To few people’s surprise, Lakers forward Lamar Odom is about to be named the 6th Man of the Year.
Lamar certainly had a good year. The 14.4 points he scored per game was his highest mark since he scored 15.9 in 06-07. His FG% (53.0) is the highest of his career. His PER this year (19.51) was higher than Chris Bosh’s and almost equal to Paul Pierce. He’s the first Laker to win the award
Statistically, he earned the honor. But, as we debated in our live chat last week, is it time to re-think how the 6th Man award is handed out?
Lamar Odom started 35 games for the Lakers this season. That means he came off the bench for 47 of them. Does that mean he should still be eligible for the award? Does a person who spent 60% of the season on the bench really deserve be called the 6th Man of the year, or should it go to someone like Jason Terry who started 10 games this year… or Glen Davis who started 13 games?
Right now the only requirement is to come off the bench more than you start.
But Odom is a key cog in the Lakers machine. It gives them one hell of a scoring and rebounding punch off the bench and an obviously capable reserve should Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum find themselves in any kind of foul trouble. He certainly is very deserving.
In addition to Terry and Davis, Oklahoma City’s Jeff Harden and Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young also received votes.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
