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Lamar Odom holds not only his fate, but the fate of the whole league in his hands. If he resigns with the Lakers they are clearly the favorites to repeat. And if he decides to take the offer from the Miami Heat that could change the balance of power in the East.

Obviously, Odom would prefer to stay with the Lakers. The Miami Heat offer has been on the table the last couple of weeks and hasn't changed. The only thing differennce is D. Wade has flown to LA to try and recruit Odom, but the money has stayed the same. And reports are that Lakers owner Jerry Buss has actually dropped his initial offer.

Everyone is assuming that the exchange of Ron Artest for Trevor Ariza makes the Lakers a better team. Right now Artest is a better all-around player than Ariza, but may not be a better fit for the Lakers. Ariza knew his role as a defender and spot of 3-point shooter and didnt demand the ball fir perfectly with a team that has Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Artest likes and needs the ball in his hands. How is he going to fit in the triangle offense? Artest is not a great stand still 3 point shooter. So thinking that Artest can take the place of both Odom and Ariza is comincal when he may not even be as good a fit for the Lakers as Ariza was.

Before you read my final thoughts about Kobe Bryant to truly understand what I think we have to go back in time. To see the true evolution of Kobe through my eyes via snippets of my most famous Kobe Bryant articles.

And here's another one campaigning Lebron for the 2010 season.

When will they stop?

"Yes, I regret it now, but only in retrospect"

Stan Van Gundy

Yes, the Magic missed 15 free throws. Yes, Dwight Howard missed 2 free throws with 10 seconds left that would've sealed the game. But even with all of that the game was lost because for some reason coaches refuse to foul late when up 3 points. YOU HAVE TO FOUL UP 3 POINTS LATE IN THE GAME. Two basketball championships (Memphis in NCAA last year and Orlando last night) have been lost in the last year because coaches haven't learned how to play out this scenario.

Under 10 seconds left in the game and up 3 it is a no brainer to foul. The only thing that can hurt in that scenario is a 3 pointer. Take for instance last night's scenario. I would've fouled whatever Laker had the ball as soon as they crossed half court. At that point it would've been under 6 seconds or so left in the game. Now the Lakers have to decide whether they try to make 2 free throws or make 1 and miss the other. Either way that is now more things that need to be done perfectly for them to tie the game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Orlando Magic. In losing the elimination game, Lebron James raced off the court, showered, and got on his team bus to go home.

Lebron James has been hammered by the fans and media for refusing to shake hands with the Orlando Magic players and for skipping the mandatory press conference. Since James is a superstar, most people feel it is important that he abide by the common rules and customs of the league. Many feel that Lebron has an obligation to set a good example for young basketball fans and players, and that Lebron's unsportsmanlike behavior and childlike antics are unacceptable.

While many have criticized Lebron for his actions, few have had the courage to address why Lebron acted this way. Most just assume that he was being a sore loser and did not want to talk to anyone because he lost an important game. In other words, Lebron was being a poor sport.

We thought we had seen the last of them, but Lil Dez' isn't done yet. Check out Dez clowning Lebron.

Kobe Bryant is, at worst, the second-best player in the NBA. In thirteen seasons, he's won three NBA Championships (yes, they're HIS, too), an MVP award, two scoring titles, been an eleven-time All-Star, and owns all kinds of NBA records. He is universally recognized as the best closer in the game, and is three wins away from another NBA Championship (and first Finals MVP, if they win).

Yet, Kobe Bryant is probably the most hated player in the NBA, and has been for some time.

Since he's come into the league, he's been accused of being aloof, arrogant, vain, self-centered, out for dolo, and every other way that a player can be described as "selfish." People say he shoots too much or that he's not a good teammate; people throw in his face that he's not Michael Jordan. And they're right. Michael took way more shots than Kobe did.