Lamar is gone

[lurker]

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/7791431/dallas-mavericks-lamar-odom-sever-ties-immediately

[Fpoonsie]

Holy shit.

[jeebus]

:lol what a vagina

[Venti Quattro]

What does this mean, he is free to sign with any team within this season? Are they paying him?

[lefty]

What a faggot with Kardashian tats

[LkrFan]

Welcome back home LO. #7 is taken though. :toast

[jeebus]

What does this mean, he is free to sign with any team within this season? Are they paying him?

From what I understand, he's still with the team but he's just gonna be spending the rest of his season crying in his old Lakers jersey and feeding his fucking fatass whale of a wife

[Fpoonsie]

What does this mean, he is free to sign with any team within this season? Are they paying him?

from the article...


Sources said Monday that Odom's departure will be immediate and that the Mavericks intend to simply list him as inactive for the rest of the season instead of outright releasing him, leaving open the possibility that they could still trade him after the season in conjunction with the draft. Any team that has Odom on its roster as of June 29 must buy him out by that date for $2.4 million or otherwise accept responsibility for the full $8.2 million that Odom is scheduled to earn in 2012-13.

[LkrFan]

from the article...

Jeane Claud Van Damn. :lol

[Venti Quattro]

Lamar back to the Lakers in 3...2...1... :lol

[100%duncan]

He stays on the inactive list, which simply means, he's useless.

[jeebus]

Lamar back to the Lakers in 3...2...1... :lol

:lol I dunno man, he pussy got really strained during his time in _allas; who knows if he can recover. He might just wanna retire and live inside one of Khloe's stomach folds, feeding off the moisture and food bits that fall in there.

[resistanze]

Doubt the Lakers would want him back next season after this season. What a shit.

[LkrFan]

:lol I dunno man, he pussy got really strained during his time in _allas; who knows if he can recover. He might just wanna retire and live inside one of Khloe's stomach folds, feeding off the moisture and food bits that fall in there.

This is all kinds of wrong...but funny! :lmao

[Venti Quattro]

I don't know...Mitch might want to roll his dice on this. The bench (what bench?) has been largely ineffective. Maybe bringing Lamar in will be a win-win for both sides. LA gets some bench power, Lamar gets his brain screwed right again.

[Fabbs]

Doubt the Lakers would want him back next season after this season. What a shit.
Oh no, didn't you read? KoBitch knows how to make the refs award the Lameshow 30 fts a quarter when he and Odom are on the court.

"It's tough," Bryant said. "He comes to a team that's pretty much set, you know what I mean? So it's hard for him to find his niche. The fans, they don't really understand what he does or how he can do it, you know what I mean?

"I hope they don't unlock that mystery. I know. I know how to use him and to use his skill set and this, that and the other. But with this team, the roster that they had being pretty much set, it's tough for him to be able to find his groove here."

:rollin The Fraud has spoken.

[cheguevara]

some human beings are destined to be the laughingstock of the rest of us

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

some human beings are destined to be the laughingstock of the rest of us

You being one of those too.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Lamar obviously can't join LA this season but he'll be back next year for vet minimum. Good deal.

[Sportcamper]

This is shocking…I expected Lamar to revert back to his old self…One of the top NBA players every 5th or 6th game…I don’t think anyone expected a complete melt down…

[Venti Quattro]

This is shocking…I expected Lamar to revert back to his old self…One of the top NBA players every 5th or 6th game…I don’t think anyone expected a complete melt down…

To be fair, he was begging for it ever since he got traded to the Mavs. His emo bitch ass got too emotional with the nixed CP3 deal and Mitch had to act on it before he caused any more trouble in LA.

[Fpoonsie]

I wonder if there was some kinda "last straw" that led to this. The article mentions the 4 minutes against MEM being a low point (out of the numerous ones to choose from), but I didn't see anything more than that.

[Mel_13]

lol Cuban

Letting Chandler, and the best chance at repeating, walk out the door for a chance at Deron Williams.

[Venti Quattro]

I wonder if there was some kinda "last straw" that led to this. The article mentions the 4 minutes against MEM being a low point (out of the numerous ones to choose from), but I didn't see anything more than that.

IMO that is not the right question to ask here. What WAS the last straw? :lol

[Fpoonsie]

IMO that is not the right question to ask here. What WAS the last straw? :lol

Lulz. Yeah, I suppose that's what my around-the-bush-beating was alluding to.

[Goran Dragic]

Cuban's a boss :lol

Odom's salary means so little to him he'd rather simply keep Odom inactive than let him sign with another team

[JamStone]

Why would any team want to sign Lamar for next season, even the Lakers?

He's old. He's emo. He has a fame-thirsty wife and in-law family that take away from his focus on basketball. He couldn't fit in with a championship team.

I think he's done with the NBA. It will have to be a pretty desperate team to take a chance on him now.

[JamStone]

Cuban's a boss :lol

Odom's salary means so little to him he'd rather simply keep Odom inactive than let him sign with another team

Would really do no good for Odom or that other team anyway since he would be ineligible to play in the post-season.

Cuban just wants the chance to be able to use as part of a trade if there's a team stupid enough to want Odom.

[Mel_13]

Cuban's a boss :lol

Odom's salary means so little to him he'd rather simply keep Odom inactive than let him sign with another team

The potential savings Dallas could get by releasing him is tiny. The potential value of his contract as a trading chip is substantial.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Why would any team want to sign Lamar for next season, even the Lakers?

He's old. He's emo. He has a fame-thirsty wife and in-law family that take away from his focus on basketball. He couldn't fit in with a championship team.

I think he's done with the NBA. It will have to be a pretty desperate team to take a chance on him now.

Exactly. He's driven his price so far down that signing him to the vet min in LA is perfect. Low-risk, he's comfortable there, and he's good depth still.

[Mel_13]

Would really do no good for Odom or that other team anyway since he would be ineligible to play in the post-season.

Cuban just wants the chance to be able to use as part of a trade if there's a team stupid enough to want Odom.

Or a team that's looking to salary dump a 8-9M contract.

[MavFan6488]

thank god. mavs' team cancer just got healed..

[DPG21920]

Huh^?

Even if Cuban bought him out he wouldn't be able to join any team for the playoffs this season.

[Fabbs]

Why would any team want to sign Lamar for next season, even the Lakers?

He's old. He's emo. He has a fame-thirsty wife and in-law family that take away from his focus on basketball. He couldn't fit in with a championship team.

I think he's done with the NBA. It will have to be a pretty desperate team to take a chance on him now.
I wouldn't proclaim a death sentence on him.
Once he and Kardashian get divorced he might regain some game.

[Venti Quattro]

Huh^?

Even if Cuban bought him out he wouldn't be able to join any team for the playoffs this season.

Doesn't need to be this post-season...

[Mel_13]

Huh^?

Even if Cuban bought him out he wouldn't be able to join any team for the playoffs this season.

Who ya pointing at?

[DPG21920]

Never mind didn't see the other posts on the issue

[Fpoonsie]

"I hope they don't unlock that mystery. I know. I know how to use him and to use his skill set and this, that and the other. But with this team, the roster that they had being pretty much set, it's tough for him to be able to find his groove here."

If this ACTUALLY happens -- if Lamar goes back to LA for tha min and "magically" finds his game again -- some Oak Cliff n!ggas should Trayvon his ass.

[DPG21920]

lol when I clicked it was DoK

[JamStone]

Exactly. He's driven his price so far down that signing him to the vet min in LA is perfect. Low-risk, he's comfortable there, and he's good depth still.

I think he's burned his bridge with the Lakers. I don't see him going back next season, even if some of the players push for it. It's obvious Kobe doesn't make the calls anymore. It was clear with the hiring of Mike Brown and the trades of Odom and Fisher. I don't think Mitch or Jim Buss want anything to do with Odom anymore.

[MaNu4Tres]

Simmons ftw..

Bill Simmons ‏ @sportsguy33
We need to add Lamar Odom's Mavericks jersey to the "worst throwback jerseys of all-time" collection.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

If this ACTUALLY happens -- if Lamar goes back to LA for tha min and "magically" finds his game again -- some Oak Cliff n!ggas should Trayvon his ass.

Wouldn't that be something if LO won 6MOY as a Laker earning vet-min next year?:lol

[Venti Quattro]

Wouldn't that be something if LO won 6MOY as a Laker earning vet-min next year?:lol

How many conspiracy theories will come out from det :lol

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

I think he's burned his bridge with the Lakers. I don't see him going back next season, even if some of the players push for it. It's obvious Kobe doesn't make the calls anymore. It was clear with the hiring of Mike Brown and the trades of Odom and Fisher. I don't think Mitch or Jim Buss want anything to do with Odom anymore.

Their lack of depth may give them no choice. When your reserve options are Murphy and McBob, you have problems.

[Fpoonsie]

Wouldn't that be something if LO won 6MOY as a Laker earning vet-min next year?:lol


How many conspiracy theories will come out from det :lol

I don't wanna think about it. I'm just gonna get upset.

[lurker]

I need a good song to use in a tribute to Lamar's time in Dallas.

[redzero]

Some men just can't handle Dallas.

[CubanMustGo]

Reason Cuban didn't just cut him outright:
(1) Might have to pay the whole balance of his contract immediately
(2) chance that he could go to LA and help them get a better seed for the upcoming playoffs, even if he couldn't play in them

[Fpoonsie]

I need a good song to use in a tribute to Lamar's time in Dallas.

...?

zO7e8pl-Q7A

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

I need a good song to use in a tribute to Lamar's time in Dallas.

0SqFPNTBnv8

[Findog]

Hard to believe the Lakers gave him away for a trade exception that they didn't use and still got the better end of the deal.

[Giuseppe]

Hard to believe the Lakers gave him away for a trade exception that they didn't use and still got the better end of the deal.

Long time, no see, backstabber.

[Findog]

This guy is easily my all-time least favorite Maverick now. Next to him, Josh Howard deserves his #5 retired and hung in the rafters. He makes me long for the days of Antoine Walker.

What a fucking shame that a guy like Greg Oden wants nothing more than a body that could withstand the rigors of an NBA season to suit up and play. And this POS has every possible advantage you could possibly have physically and squanders it. If his personal problems are so bad, why didn't he just take a leave of absence or ask to be bought out? His personal problems weren't so bad that he couldn't collect millions playing like ass.

[Goran Dragic]

Yeah idk what I was thinking with my original comment, didn't know he wasn't post season eligible.

Anyway, I agree with Jamstone that only a desperate team would pick him up at this point. He's certainly pissed away the opportunity to ever get a multi-year deal again the way he acted this year.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Next to him, Josh Howard deserves his #5 retired and hung in the rafters.

If he'd been a Spur his jersey would already be retired.

[jeebus]

What a fucking shame that a guy like Greg Oden wants nothing more than a body that could withstand the rigors of an NBA season to suit up and play. And this POS has every possible advantage you could possibly have physically and squanders it. If his personal problems are so bad, why didn't he just take a leave of absence or ask to be bought out? His personal problems weren't so bad that he couldn't collect millions playing like ass.

He buried a baby. :cry

[Findog]

He buried a baby. :cry

Like 6 years ago????? That didn't prevent him from winning a 6MOY.

[jeebus]

Like 6 years ago????? That didn't prevent him from winning a 6MOY.

:lol I know right? Yet he still used that excuse when asked why he's been sucking it up this year.

[redzero]

Is being traded from the Lakers really that bad? And it's not like he was traded to the Raptors or some other scrub team.

[JamStone]

Their lack of depth may give them no choice. When your reserve options are Murphy and McBob, you have problems.

Still don't see it. There will be other cheap FAs. Could go after a guy like Antawn Jamison who is older but provides similar things Lamar did. Other older players for cheap that might be available are K-Mart and Camby. Younger guys like Anthony Randolph and Earl Clark are both unrestricted. Plus they could target wing players for scoring like T-Mac or bring back Shannon Brown.

I'm sure Lamar Odom won't be the only option out there. And if he's the last resort, I still find it unlikely that Mitch and Jim go back to that well.

[Killakobe81]

He stays on the inactive list, which simply means, he's useless.

They did not have to make him inactive for him to be useless this year tbh ...

[Sportcamper]

It is funny that Lamar’s salary means nothing to Mark Cuban…
Its good to be rich....:lol

[Giuseppe]

It is funny that Lamar’s salary means nothing to Mark Cuban…
Its good to be rich....:lol

& yet he wouldn't brook Chandlers.

Penny wise.

Pound foolish.

[Mugen]

Mavs become instantly better after this move. It's the RJ effect.

[Mugen]

This guy is easily my all-time least favorite Maverick now. Next to him, Josh Howard deserves his #5 retired and hung in the rafters. He makes me long for the days of Antoine Walker.

What a fucking shame that a guy like Greg Oden wants nothing more than a body that could withstand the rigors of an NBA season to suit up and play. And this POS has every possible advantage you could possibly have physically and squanders it. If his personal problems are so bad, why didn't he just take a leave of absence or ask to be bought out? His personal problems weren't so bad that he couldn't collect millions playing like ass.

[ElNono]

:lol absolute mental midget

Please go back to LA. There's no more zen jackson to pamper that child. Ron is already off the leash and Bynum doing whatever he wants. Add another nutcase and it's 24/7 comedy.

[ElNono]

And Dallas will be ok if they land Deron next season...

[silverblk mystix]

How big of a vagina are you when Dirk won't even let Lamar borrow his Vagisil?

Dirk's pussy is really enflamed and won't even discuss Lamar's vagina....

[Giuseppe]

....& Nowitski has some nerve uttering a peep. He had to quit for a week this season because he spent the offseason completely unable to even look at a basketball.

[Woo Bum-kon]

How big of a vagina are you when Dirk won't even let Lamar borrow his Vagisil?

Dirk's pussy is really enflamed and won't even discuss Lamar's vagina....

You should fellate a cop instead of shitting up this thread.

[Dex]

Another Laker welcher!

[Mel_13]

Does this create more room to sign another max player?

No, they still own his contract.

[Giuseppe]

No, they still own his contract.

There is precedent. They paid Dirk for a week after he quit earlier this season.

[baseline bum]

Good move to keep Odom as a salary to move. They could do like the Spurs did with Danny Ferry; he had an extra partially-guaranteed year for 2003-04, and the team used it to trade for Hedo Turkoglu and Ron Mercer when he unofficially retired in 2002-03. Cuban throws $3 million in with Odom to cover the buyout and he becomes a pretty useful trading piece.

[baseline bum]

Hard to believe the Lakers gave him away for a trade exception that they didn't use and still got the better end of the deal.

Don't the Lakers still have until December to use that exception? Aren't trade exceptions valid for one calendar year?

[Sa_Spursfan20]

Well, I'll be hearing all about this from my Mavs friends later today...

I can't say I'm terribly surprised at this. He hasn't been fitting in at all in Dallas since he got here. I'm just wondering what made it finally come to this.

[Mel_13]

There is precedent. They paid Dirk for a week after he quit earlier this season.

Don't welch, Cul. You're better than that.

[Giuseppe]

Don't welch, Cul. You're better than that.

I got my reasons, Mel.

Let us proceed...

[Giuseppe]

Lamar ending in Dallas doesn't mitigate our mistake. We continue to suffer his loss.

[baseline bum]

I expect to see Odom on the Clippers for maybe $2 million next season after being bought out.

[Venti Quattro]

Don't the Lakers still have until December to use that exception? Aren't trade exceptions valid for one calendar year?

Yes. But do you think any team is going to pick him up? :lol

[Mugen]

Cubes should just trade him to Milwaukee in June and pay for his funeral in August.

[lurker]

Cubes should just trade him to Milwaukee in June and pay for his funeral in August.
He'd probably want to be cremated and have his ashes scattered on the bench at staples

[Mugen]

He'd probably want to be cremated and have his ashes scattered on the bench at staples

:lol

[baseline bum]

He'd probably want to be cremated and have his ashes scattered on the bench at staples

Either that, or mixed in with Khloe's feed.

[redzero]

Either that, or mixed in with Khloe's feed.

:lol Khloe's feed

[Sportcamper]

Either that, or mixed in with Khloe's feed.

Ohh man, that is cruel...:lol
Poor Lamar....Getting involved with Kardashians has just destroyed him...

[Mugen]

Phil should win COY this season, tbh.

To be able to deal with Metta, Bynum, Kirby, and LO last season and only get swept in the 2nd round is a pretty big fucking accomplishment, IMO.

[Venti Quattro]

What if all these was just part of the Kardashians' reality show?

[Red Hawk #21]

While Odom acts like his vagina is aching from being traded from LA, the Lakers and their fans don't even give a fuck about him. Everyone has already moved on and yet that fucker still thinks they care about him there :lol

[benefactor]

Either that, or mixed in with Khloe's feed.
:lol

[urunobili]

I think signing with the Clips would sell the most tickets TBH...

[TheChillFactor]

When they strike out on deron williams i will lol...

[Killakobe81]

Yes it make sense to keep him as a potential trade asset.
But no matter how anyone spins it, Cubes made a mistake bringing him in and breaking up their core. Now I have to admit I thought Lakers made a mistake in letting Lamar walked when he pulled his crying act in training camp ...but doesn't compare to how badly the Mavs screwed the pooch in their title defense. Delonte was a fine pickup and Wright has had some damn fine moments ...but to throw all this on Odom (which it smells like to me) is horseshit. Odom helped us win two titles, but part of that is because we never had to RELY on Odom every night to win. Cubes and Carlisle kept acting like everything was peachy and kept saying how happy they were with him and how valuable he was when both were flat out lies ...now that they are staring at "8" they want make him a scapegoat when Dirk (as much as I admire him) had two costly turnovers that contributed mightily to the last two losses ...

[Juggity]

Either that, or mixed in with Khloe's feed.

:lol wow

[Killakobe81]

Mavs should of brought back the core, (maybe except JJB and Stevenson) added West and Vince and went after their title ...if they dont at least get Dwill this will have been one of the dumbest off-seasons in title defense history. Getting Nash wont make it better either even though he would help on offense ...

[Proxy]

:lol absolute mental midget

Please go back to LA. There's no more zen jackson to pamper that child. Ron is already off the leash and Bynum doing whatever he wants. Add another nutcase and it's 24/7 comedy.

"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 did almost no basketball training during the five-month lockout."

[Spursmania]

Don't welch, Cul. You're better than that.

no he's not:lol

[Spursmania]

Phil Jackson is laughing his ass off sipping a mai tai at some beach.

[TheSpurglar]

:lol I dunno man, he pussy got really strained during his time in _allas; who knows if he can recover. He might just wanna retire and live inside one of Khloe's stomach folds, feeding off the moisture and food bits that fall in there.

:rollin

[TheSpurglar]

Either that, or mixed in with Khloe's feed.

:lmao

[Koolaid_Man]

I'm fucking proud of Lamar...we fucked Dallas....Big time....and I'm happy about that....Lamar not gonna help those bastards against the LA Machine - lol

[Killakobe81]

What if all these was just part of the Kardashians' reality show?

Would make a great episode, I have not watched a single one tbh ...but might watch just to see how they "spin it" ...

Lamar will get booed mercilessly anytime he goes to the AAC ...

[Giuseppe]

[[[Odom admitted he didn't train or work on his game. He contemplated not even playing this season. The Lakers surely knew this about last season's Sixth Man of the Year. Should the Mavs have looked deeper before pulling the trigger?

Maybe. But that's in the past]]]

tee, hee. Ain't that rich. Can one imagine if he'd a went from Texas to California? It wouldn't be in the past the same morning. Uh, uh.

[The Franchise]

What a sad little puss.

[Fpoonsie]

Yes it make sense to keep him as a potential trade asset.
But no matter how anyone spins it, Cubes made a mistake bringing him in and breaking up their core. Now I have to admit I thought Lakers made a mistake in letting Lamar walked when he pulled his crying act in training camp ...but doesn't compare to how badly the Mavs screwed the pooch in their title defense. Delonte was a fine pickup and Wright has had some damn fine moments ...but to throw all this on Odom (which it smells like to me) is horseshit. Odom helped us win two titles, but part of that is because we never had to RELY on Odom every night to win. Cubes and Carlisle kept acting like everything was peachy and kept saying how happy they were with him and how valuable he was when both were flat out lies ...now that they are staring at "8" they want make him a scapegoat when Dirk (as much as I admire him) had two costly turnovers that contributed mightily to the last two losses ...

What an idiotic fucking post...even for you. Not once have they "relied" on Odom.

[boutons_deux]

Odumb is as Odumb does.

[Leetonidas]

I can see this faggot going to the Clippers next season. Or back to Miami since his fat wife has had her show featured there before

[DMC]

Another Laker welching. Nothing to see here, but :lol at Jalen R:lolse for defending Odom.

Be real, dude's a faggot. No way he's fucking that cow he's married to.

[Jodelo]

I'm fucking proud of Lamar...we fucked Dallas....Big time....and I'm happy about that....Lamar not gonna help those bastards against the LA Machine - lol

Last time i checked, the Mavs fucked the Lakers in the PO...

[DMC]

Last time i checked, the Mavs fucked the Lakers in the PO...
With Lamar playing 6th man of the year level ball. I don't see how they fucked Dallas with that deal.

[Killakobe81]

What an idiotic fucking post...even for you. Not once have they "relied" on Odom.

Speaking of idiots... from ESPN Dallas:

Dallas certainly tried to make it work. The club continually opted for positive reinforcement, it tried to pump up his career-low statistics and pointed to the team's 0-7 mark without Odom as a reason to keep him on board, if only to provide minute relief for Dirk Nowitzki. But the situation was going the wrong way.

and

The Mavs badly wanted it to work, and that's why they kept him around. At 6-foot-10 and believed to be as versatile as any forward in the game, the team kept hope that Odom's effort level would spike and he could provide a spark, especially in the postseason.

and

From Cuban on down, the Mavs kept hoping that would change, wishing that a man with a dozen-year track record of being a good NBA player could actually muster enough pride to play hard for the defending NBA champions. They kept on coddling until they finally came to the obvious conclusion that they couldn't count on Odom while fighting for their playoff lives.

For the record I never said they relied on him ... my point was the Lakers were able to succeed because the Lakers never really had to. I was trying to point out when Lamar was successful. Rely is subjective. According to the excerpts I pulled the Mavs were HOPING to RELY on Odom for a quality back-up to Dirk. The Lakers used Odom more like a swiss army knife (similar to a bench version of Marion) and he thrived.

If you did not understand my post you could of asked questions, instead of showing how "intelligent" you are with name calling. You can respond to this or not doesnt matter I wont waste the time arguing with you anyway. But I know ball ... apparently you know how to cuss and namecall ...way to show your intellectual superiority ... genius!! :toast

[Bill_Brasky]

Either that, or mixed in with Khloe's feed.

I'm getting funny looks from those sitting around me because I just chuckled at that you bastard.

Well played.

[Reck]

So you're chuckling, huh. I bet you sound like a fucking pig... its why they are looking at you strange.

I wonder how grown ups look at you when you're watching a naruto episode in the break room at work. :lol

[Slomo]

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Smack/Khloe_Lamar.jpg

[Fpoonsie]

For the record I never said they relied on him ... my point was the Lakers were able to succeed because the Lakers never really had to.


but to throw all this on Odom (which it smells like to me) is horseshit. Odom helped us win two titles, but part of that is because we never had to RELY on Odom every night to win.

You imply (or explicitly state) a lot of bullshit.

DAL never relied on Odom.
DAL didn't throw all their struggles on Odom.

[Stalin]

:lol I dunno man, he pussy got really strained during his time in _allas; who knows if he can recover. He might just wanna retire and live inside one of Khloe's stomach folds, feeding off the moisture and food bits that fall in there.

thats revolting, but true, tbh

[DMC]

The price for nachos just got cut in half, just ask the accountants here: supply/demand

[Koolaid_Man]

The price for nachos just got cut in half, just ask the accountants here: supply/demand


So have pickled pig fingers :lol

[Koolaid_Man]

Hey Mavs>Spurs I bet you have pretty booty hole

[FlyHigh07]

lamar go retire buddy

[Latarian Milton]

ain't no big deal imho its not like dallas had lost anything valuable for him. dude has 2 rings he won with them lakers and son of a bitch cuban hopes his experience could help his team, but nigga turned out another Dickbreath :cry

VC was a wicked signing though dude has no ring and he's been the only guy on mavs squad who still shows kind of ambition to win something, i think the mavs shoulda signed someone else who didn't have a ring rather than another bitchmade ex-laker who had rang twice imho

[Josepatches_]

Reason Cuban didn't just cut him outright:
(1) Might have to pay the whole balance of his contract immediately
(2) chance that he could go to LA and help them get a better seed for the upcoming playoffs, even if he couldn't play in them

Clippers?? He can't play for the Lakers this season

[Venti Quattro]

Odom Ending in Dallas After Exchange With Cuban (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/04/10/sports/basketball/ap-bkn-mavericks-odom-cuban.html)

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had noticed Lamar Odom's uninspired play numerous times before, and kept hoping things would change.

It took one reply by Odom during a heated halftime exchange in his last game, when Cuban questioned the player's commitment to the team and Odom told him to quit playing games, to realize it was time for the two sides to part ways.

"Just his response to it. Everybody goes through ups and downs. Every player does. We tried to put him in a position to succeed. ... It didn't work," Cuban said Tuesday night, his first public comments since the team confirmed a day earlier that Odom was done in Dallas.

Their halftime exchange came after Odom played an uninspired four minutes Saturday night at Memphis.

"I just asked him, does he want to go for it or not. Is he in or is he out? I think he thought we were playing poker. I just didn't get a commitment. And that was the end," Cuban said. "This was a big game for us, and he wasn't connecting to that. And if you're not positive energy, you're negative energy."

When asked if that was the first time he noticed Odom having such a demeanor, Cuban responded, "No, but the first 17 times, I decided to try to help him and turn it into a positive."

That never happened.

Odom's averages of 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 20.5 minutes in his underwhelming 50-game stint in Dallas were career lows. He was also often late for team activities such as practices and meetings.

The Mavericks didn't release him and instead said Odom would be listed inactive for their remaining nine games. That started with Tuesday night's game against Sacramento.

"He didn't want to play. He decided to go elsewhere or do something else. Now we regroup and go forward," Cuban said. "We kept on hoping things would turn out right. It just got to the point where there weren't enough games in the season to try to find out."

The defending NBA champion Mavericks were only one game ahead of ninth place in the Western Conference standings going into the game against the Kings.

Dallas acquired the NBA's reigning Sixth Man of the Year from the Los Angeles Lakers just before the lockout-shortened season. It was a low-risk deal for the Mavericks, who gave up a first-round pick and the trade exception from a deal that sent Tyson Chandler to the New York Knicks.

The Lakers seemed compelled to move the 6-foot-10 forward, who made $8.9 million this season, after trying to send him to New Orleans in a Chris Paul deal that was nixed by the league. There were also the personal issues for Odom, whose 24-year-old cousin was murdered last summer only days before the player was involved in a fatal car accident that killed a teen pedestrian after the car he was riding in as a passenger collided with a motorcycle.

Cuban said the Mavericks knew about Odom's fragile emotional state when they got him.

"Yeah, but we thought we could fight through it," Cuban said. "We knew that's why he was available."

Cuban insisted that he failed in trying to make the situation work, and that he didn't have to talk to anyone else to know the end had arrived.

"If I'm going to be the guy who smiles with my hand on the trophy, I've got to be the guy who takes the responsibility," Cuban said. "It was just my initiative, just paying attention. ... I was working with him, tried to get him back on the horse. When I failed, it was my job to recognize it, and deal with it."

Odom, the husband and reality TV co-star of Khloe Kardashian, still has a year left on his four-year contract. Any team that has the 13-year veteran on its roster on June 29 must give him a $2.4 million buyout or be responsible for the full $8.2 million he would be due in 2012-13.

"The way his contract is structured, it will hopefully create some opportunities for us," Cuban said, acknowledging he thinks Odom is tradeable. "Absolutely. It's in his best interests to get his act together, and I'm sure he will. Lamar is still a talented basketball player. He just went through some issues this year. We thought we could work through them with him this year and we weren't able to. Next."

[baseline bum]

Boy, LA might be able to get a rotation player out of that pick currently at #18. Gotta give Kupchack some major props for that move that everyone shat on at the time. I mean look at what the Spurs got at #15 with Leonard, and this year is a way stronger draft. They could get a pretty good PG prospect like Marshall, Teague, or Wroten or some instant offense off the bench in Rivers.

[Mel_13]

Boy, LA might be able to get a rotation player out of that pick currently at #18. Gotta give Kupchack some major props for that move that everyone shat on at the time. I mean look at what the Spurs got at #15 with Leonard, and this year is a way stronger draft. They could get a pretty good PG prospect like Marshall, Teague, or Wroten or some instant offense off the bench in Rivers.

They traded that pick to Houston in order to salary dump Fisher.

[baseline bum]

LOL, forgot about that... just saw the pick was top 20 protected this season too, so it's not worth shit anyways unless Dallas could leapfrog three of Orlando, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, and Memphis, considering how weak the 2013 draft looks.