After a season which saw Los Angeles make a successful blockbuster trade, have their superstar player win the MVP, and the team make an unexpected Finals run, one would think that everything should be jovial in Laker Land heading into training camp.

But this is Hollywood, and if there is one thing the City of Angels knows, it is drama.

While the majority of press releases from Lakers’ Media Day last week centered on how much more positive and stable the team is compared to its situation a year ago, that tranquility was nonetheless broken by reports that Lamar Odom is displeased with management and the coaching staff because they are considering using him in a reserve role this season.

“I don’t hesitate to say that if this team doesn’t work out the way I want it to, Trevor (Ariza) may be a starting player in that first five,” head coach Phil Jackson said last Friday. He continued by saying that he may “convince Lamar to come off the bench, if I feel it’s better for the team.”

For his part, Odom seems to be having none of that so-called convincing.

When asked about how he would take Jackson suggesting such a move, Odom said, “I would take it like he bumped his head.” He made clear he was joking, but continued, saying, “I would take it as this: he’s trying to motivate me a little bit. I’ll take it as a challenge.”

Those that saw Odom disappear and coast during the NBA Finals know he is not motivated easily. When asked if this was indeed a ploy to motivate Odom, Jackson did not miss a beat in answering, “Motivated? Yeah, I don’t know about that. I’ve never seen Lamar motivated.”

Is Jackson being truthful? Probably. Is he being tactful? Perhaps. Is he being subtle? Not so much.

Jackson’s biggest challenge this season may not be managing Kobe Bryant’s minutes or keeping Andrew Bynum involved in the offense, but making Odom feel valued.

Even though Odom was Los Angeles’ third-leading scorer last season and leading rebounder, he never seemed to mesh with Pau Gasol and appeared totally overmatched against Boston in the Finals. That lead to numerous trade rumors this summer, something Odom has dealt with several off-seasons in a row now.

The potential of a demotion to the bench for the first time in his career is unlikely to sit well with the only player still on the Lakers that arrived via the Shaquille O’Neal trade.

“Whatever he wants, I guess I would do,” Odom said. “I wouldn’t suggest it.”

It has been suggested that Jackson may have brought this topic up because of rumors that Odom took too much leisure time vacationing during the off-season, but it is equally as possible that the Lakers front office may be looking to reduce his role because Odom is in the last year of a contract that pays him $14.6 million. A drop in his minutes or status would make it more difficult for him to depart for a big free agent contract next summer.

Unfortunately, it would also be a clear sign from the club that they do not place much value on his contributions and could risk scorning him. Equally as bad from a leverage aspect, it would be a terrible way to increase his possible trade value should they wish to pursue that option.

Relationship strains aside, playing Odom with the second unit may actually make more sense from a basketball perspective.

For starters, it would allow him to play less with Bryant, a player whose ball-controlling style has never meshed with Odom’s ability as a point-forward and of whom Odom seemed regularly in awe of when they play together.

Further, it would make him the main focal point of the offense when Bryant is out and allow him to use his length and ball skills to penetrate off the dribble and attack the basket rather than hoist ill-advised threes as the clock expires as he so often does now.

Los Angeles has as much, if not more, talent than any other team in the league. The issue for Jackson is not whether he has the pieces in place to win a title, but rather whether those pieces will fit together properly.

Last season, Gasol played out of position at center and Odom at power forward, which worked with tremendous success until neither of them could score with consistency against Kevin Garnett in June. Now though, Bynum re-enters the scene and immediately becomes the starting centre with Gasol shifting to power forward.

So where does Odom fit in? He has the outside game to move to small forward if necessary, but he typically excels near the glass underneath, and moving him further away from the basket in the triangle could short-circuit his rebounding abilities.

Moving to the bench as the sixth man may be a better fit. When he initially arrived in Los Angeles, he struggled mightily to live up to others’ expectations that he would be an all-star level player beside Bryant. Any move that puts less pressure and expectation on him would likely be a positive one.

Beside, if he struggled to produce on offense as a sidekick and was often lost after the Gasol trade as the third option, how would he fair as a number four scorer? Instead, as sixth man he can become more assertive with his playmaking and take an aggressive role as a scorer who is responsible for instant offense in the model of Manu Ginobili.

Meanwhile, the move would allow Trevor Ariza to take over the role of defensive stopper in the starting unit. Ariza’s potential as a scorer is limited, but his long frame and great athleticism would allow him to lock down opposing swing-guards while not worrying about Bryant and Gasol dominating the shots on offense.

Whether or not Phil Jackson bumped his head when he thought of the idea, it is a great one, and a plan that could move the Lakers a step closer to being favored to win this year’s title, as it gives them a deeper bench and a better starting defensive unit. The main benefit is that it gives Jackson more options, which is never unwelcome.

Anyone expecting a season of pure harmony and bliss has not followed this franchise very long. Like any dramatic spectacle worthy of the Hollywood treatment, the Lakers are known for controversy. The case for using Odom as a reserve is no different.

Whatever they decide, the team must be sure to limit the plot twists and cliffhangers, or risk their title chances.

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