Cuban: Odom does not want to go back to LA

**Huey Freeman** · 03-06-2012

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/...committed-team

Odom, Cuban Talk Los Angeles, Rumors

March 6 at 9:38pm CST By Luke Adams
9:38pm: While Mavs owner Mark Cuban acknowledged that there was some concern about Odom's absence from his teammates, he says that reports of Odom's desire to go back to Los Angeles are false, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
"That was never the issue despite what you read. You know what's more interesting is that there's a whole lot of people, myself included, who like to use the media to try to create drama and stir up controversy. And it's so easy, it's hard not to," Cuban told reporters.
Meanwhile, Odom and Cuban appeared to exchange a few heated words during tonight's game against the Knicks, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
8:16am: Ric Bucher of ESPN.com reported earlier this week that Lamar Odom is "desperate" to return to Los Angeles, but the 32-year-old tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he's happy to be playing in Dallas.
"You know how fortunate I am to be here," Odom said. "I'm a guy that doesn't mind staying and working things out -- even if they don't."
Odom added that he never asked the Mavericks for a buyout, as some reports suggested, and that he doesn't know how those rumors got started.
"Some of the rumors were untrue and that's something you have no control over," Odom said, "It's just like you're not here for eight days in a row, or however many days, and people stop seeing you and start talking."
After his four-game personal absence from the team, Odom appeared poised to head to the D-League's Austin Toros for a game before returning to the Mavs. Although the plan fell through, Odom was entirely on board with the idea -- he was the one to bring it up to the team.
"I had suggested it because I had the time off, we didn't practice and didn't play. And I felt like it would be a good way to warm up," Odom said. "I look at it and I think of the NBA and I think that's what [the D-League] should be there for... kind of like minor league baseball."
While Odom is struggling through his worst NBA season to date, it appears he and the Mavs are still trying to make things work. As we discussed yesterday, even if the veteran forward wanted to return to Los Angeles, for either the Lakers or Clippers, his chances of doing so this season are slim to none.