Nothing is ever as easy as it looks, particularly when it appears to be a layup so wide open even Courtney Lee couldn’t miss.

So it was this week when, upon returning from vacation, we learned Lamar Odom remains a Laker, but still only by default.
The candy man can’t, evidently, swallow the idea of signing here for three or four years when a potential fifth guaranteed season could be awaiting him in Miami. At least that’s one theory.
If true, imagine living in a world where, after making nearly $70 million for a six-year period, you’re still concerned about long-term security. Seems a little bit much, doesn’t it? Unless, of course, Odom plans on living to be 754.
These negotiations rarely are simple. There are egos involved and agents and a perspective unfamiliar to those of us who live on planet Earth. Theirs is a universe where disrespect somehow can be spelled with seven zeroes.
Why not just sign, Lamar, right? Why become a bald diva when the Lakers have offered as much as $36 million and four more championship chances?
Sorry, but it can’t be that easy, otherwise Odom would have signed already and we’d be writing about some other mystifying aspect of sports, like the continued existence of the Washington Nationals.
It can be very disconnecting, watching from afar an apparent black-and-white world that actually is colored in every shade of green and gray. So don’t even attempt to wrap what’s left of your 401(k) around these proceedings.
It is difficult to apply real-world logic to the NBA, where the finances are so cartoonish that the $100 bill should feature a picture of Homer Simpson. In this warped world, the services of Marko Jaric are valued at $14.7 million for the next two seasons.
The Lakers threw at least $9 million a year at Odom, representing a significant pay cut but also a hefty salary for a non-starter.
For the record, the players making more than $9 million next season include Erick Dampier, Cuttino Mobley and Mike Dunleavy.
And Quentin Richardson. Since his last game, Richardson has been traded three times, passing around the NBA like a flu bug.
He has been property of the Knicks, Grizzlies, Clippers and Timberwolves, each of whom missed the playoffs last season but, based on their dealing of or for Richardson, now clearly has a definite direction in mind ... or maybe not.
Odom’s case has become something of a soap opera, playing out in the land — or should it be an iLand? — of Twitter and text messaging. And we all know everything in cyberspace is legitimate.
Let’s see if we have things up-to-date. Kobe Bryant has called Odom and Dwyane Wade has called Odom and Ron Artest has called Odom and Odom has called Jerry Buss, and remember when the Lakers were famous for not speaking to each other?
During the same time, everybody has called Odom’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, some kind of bad name. We have to be honest; we thought Jeff Schwartz was the new coach of the Detroit Lions.
Turns out that guy is Jim Schwartz, which is a difficult name for us to say without smiling. Like most coaches, he’s a glorified physical education teacher, meaning the obvious nickname for Jim Schwartz is Gym Shorts.
Hey, two weeks of vacation allows the mind to travel to a lot of different places, some of them quite bizarre and not always funny.
Anyway, back in the unreal world, Shaquille O’Neal has a television project ongoing called “Shaq Vs.,” a show in which he will compete against, among others, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Phelps and Serena Williams in their respective sports.
O’Neal told USA Today that he came up with the idea as a way to work out for the upcoming season.
Keep in mind that O’Neal drove everyone crazy in L.A. because of his questionable offseason training.
And now he’s going to prepare for the NBA by playing beach volleyball against Kerri Walsh.
Meanwhile, Bryant has maintained that Odom will re-sign with the Lakers, that both sides need each other and ultimately things will work out.
On Tuesday, he also told The Associated Press he does not believe the gasping U.S. economy will affect NBA attendance next season.
He said this in the Philippines moments before — according to a report — removing his shoes, autographing them and handing them to strangers, at least one of whom had shouted her feelings about Bryant in the form of “I love you!”
And who says we can’t relate to these guys?
Since the end of the season, 53 players have been traded and 26 free agents have signed or re-signed.
Odom’s number will come up soon. Until then, enjoy the uneven journey and shifting mood swings, which, come to think of it, are what we’re used to getting from Lamar Odom anyway.