Odom, Rider Suspended

The day we hoped would not come and the day we figured would arrive inevitably just happened to be one and the same: March 7, 2001.

There’s a reason Lamar Odom was available at the No. 4 pick even though he was deemed the most talented player in the 1999 draft.

And there’s a reason why, in a world where 20-point scorers command millions of dollars, the Lakers could sign Isaiah “J.R.” Rider (who had averaged 19-plus points in four of his seven NBA seasons) for $548,500.

There was an odd sense of balance in the NBA’s sparse, two-paragraph statement announcing the five-game suspensions of Odom and Rider for violating the league’s anti-drug program.

The worst suspicions realized, the easiest prediction coming true. Since by now we know Rider will never learn, we’ll focus our attention on Odom, as we wait for what could be a closetful of sneakers to drop in the form of more suspensions.

Rider was a low-cost risk for a team looking to accessorize around the league’s top models. Odom represents a glimmer of hope for a perpetually downtrodden franchise. There’s more at stake here, and we can hope he learned his lesson. His name was linked to Rider’s when the NBA simultaneously announced their suspensions Wednesday. Only by staying squeaky clean can he prevent Rider’s name and a pair of commas from digging into him and clinging like fishhooks. As in: “Odom had talent but, like J.R. Rider, he was too much of a head case to maximize it.”

At one point in 1999 it looked as if Odom would be the No. 1 pick in the draft. Then he started missing individual workouts and he skipped the pre-draft camp in Chicago, with its mandatory physical. His value dropped as all sorts of rumors popped up--including rumors of drug use. The better he played and the more solidly he behaved, the more those thoughts drifted to the background.

The ultra-secret nature of the NBA’s policy makes it uncertain if he is being punished for a positive test or for failing to take a test at all. We don’t know if he’s an addict or simply irresponsible. All we know is this: His actions have caused the Clippers to be without their best player for five games, just when the team was starting to come together and play some of its most consistent ball of the season.

Before this, his transgressions had been limited to a couple of missed practices and some difficulty controlling his anger at referees. When you heard his name, it was usually in context with some up-and-coming stars in the league, such as draft classmates Steve Francis and Elton Brand.

Now he has to share a press release with Rider. Even Laker Coach Phil Jackson seemed to be a little hurt that the comparison must be made.

“We’re seeing, on the same day, two different players,” Jackson said. “A player of great promise and potential in Lamar Odom with the Clippers, and a player who’s been in this league for a number of years in Isaiah who was probably in the same situation as Lamar Odom six or seven years ago. I think the drug policy was a step forward in correcting maybe aberrant behavior that might put a situation like this upon Lamar Odom when he’s 26 or 27 years of age. He’s got a chance now to correct it and comply with the rules and the league policy--as J.R. does too.”

Jackson could have been excused if he had referred to Rider in the past tense. When will enough be enough?

Rider was the best player in Minnesota before his antics (including kicking a woman in the Mall of America). He was the closest thing Portland had to a go-to guy before his troubles there made him a has-to-go guy. He was the best scoring threat in Atlanta before they cut him without compensation.

The common thought around the league was that if Rider couldn’t get his act together this time, with a chance to be a part of a championship team, to rehabilitate his image and perhaps pave the way for another lucrative contract, it would never happen.

Jackson wouldn’t make much of a commitment beyond assuring that Rider will be at practice today for the team photo. He said Rider will be reinstated when the suspension ends because league rules say so. But he didn’t say that meant the Lakers had to keep him or even put him on the playoff roster.

Jackson stopped short of saying he had expected this day to come, but he did say the Lakers were fully aware of the possibility when they signed him.

I would say players are incapable of change if I hadn’t been watching the New York Knicks play the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night. Every time Latrell Sprewell had the ball the Madison Square Garden crowd roared in anticipation. This guy was the most vilified figure in the sports world when he choked Coach P.J. Carlesimo in 1997, and now he’s the hero on its greatest stage. The fans like him, the media like him, even former nemesis David Stern likes him (he picked him as an injury replacement for the All-Star game).

Change is possible. Only Odom seems to have more of a chance to make it.

In the meantime, how many other young stars could be nailed for drug use themselves?

There was some half-serious banter in the locker rooms that entire teams could be wiped out if the NBA wants to get serious about its drug policy. One source said a large number of suspensions will follow in days to come.

Toronto’s Charles Oakley, who suggested recently that 60% of the players in the league are on drugs, felt a little vindicated Wednesday.

“No, I’m not surprised,” Oakley said. “The league ain’t surprised either.”

As he disappeared into the visitors’ dressing room at Staples Center, he said, “The truth does come out.”

And so it does. In a graph, the more points along a line, the more you can be certain the line is straight. By now Rider’s chart looks like the horizon.

A little truth about Odom came out Wednesday, a little sign that perhaps Chicago and Vancouver and Charlotte were right when they passed on him.

For now it’s just an isolated dot, as an organization waits for him to plot the next point.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: ja.adande@latimes.com.