"So now Ron Artest(notes) is on the case, pressing Lamar Odom(notes) to remain with the Lakers and pushing for a partnership between the two Queens, N.Y., legends. [...] The thing about Odom is he wants to be wanted, wants to be appreciated for the unique skill set he provides. Perhaps it comes down to the unceasing recruitment he enjoyed coming out of high school. Perhaps it was the attention he received from the Heat and others before the 1999 NBA Draft. What works in the Heat's favor is the Lakers' limiting their offer to about $9 million guaranteed a season. That would mean earning $3 million less next season than Andrew Bynum(notes), $7 million less than Pau Gasol(notes). The frustration is understandable, considering how Odom sacrificed a starting role and statistics to help the Lakers win a championship. But at the mid-level with the Heat, it would leave Odom earning $2 million less than Mark Blount(notes) next season, about a quarter as much as Jermaine O'Neal(notes), less than Udonis Haslem(notes), and only nominally more than Michael Beasley(notes) or James Jones(notes). It's still a longshot, and an issue that should be settled relatively soon. The odds and the numbers, though, certainly are not in the Heat's favor, no matter how hearty the embrace."