Odom Would Face a Long Recovery After Surgery

In a season already filled with unnerving developments for the Lakers, Lamar Odom is pondering shoulder surgery that would require close to a four-month recovery, a team spokesman said Tuesday.

Odom tore tissue in his left shoulder March 18 against the Indiana Pacers but has not healed sufficiently and still cannot absorb much pressure on the joint.

Laker team orthopedist Steve Lombardo recommended surgery for Odom, who might seek a second opinion or let more time pass to see if the shoulder heals on its own.

“It got better to a certain degree in the first week or so but it didn’t get any better than that,” Laker spokesman John Black said. “If he has surgery, which hasn’t been determined yet, that surgery is probably about a four-month recovery.”

Odom, who is left-handed, would be in a shoulder sling for four to six weeks before beginning therapy. He would not be able to shoot a basketball again until almost four months later, Black said.

“If he were to have it at the end of April, he’d be ready by the end of August,” Black said.

Team officials have had a difficult time pinpointing when Odom was injured against the Pacers, but he is believed to have strained the shoulder while going for a rebound in the second quarter.

Odom, one of three players acquired last July in the Shaquille O’Neal trade, averaged 15.2 points and 10.2 rebounds in 64 games this season. He averaged 17.1 points and 9.7 rebounds last season for the Miami Heat.

He has four years left on his contract for $51.2 million.

Just last week, Odom, 25, said he hoped to return for a game or two before the Laker season ends April 20 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

He also spoke of the importance of having a full off-season to work out and grow stronger. He had a short off-season last year because he played for the U.S. in the Athens Olympics.