Odom with Mavericks D-League affiliate

This has been a lost season for Dallas Mavericks forward, Lamar Odom. After unexpectedly being dealt to the New Orleans Hornets, then to the Dallas Mavericks, Odom clearly hasn't been the same player he was with the Los Angeles Lakers. The former Sixth Man of the Year has been in a year long funk.

There was a brief flirtation with retirement to get over some personal issues, issues that still seem to dog Odom. He recently took some personal leave time to be with his ill father in Los Angeles before the All-Star break. Now he'll be suiting up for the Mavs' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, to "get his legs back" before he rejoins the team.

Odom is likely to play at least one game with the Mavericks' D-League affiliate in nearby Frisco to, as one source said, "get his legs back under him." The Texas Legends play the Austin Toros at home Thursday night, but sources said it's more likely Odom practices with the Legends on Friday while the Mavericks are in New Orleans and then plays Saturday's home game with the Legends, also against Austin, while the Mavericks are playing host to Utah.


There are some Mavericks that feel Odom won't be rejoining the team, but I don't think Mark Cuban will be having any of it. All I know is that Odom has hurt the defending champions more than he has helped them. He could still be a valuable piece to the Mavericks puzzle, if he has his head on straight and is ready to play.

"It's going to work itself out one way or another," Mavericks guard Jason Kidd said Tuesday of the Odom situation. "We just hope it works itself out soon."


Said Mavs guard Jason Terry: "We've got to go with the players we got. If you're here, you can help us. But our sympathies go out to his family." 


This is more to get Odom in gear than to "get his legs back". If you ask me, this is more of a heart and head check than anything.

Odom Almost Took A Year Off

Lamar Odom revealed that he came close to taking a year off from basketball to get his mind together. The near trade to the New Orleans Hornets and subsequent trade to the Dallas Mavericks weren't the reasons why he had a thought about leaving.

Left reeling by the July murder of his 24-year-old cousin and a fatal car accident days later that killed a teen pedestrian after the car he was riding in as a passenger collided with a motorcycle, Odom told ESPN.com that he had to be convinced by wife Khloe Kardashian to scrap his plans for a hiatus.



"Real close," Odom said when asked Saturday how close he came to asking the Lakers for a season-long sabbatical.


"My wife talked me out of it.

"Cause I was asking myself: 'Was I mentally prepared to play? If I didn't play well, was I mentally prepared to help the team?' I had thought, 'Maybe I need a year.' Because of the lockout, I thought, 'Maybe somebody's sending me a sign that I needed this time off.'


"(But) when I told some of my friends and my family that I was thinking about steppin' back for a minute, I think the reaction from the closest people to me kind of gave me the energy to get back at it."

With some of the events that have transpired recently in Odom's life I have to take him at his word. Sometimes tragic events stick with someone forever. With what Odom has gone through, you just don't get over it, so being traded is small potaotes in his prism of life.

But Odom, dismissing the notion of a trade hangover, said Saturday that the events of July made him realize "how much I wasn't over some of the things that I went through (in life)," most notably the death of 6-month-old son Jayden in 2006 from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).



"I thought it was good time for me to take a step back," Odom said of his sabbatical idea. Asked if he imagined it as just a one-season break, Odom added: "I don't know. 'Cause who knows where time away is gonna take you? You never know."

Who wouldn't want to take a break after all the drama. However, since he has been in the NBA there has always looked like something was amiss with Odom. He just looked like the classic floater, with the Clippers more than anyone, but he was supposed to be a game changer when he came out of Rhode Island. He gets by on being so talented and athletic he really doesn't work too hard at it, but he's still a damn good player.

Hopefully he can get his head straight and help the Mavericks defend their title. It's been a rough start for Odom and the Mavericks, but I'm sure he'll start to put everything together after he gets a little more comfortable.

Lamar Odom Critical Of Technical Rule

Count Lamar Odom as one of the countless NBA players that are displeased with the new technical foul rule. After he was whistled for a shooting foul on Sacramento's Carl Landry in the second quarter, Odom kept his offending arm up in the air for several seconds to indicate he believed his defense was legal and within the rule of verticality, and an official promptly issued him a technical foul. Although Odom was silent, he kept his arm up for more than three seconds. The result? A technical foul.

After the game Odom added this.   "You have to zip it," Odom said. "If they call you for a tech, it's $2,000. That's a lot of money in America or anywhere. I don't want to give away $2,000 for going, 'Damn, I thought I had the ball!' or showing emotion. I want to keep my money, point blank."

He also said the rule was hypocritical.

"It's kind of crazy because that's what people love to see. You watch the commercials and the NBA has dunking, [players making] faces and 'Where Amazing Happens,'" Odom said. "Now it's like 'Where Normal Happens.' ... There's nothing amazing about not showing emotion."


I don't necessarily like the way players always complain after every whistle, but it is part of the game. I'm sure this idea looked good when they thought it up, but now you're taking the emotion out of the game. Let's see how far this rule goes before its reversed.









 

Will the Lakers be "the family circus"

An early season 94-80 loss to the Dallas Mavericks have Mark Cuban and a few others saying I told you so. I know it's early in the season, but the Lakers looked bad last night, in the process making Mavericks owner Mark Cuban seem prophetic. During the preseason he said that the Ron Artest signing would open the door for others in the Western Conference. True things weren't working last night but i'm sure Phil Jackson will get everything straightned out and Kobe Bryant will make sure everyone stays on the same page. Another potential distraction is Lamar Odom. With the high profile marriage to reality tv Khloe Kardashian, he'll have more cameras following him than he had before. Odom usually keeps out of the spotlight, now he's being thrust into it. Hopefully he can keep his mind on his game and not crumble under the increased attention he gets away from the arena. An immense talent, he's always had a tendency to drift and disappear during games. Although this seems like a recipe for trouble i think the Lakers will overcome this circus atmosphere to remain kings of the west until proven otherwise.