Lamar Odom's inconsisent play could be an addiction not an injury.

[WayOutWest]

It's been a bittersweet playoffs for Lakers' Lamar Odom

Lakers forward Lamar Odom appears a little jittery after a foul was called against a teammate in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Coincidence or not for the self-confessed candy addict?
A doctor theorizes that the Lakers forward's fondness for candy is hindering his play.

By Mike Penner
June 1, 2009
Sportswriters and fans have proposed numerous theories for Lamar Odom's up-and-down play, but here is a new one: Odom's fondness for candy.

In an essay titled "Lamar Odom, Sweet Tooth and Erratic Play," Dr. Daniel Amen writes that Odom's massive consumption of candy leads to a sugar high and then a crash, evidence of which can be seen on the basketball court.

Writes Amen: "Odom freely confesses that he just can't help himself when it comes to the sweet stuff and always keeps a stash on hand of Gummi Bears, Honey Buns, Lifesavers, Hershey's white chocolate, Snickers bars, cookies and more. He eats the sugary snacks morning, noon and night, and even says he sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night, chows down on some treats, then falls back asleep.

"This is bad news for the Lakers. I've been telling my patients for years that sugar acts like a drug in the brain. It causes blood sugar levels to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling tired, irritable, foggy and stupid. Eating too much sugar impairs cognitive function, which may explain why Odom doesn't always make the smartest decisions on the court. . . .

"As a fan and a physician, it concerns me that our professional sports organizations and players are not more concerned about brain health, which includes nutrition. My advice to Odom and to all sugar addicts is to get your sugar consumption under control. You'll feel so much better and your brain will function better too. And, maybe the Lakers can get their 15th championship and Odom can get his first."

[Reality]

      ^  ^  ^
As if the Flamers and you Flamer posters needed anymore cementing of gayest team in pro sports ever. 

[rickortreat]

If Odom can discover stevia and non-sugar based snacks that might help, but he's not going to suddenly change his habits. As far as I know, no-one is currently producing sweets in the US with this substance, as the FDA has not been friendly to the idea, even though it has been used for years in Japan. The Lakers should have done something about this earlier in the year.

[WayOutWest]

If Odom can discover stevia and non-sugar based snacks that might help, but he's not going to suddenly change his habits. As far as I know, no-one is currently producing sweets in the US with this substance, as the FDA has not been friendly to the idea, even though it has been used for years in Japan. The Lakers should have done something about this earlier in the year.

I don't think anybody picked up on the problem until ESPN did that short special on Odom.

[westkoast]

If Odom can discover stevia and non-sugar based snacks that might help, but he's not going to suddenly change his habits. As far as I know, no-one is currently producing sweets in the US with this substance, as the FDA has not been friendly to the idea, even though it has been used for years in Japan. The Lakers should have done something about this earlier in the year.

I don't think anybody picked up on the problem until ESPN did that short special on Odom.

The entire team is well aware of it.  The guy ALWAYS has candy on him.  On the plane, in the locker room, at practice, etc.  Us fans didn't know until that piece (and boy was it a super lame one).

A friend of mine trains MMA fighters and was watching the segment with me.  He jumped off the couch on some WTF-stuff when he watched the segment.  His comment to me was 'whats the point of working out hard if your diet is not in line with it?  It's almost a waste of time'  That got me thinking.  Can the team actually do something about this by stating that his poor diet is counter productive to the training that he is required to do?  Or is the team overstepping their boundaries by trying to dictate what a player eats, which is a personal choice.  They couldn't tell Shaq to stop eating so I don't see how they could tell Odom not to.  They are not his 'dad'.