Asked to Chip In Like Pippen

The comparisons were made, distinctly and declaratively, before Lamar Odom had even landed in Los Angeles last July: He would be Scottie Pippen; Kobe Bryant would be Michael Jordan.

All that was missing was Phil Jackson. And, it turned out, the supporting cast of a championship-caliber team.

Then came Tuesday, when the Laker axis spun back toward Jackson, and the analogies began anew -- with none other than Jackson as the source.

If the Lakers are to improve upon last season’s 34-48 debacle, Odom will have to be in the front seat, an important passenger wedged between Bryant and Jackson if playoff tickets are to be printed next April.

“This team has a tremendous player in Lamar Odom that I don’t think people really saw the level at which he could play,” Jackson said.

“As a guard-forward, a la a Scottie Pippen-type player that I’ve had in the past that has been tremendous in this type of offense, I would hope that Lamar could fill that kind of a shoe or that role in that way.”

And with that, Jackson made clear that Odom would be a major part in a crisper, more disciplined triangle offense than the one trotted out as an attempted life preserver partway through last season.

“It’s a compliment,” Odom said. “I’m looking forward to the tutelage. I was talking to guys about how I’ve played under Pat Riley, Stan Van Gundy, Gregg Popovich, Larry Brown, Rudy [Tomjanovich], and now the Zen, Phil Jackson.”

Odom, 25, has already been through four cycles in a six-year career that has touched heights and depths.

He was drafted No. 4 overall by the Clippers in 1999 and broke in as a 6-foot-10 point forward, moving the ball down court and distributing or driving from the perimeter as one of the game’s best young versatile players.

But he lost top-option status in 2001 when Elton Brand arrived from the Chicago Bulls and fell into a two-year rut in which he missed 78 games because of injuries and eight because of violating the league’s drug policy.

Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor spoke of “issues of character” when the Clippers decided not to match a six-year, $65-million offer sheet Odom signed with the Miami Heat in 2003. Odom responded by showing the type of character that becomes a reliable post-up player in a structured offense that often depended on him. He averaged 17.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists and joined Minnesota center Kevin Garnett as the only players to average 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists that season.

Then Odom was traded to the Lakers, where he deferred too much, calling the Lakers’ top option “Mr. Bryant” and becoming an unproductive, underutilized jumble of confusion who never found a comfort zone. He averaged 15.2 points, a point below his career average before last season, and had 3.7 assists, his second lowest as a pro. He missed the last 17 games because of a torn muscle in his left shoulder, an injury that required mid-April surgery and a recovery time of four months.

Under Jackson, Odom will return to more of the role he had when he broke out with the Clippers.

“I’m looking forward to it because in Miami, it was like, ‘We know you could handle the ball and make plays’ and Pat always liked me because I was a big guard, but it was like, ‘We’ve got Dwyane [Wade] and we need to put 30 pounds on you and have you just defend,’ ” Odom said, adding that Jackson is encouraging him to handle the ball and use his quickness.

“I’m looking forward to that. I’m looking forward to taking back my claim as the most versatile player in the league by handling the ball and taking guys off the dribble and making ankle-breaking moves. I want that title back.”

Ultimately, the rest of the league serves as judge and jury as to whether such titles are returned and the parallels to Pippen are valid.

Longtime NBA coach Hubie Brown, now an analyst for ABC, called Pippen “one of the most underrated players ever to play in the league” because of his defense, fastbreak finish and rebounding.

“So when you say Lamar Odom’s going to be Scottie Pippen, whoa, wait a second,” Brown said. “Let’s have Lamar Odom go to the next level and that he plays to his potential for 82 games, rather than 50 or 60, all right? Let him excel and let’s see him go to the next level, meaning that, hey, we can count on you every night in the big ones, rather than be selective.”

Detroit Piston president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, whose playing career intersected with Pippen’s for 12 seasons, said Odom was “more gifted and versatile offensively than Scottie” but Pippen’s defense was stronger.

“I think that’s probably the one difference right now, that Scottie defensively was just exceptional, was just incredible,” Dumars said.

Then there’s the most interesting take of all: Pippen’s.

“I see the Lakers as still a strong piece away,” Pippen said. “Odom could be that piece, because I think Phil’s going to make him a better player. I don’t think he can be me, but I think Phil’s got a lot of other pieces there.”

Jackson has mentioned Pippen as a possibility to join his coaching staff, which would be an intriguing piece to add to the Odom puzzle.

Until then, Odom has conferred with Bryant, self-analyzed the hiring of Jackson as a positive and set a few goals of his own.

“I’m pretty sure [Bryant] is looking forward to getting back on the court and at least doubling his win total,” Odom said. “I want to win 50 games. I want to see what that’s like. I want to face the playoffs again. It’s all about winning.”

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Times staff writer J.A. Adande contributed to this report.

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By the numbers

Lamar Odom’s season averages during his NBA career:

*--* Season Team G PPG RPG APG FG% 1999-00 Clippers 76 16.6 7.8 4.2 438 2000-01 Clippers 76 17.2 7.8 5.2 460 2001-02 Clippers 29 13.1 6.1 5.9 419 2002-03 Clippers 49 14.6 6.7 3.6 439 2003-04 Miami 80 17.1 9.7 4.1 430 2004-05 Lakers 64 15.2 10.2 3.7 473 Career 62.3 16.0 8.3 4.3 445

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