How important is pot size?
 

I have a NOID that i got from a really shifty convenience store, I didnt think she was gonna make it... her leaves were tattered at the ends, the pbs were shriveled and some had no leaves on them and she was potted in a poor quality potting soil :O. After repotting and some TLC my poor little girl pulled through. She has a couple pathetic looking pb that she grew while regaining some roots (they were almost all rotten) and is now in the process of growing (what looks like its going to be) a nice big healthy pb. My question is... How important is pot size? Her pbs grew in a straight line rather than a cluster so i need a big pot to fit her lengthwise. Can i cut off the old pbs that have no leaves on them? Do they provide nutrients to the other pbs?

The size of the pot should only be large enough for 2 years growth, eg a plant with 4 bulbs of average size would need to be at least 4-5inch, this depends on how often you repot,yearly it could be smaller. I devide my odonts wheh they have 5 or more bulbs. They do better for me at that size.You can remove some of the old bulbs, but check for new growths below the bulb first, if shrivelled and brownish remove them and treat the cut with cinnamon.

What concerns me is that there is lots of space on either side of the row of pbs. The pbs at the end of the row are still green but pretty haggard and some have no leaves. Is it safe to cut those old haggard ones off since the new pbs bulbs are pretty small? Do the old ones provide any nutrients to the new ones?

It sounds like you should remove the bad bulbs and repot into a smaller pot, big enough for 1yr growth, they like to be root bound but not over crowded.

I disagree with masda, and would leave the old bulbs on the plant. They are still providing energy to the other, newer bulbs.
I have an oncidium hybrid that also was growing in a straight line. I couldn't find an elongated pot for it, so left it in it's pot. Once the plant reached the edges it must have realized it couldn't go any further, then started growing bulbs in the other direction, back towards the center of the pot!

I actually noticed that the newest one grew off to the side when it got to the edge of the pot. Thanks for the help everyone.