Is Phil Jackson Yanking Lamar Odom Around?

Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register thinks Lamar Odom showed the tell-tale signs of being angry on Friday night amid L.A.'s first loss.

Upon being yanked from the game by [Phil] Jackson with 4:30 to play after committing consecutive frustration fouls, Odom reached the bench and gave a quick, dismissive wave with his left hand in Jackson's direction. Odom immediately began unwinding the tape from his wrist and spent the rest of the game sulking, slumped back in his chair even when every other teammate on the bench leaned forward with hope during a brief Kobe Bryant-led Lakers surge.

Afterward, the usually genial Odom was clearly disturbed – stepping all over Patrick O'Neal's questions to rush through a Fox Sports interview, turning his back to the camera before it was over. Odom then delivered more clipped responses to other reporters before speed-walking away.

Ding attributes Odom's anger to some minute-yanking from Jackson: L.O. has been entering midway in the first and third quarters off the bench, but against Detroit he sat until only two minutes remained in the first. Could that really set Odom off? L.O. initially bristled at the prescribed sixth-man role, and to be honest his late embrace of the decision smacks more of "good soldier" than "truly happy."

But come on. Odom is an NBA player, a star most of his career. L.A. played awful through most of the Detroit game, especially the two big men playing in front of him. L.O. might feel a little snubbed now that he's more of a seventh-man (do they give out awards for that?), and he probably thinks he could have helped if he played more.

But are we really at the point to be psychoanalyzing every L.O. interview and play and dismissive wave? I mean, Lamar Odom has been waving to coaches dismissively for almost a decade! This sulking isn't particularly new or surprising behavior. Odom's the type of player who will let you know he's not happy when he's not happy. Let's give him some space and wait for th eventual occurrence.