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Ladies and gentlemen, our long national nightmare is finally over. After what feels like years and years of deliberation, the decision has finally been made. Brett Favre has ...

Wait, no, check that. Lamar Odom has chosen to sign with the Lakers. That's Lamar Odom, ladies and gentlemen. Not Brett Favre.

OK, it's not as if Odom stretched this out for ages while riding around on a lawn mower. The Odom saga, while not about a future Hall of Famer or anything, is the story of a skilled but enigmatic sixth man who could be the final turn in a championship team's Rubik's cube. In addition to the Lakers, Odom had been linked to the Heat (which SportsNation thought would be a good fit) and the Blazers (not so much). That's all a moot point now, as Odom's deal will keep him in Los Angeles for three years, with a fourth-year option and $27 million guaranteed. You could buy a whole lot of taffy with that kind of dough.

• SportsNation thought the Lakers needed Odom to repeat ...
• ... but figured the Heat needed him more than the Lakers did.
• Most of SportsNation thought Odom was really never going to leave.
• Beyond the Nation: John Hollinger gives the Lakers a 50-50 shot to repeat as champions.
• Groups: L.A. Lakers Fans | The Lake Show | Lakers Rule

It's a time for optimism in the NBA, where Anthony Randolph can get hearts fluttering in the Bay Area after tying a Las Vegas Summer League record with 42 points in a game (all right, not every heart). Heck, it's a time when even Knicks fans can shelve the cynicism for a few seconds, as SportsNation blogger allikskat does in making a case for a Big Apple revival.

And then there are the Lakers, who ought to be in the best mood of all.

Colin Cowherd and Kobe Bryant began their conversation on "The Herd" (click on the link on the left to hear the whole thing) by discussing the simple pleasures of parenthood. Then they moved on to Lamar Odom. At least, we think there's a separation between talking offspring and talking about a guy who sustains himself on candy.

After seeing Trevor Ariza and Hedo Turkoglu cash in on stellar postseason performances, it's no surprise Odom wants to cash in on his. But soon after the NBA Finals, SportsNation placed him a distant third to those two when it came to enhanced reputations. And when it came to Ariza or Odom remaining alongside Kobe, Odom was the consolation prize.

• Do the Lakers need Odom to repeat? The 'Nation is truly divided.
• More clear is Lamar Odom needs the Lakers more than they need him.
• Majority still thinks Odom ends up with the Lakers this season.
• Chat: Do the Lakers need Odom? Ask John Hollinger at 3 p.m. ET.

Frivolous spending is out. In tough economic times, there's no room in budgets for impulse buys and casual spending. Which leads to the question of whether players like Ben Gordon and Trevor Ariza are worthwhile investments or NBA free agency's version of the Snuggie?

NBA free agency is upon us, which may be more significant to many in the NBA as the one-year warning for a 2010 class that could include the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and Travis Diener (or Steve Nash; take your pick on that last one).

At least a class headlined by Ariza, Jason Kidd and potentially Carlos Boozer is more compelling than this year's middling draft class.

• What would your NBA free-agent shopping list look like?
• If you want to know how unexciting this year's free agents are, consider that we're all hanging on a Boozer decision. With a one-year option worth $12.7 million remaining with the Jazz, Boozer must decide between safe money and the open market. Hopefully he's not as conflicted as SportsNation.
• Chat Tuesday: Chad Ford drops by at 1 p.m. ET to talk about this year's free agents
• Fan groups: Utah Jazz fans | NBA Where amazing happens | NBA Fanz Only

Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.

• Tyrel_Thompson: A Philadelphia fan congratulates Kobe Bryant for representing the star's hometown, but generally gives the NBA Finals lower marks than "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." He clearly has no memory of the Nets-Spurs NBA Finals.
• iamtheptbnl: Another fan offers tepid congratulations to Kobe for winning the title but contends the Magic lost the series as much as the Lakers won it.
• DTJones2005: A Chicago fan has an interesting take on the argument that Phil Jackson lucked into the best players. It's nice to have talent, but Jackson was the right guy to get both MJ and Kobe to trust their teammates.
• rb1331: One Magic fan is ready and willing to admit the Lakers were the better team, pointing at Pau Gasol's pick-and-roll work, Derek Fisher's big shots and Trevor Ariza's defense.
• More blogs: Check out all the SportsNation blogs.

Rick Fox knows something about versatility. Forget splitting a basketball career between the Lakers and Celtics, the guy made repeat appearances on both "One Tree Hill" and "Oz" (just imagine the possible crossover episode between those two). So there are worse people to ask about what both teams in the NBA Finals need, beyond star performances from Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, respectively.

For their part, voters are split as to whether Pau Gasol or Rashard Lewis is the best sidekick in the series. Surprisingly, Lamar Odom fares equally poorly in both California and Florida (although he does better than most places in Pennsylvania, home of Hershey's).

• Speaking of stars, SportsNation blogger dgd007 is going contrarian on us, but at least he brings some numbers to back up his claim that Kobe Bryant isn't nearly as clutch in the playoffs as we all think he is. Next up: Mario Batali can't really cook Italian food.