Facts – Lamar Odom want to live in LA and remain an NBA player, which means playing either for the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers. Speculation, based on that he hasn’t been signed yet: Both teams don’t really want him on the team.
It’s hard to imagine the kind of hit his credibility as a player has taken over the last couple of years. In 2010-2011, his last season for the Los Angeles Lakers, Odom averaged 14.4 points and 8.7 rebounds coming off the bench. Then came the trade (he demanded after being included in a cancelled trade) to the Mavs. He didn’t want to live in Dallas, and showed it on the court, averaging 6.6 points per game.
The Mavs froze him out near the end of the season, preferring to pay him money and not have him on the roster. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, which made him happier than before, but it seemed something was missing from his game. Call it passion, call it ability. Odom spent 19.7 minutes a night on the floor, averaging 4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, hardly looking at the basket (4.5 shots a game) during outings.
Odom isn’t too happy about getting a minimum deal as well, but it’s not likely he’ll be getting anything more. The fact that the Clippers don’t have the greatest of quality on their bench in the frontcourt (Bryan Mullens and Ryan Hollins) and still prefer not to offer Odom a contract says a lot, while they meet with Jamison and think about Harrington as well.
The Lakers have a roster spot open and will almost seem like the team from their championship years (2009, 2010) with Odom back and Farmar also joining, but the Lakers prefer youth and some athleticism after their defensive debacle last season. Odom doesn’t bring any of those traits.
There have been talks about the Miami Heat being willing to add him, but they don’t have much room in their roster, and after adding Greg Oden bringing in Odom as well seems like a useless signing.