As a result, the Miami Heat trailed the Lakers by 15 points, and if Odom played this aggressively all the time, the question wouldn’t be whether the Lakers make the playoffs, but just how far they might advance.

The problem, of course, is that Jackson doesn’t allow me into the Laker locker room at halftime, so I couldn’t challenge Odom to remain aggressive for the entire game. When the third quarter began, he disappeared, and so did a good fraction of the Laker lead.

Odom’s burst of energy, though, had given the Lakers the early cushion they needed against a team playing its final game of a seven-game trip, and when the game was on the line, his fall-away jumper with 19.2 seconds remaining secured the win.

That’s what you’d expect from a big-time NBA scorer.

RON ARTEST sat a couple of rows behind the Laker bench, just about where you’d expect to find him if he gets the chance here to run up into the stands.

SEVERAL PUBLICATIONS reported Monday morning the Clippers have been in contact with free-agent choker Latrell Sprewell, The Times indicating that the Clippers are “hopeful” he will join them for the remainder of the season.

Coach Mike Dunleavy, however, said he not only has not talked to Sprewell, but he said General Manager Elgin Baylor has also not talked to Sprewell, which goes to show you what kind of circus this is going to be.

“I’d like to talk to him,” Dunleavy said, “but we can’t find him.”

Maybe Donald Sterling has been in touch with Sprewell, which would explain why Sterling was wearing a scarf around his neck at the Clipper game.

THE CLIPPERS, struggling to hang on to early-season momentum while Corey Maggette is on the mend, got another monster game from the nicest athlete in town, Elton Brand, who scored 35 points against Utah in an overtime win.

They need something more, though, from another young superstar in the making in Shaun Livingston, who started at point guard, played 22 minutes and scored two points.

Livingston, who has struggled with injuries, appears reluctant to attack the basket, shoot from the outside, and with no assists against Utah, right now he’s just taking up space on the court.

SAM CASSELL was telling reporters after the Clippers’ win, “You can’t play for this team unless you can hit your free throws in the fourth quarter.”

Does that mean you guys wouldn’t welcome the addition of Shaq?

“There’s exceptions to everything,” said Cassell, who was 0 for 1 shooting free throws in the fourth quarter against Utah.

ESPN REPORTED that Houston owner Bob McNair told Pete Carroll that if Reggie Bush left college early, the Texans would draft him with the No. 1 pick.

McNair, while confirming he talked to Carroll, denied he told Carroll the Texans would take Bush No. 1.

I wonder, though, if the conversation went something like this: “You come and coach the Texans, Pete, and you can bring Bush along with you.”

DANYS BAEZ doesn’t sound happy to be with the Dodgers, and I can certainly understand that. His acquisition, though, probably doesn’t bode well for Eric Gagne’s long-term stay with the team, and also says a lot about what management thinks of Yhency Brazoban.

TODAY’S LAST word comes in e-mail from Tony:

“It would be fun if the wife, daughters and the bagger could do a guest column some time. I would like to read what they have to say about you.”

Finger paints just don’t reproduce very well in the newspaper.

T.J. Simers can be reached at [email protected]. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.