TheRealKobe

Finally, mercifully and somewhat predictably, protracted negotiations between the Lakers and free-agent forward Lamar Odom came to a happy conclusion Thursday afternoon before the calendar flipped to another month. Lakers spokesman John Black confirmed the team had agreed in principle with the free-agent power forward who averaged 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds during the postseason as the Lakers won their 15th NBA title. That was June 14. Odom became an unrestricted free agent at midnight on July 1.

WHISTLER, British Columbia — Dean Nelson has a vivid imagination. He can stand in a 920-square-foot hotel conference room, set up for a business meeting in mid-July, and see a sometimes-smoldering, sometimes-pulsating party club there by February. He can see a giant rainbow flag hanging outside and a line to the door. Mostly, though, Nelson can see a comfortable, inclusive hangout for gays, perhaps some of the hundreds of athletes at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics who will be competing in and around this bustling ski town.

Islanders coach Scott Gordon is expected to complete his coaching staff Mondayby announcing the hiring of AHL assistant Scott Allen. Like Gordon, Allen grew up in the Boston area and is a veteran of the coaching ranks in the East Coast Hockey League. Allen coached in the American Hockey League for six of the past seven seasons, including the past two seasons as an assistant for the Quad City Flames, Calgary’s top affiliate.

Zach Miskovic was called a “little, skinny runt” as a teenager. Jake Hauswirth was always smaller than the other kids on his team. Michael Dubuc was crushed the first time draft day came and went without his name being called. For a few hundred kids every year, their path to professional hockey starts at the draft. For those who aren’t that lucky, not being drafted is far from a death knell for their aspirations.

There is another offer to purchase the Coyotes and keep them in Phoenix on the horizon, reports The Globe and Mail. According to the newspaper, a group of businessmen from the United States and Canada plan on submitting a formal offer of over $140-million (US) for the National Hockey League franchise. “The plan is that we are taking the next step to making an official bid and becoming what the court calls a qualified bidder,” Canadian Daryl Jones told The Globe and Mail.

Free agent Marquis Daniels has committed to signing with the Celtics, according to a league source. Daniels, a 28-year-old guard/forward, will receive the biannual exception contract worth $1.9 million, unless a sign-and-trade deal can be worked out. Daniels, expected to be a backup for Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, averaged 13.6 points and 4.6 rebounds last season for Indiana.

The courtship of Lamar Odom has begun in earnest, with the Miami Heat reportedly offering the unrestricted free agent a five-year contract worth about $35 million. That’s more years, but not more money than the Lakers offered him. Odom and his agent did not respond to the Lakers’ offer, which angered team owner Jerry Buss, who yanked it off the table earlier this week. Actually, Odom had his choice of two offers from the Lakers.

I didn’t stumble across Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver’s assessment of the Bears’ wide receivers until a big headline was plastered across ProFootballTalk.com. But the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel came across something that Bears receivers coach Darryl Drake might want to print out and stick in his training-camp bag. Talking with Sirius NFL Radio, Driver was very complimentary about the Bears’ acquisition of quarterback Jay Cutler and had nice things to say about their offensive line, running back Matt Forte and their defense. But their wide receivers?