The scene was clearly staged and considerably corny, but there was a reason for it.

There stood Lamar Odom, fidgeting and looking uncomfortable as he leaned over a podium answering questions inside AmericanAirlines Arena, when a set of double doors opened to his right.

Bunched together in the doorway were Eddie Jones, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rasual Butler, all dressed in practice gear and calling for Odom.

''Young fella,'' Jones said to Odom. ``You ready?''

Jones tossed Odom a basketball and the group walked together to the Heat's practice court for a casual shootaround and some additional photo opportunities.

The idea was to show their support for Odom, who so far has made somewhat of a mess of his short career and is widely considered a risky signing for the Heat. Odom, 23, officially became a member of the Heat late Tuesday when the deadline for the Los Angeles Clippers to match Miami's six-year, $65 million offer sheet expired.

That might have marked the end of Miami's wait for Odom, but the official ''Lamar Odom watch'' begins now.