"Fluctuating in and out of the lineup, changing from reserve to starter and filling in whatever hole the Lakers currently have pretty much fills Lamar Odom's job description.

Versatility and consistency made Odom the perfect winner for the NBA's sixth man of the year. His skillset made any Andrew Bynum absence, injury-related or otherwise, seamless. And Odom's personality made it a non-issue. But Odom's revelation to The Times' Broderick Turner that he will start in place of suspended Ron Artest for Game 3 of the playoffs against the Mavericks in Dallas brings a whole different dimension.

There's really not a dependable sample size to make an accurate judgment on how a triple-tower lineup featuring Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Odom will look like. Heck, 82games.com, which tracks such trends, doesn't have statistical data showing that lineup has ever been used this season."