Odom Could Stand to Be a Little Less Unselfish

Before the game with Seattle, a reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune tried talking to Chucky Atkins in the time allotted the media in the Laker locker room, and Atkins wouldn’t oblige.

A moment later, Lamar Odom made himself available, and after a TV reporter asked about the team’s success playing without Kobe Bryant, I said, “Isn’t that because you’ve been playing a lot of crummy teams?”

Atkins, while not talking, was apparently eavesdropping and suddenly found his exasperated voice: “What kind of question is that?” he said.

I’m always happy to enlighten those deluded by their own exaggerated accomplishments, so I reminded Atkins the Lakers had beaten Golden State twice without Bryant, squeaking by both times, and hello.

“You would’ve probably said something else had we lost those games,” Atkins said, and it’s amazing how quickly some of our local athletes pick things up.

I told him I would’ve written the Lakers can’t even beat the crummy teams without Bryant, as I did when they lost to a crummy Utah team, which sent Atkins reaching for his cell phone, I presume to call Bryant for help.

I guess he didn’t reach him, because a few minutes later he took the court with his teammates and got trampled by the SuperSonics.

Fast forward to the Clippers, and holy Chucky Clueless, guard Marko Jaric said, “Right now I don’t think that they are better a team than we are,” and that’s with the likes of Brunson, Ross and Simmons starting for the Clippers.

The oddsmakers listed the Clippers as a 3 1/2 -point favorite, and what does it say when even the crummy teams are picked to beat the Lakers these days?

I blame all this, of course, on Odom.

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I MENTIONED this to Odom several times the last few days, and for some reason I always got the same answer: “I disagree with you.”

Some of it could be my fault. Every time I talk to the guy before a game, whether it’s a coincidence or a case of frustration, he gets in early foul trouble and tagged with a technical -- as he did against Minnesota and the Clippers.

The thing is, I expect so much more from Odom, who scored eight points Wednesday. He’s only 25, and armed with the talent to be one of the top five or 10 players in the NBA, but then I also maintain he’s too unselfish on the court, which will keep him from achieving elite status.

Now it’s one thing to be deferential, and pass the ball to Bryant, but Odom will throw the ball to Jumaine Jones in crucial situations.

“If I’m double-teamed, what do you want me to do?” he said.

“Score,” I said, and I don’t think I’d have to explain that to Bryant.

We argued about that, and while he wouldn’t admit it, he followed my scoring advice when the Lakers played Minnesota recently and the game was on the line. He went right at Kevin Garnett, scored six huge points and the Lakers won by three.

“Sometimes offense is the best defense,” he said. “I was just trying to do what I could to help the team.”

Yeah, he’s a team player, all right. More than that, he’s one of the nicest athletes in town, if not the most approachable and with the skills to dominate a game -- as long as I don’t talk to him before it. He just got thrown out of a game.

Sure, he makes a lot of faces at the officials, but he’s also the same person who writes on every new pair of shoes, “Cathy,” in honor of his mother, and “Grandma.”

He’s tall enough to be one of the league’s top rebounders, and yet is capable of being a point guard. Unfortunately, he’s still playing the role of reluctant superstar.

“I’m never going to gain [maximum] notoriety because of what happened off the court, and I understand that,” he said. “Some people will just never forget.”

He brought it up. I didn’t. He was referring to his problems with the Clippers years ago and being suspended for marijuana use. Since then he has gone on to prosper in Miami, returning now to be one of the Lakers’ prime-time performers.

I reminded him most people do forgive and forget, and in some cases far worse mistakes. “I disagree with you,” he said. What a surprise.

“You watch ESPN, and it still comes up,” he said. “You read stuff on the Internet, and right at the end, if they haven’t mentioned it, they’ll slip it in.

“I’m not the smartest guy, but I’ve learned a lot. The hardest thing for me to do in my life was coming back [from a suspension] and walking from my car into the arena. I was looking at people that I knew on an every-day basis, and I could see them thinking Lamar Odom is a bad guy.”

I suggested the day is coming when basketball fans will only think of him as Lamar Odom, star player -- that is, as long as he becomes a little more selfish, dominates when the situation calls for it and makes more free throws.

“If your articles get a little better, then I’ll shoot free throws a little better,” he said, and I know some people are of the mind Page 2 will never improve. I just don’t know yet if Odom is one of them.

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SEVERAL PEOPLE e-mailed to say that Licey, the Dominican winter league team, released Dodger catcher David Ross, and according to a Dominican players’ blog, Ross was not popular with the Licey fans after going four for 29 with one home run and nine strikeouts. Paul DePodesta loves him, though.

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

“Today I canceled the Times’ subscription because of your column....I now have a son who is learning to read. Sadly to me I cannot allow him to learn by using your paper. Your constant juvenile, name calling and bashing is not witty or intelligent to an adult reader, and very inappropriate for my son.”

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I told my kids to read A-1, California, Calendar, Steve Lopez, even Plaschke, and avoid Page 2. Funny thing, but my kids listened to me.

P.S. It was only later when they grew up and stopped listening.