Ariza or A Candy Man? Trevor's Looking Sweeter to Me

If the Los Angeles Lakers need someone who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew, cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two, then Lamar Odom's their man.

Otherwise, opt for Trevor Ariza.

NBA Finals play-by-play announcer Mike Breen posed the question during Game 4 against Orlando on Thursday night: Which of the Lakers' free agents should be the higher priority in the offseason? Ariza or the Candy Man?

Sorry, Sammy Davis Jr.

To be fair, when the 6-foot-10 Odom is on his game, the Lakers are a dominant basketball team. He has the ability to grab a rebound and lead a fast break -- a rarity in the NBA. He's quick, he's proven to be a solid shot-blocker and he's capable of going strong to the basket.

Unfortunately, the Lakers never quite know which nights he's going to do that. Odom is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get on a game-by-game basis.

Odom is worth a miracle or two; nothing more. The Lakers have shown in their last two playoff runs that they're just about at their ceiling with Odom as an integral member. Yes, those runs include one Finals appearance and likely one championship -- perhaps as soon as tonight.

But the Lakers also have proven they've reached their ceiling with Odom taking minutes away from the young big fella, Andrew Bynum. Lest we forget that Kobe and the Gang are one layup and one free throw away from being down 3-1 in these Finals, instead of being up 3-1 heading into tonight's Game 5 in Orlando.

The Dwight Howards and the Kevin Garnetts of the world are going to continue to give the Lakers fits if they continue to rely primarily on Odom and Pau Gasol. Both have been affected, especially offensively, by their opposing big men in the last two Finals

L.A. has so much more potential with a heathy, confident Bynum in the middle. 

Bynum might not be able to lead a fast break, but he's a better interior defender than Odom. He can command such a more dominant presence in the post. He has better hands than Odom. He's big enough not to let Howard or Garnett affect his offense.

Which makes the Laker shooters more effective, which brings us back to Ariza.

Ariza came to L.A. as a poor man's Michael Cooper. A solid defender but little offense. Ariza proved, however, his willingness to work to improve his game. He's transformed himself into a major 3-point threat (like Cooper), and his monstrous dunks feed his team energy (hey, kinda like Cooper's Coop-a-loops, too!).

And Ariza won't even turn 24 until the end of the month.

Then there's the financial considerations. Odom counts some $14.1 million against the Lakers cap this season. Ariza, $3.1 million.

Of course, Odom just might post a 20-20 tonight and help lead the Lakers to their 15th NBA championship, and the love for him will go through the roof.

I'll applaud him, then wait impatiently during the offseason for general manager to re-sign Ariza.

And if the Candy Man is willing to accept a few less Skittles to stay in L.A., I won't mind. He's obviously a locker room favorite and is one of the best sixth men in the league.

But it's Ariza who mixes it with love and makes the Lakers play good on a consistent basis.