Lamar Odom: Lakers Sixth-Man Leaves Practice to Meet with GM

One minute you’re the NBA sixth man of the year and a fan and club favorite, the next you find out you’re part of a trade.

This is what Lakers forward and reality television star Lamar Odom went through when he found out that he was a key piece to a trade that would send him to New Orleans and bring Hornet point guard Chris Paul to the Lakers.

Upset by the trade and the thought of being just a number to the Lakers front office, Odom had another wrench thrown into the mix when NBA Commissioner David Stern vetoed the trade, allowing him to stay in Los Angeles. 

While Odom has to have a sense of relief about staying home where he and his wife, Khloe Kardashian, live and star in the reality television series "Khloe & Lamar," there is also a since of discomfort and embarrassment as he now has to play for a franchise that was willing and wanting to trade him away.

Odom showed up for the Lakers’ first practice an hour late today and left 90 minutes early to meet with General Manager Mitch Kupchak as the two sides try to smooth the tension.

While business is business and the Lakers did nothing wrong, Stern put them in a really bad situation as they now have to manage the emotions of Odom and convince him that he is a wanted and important part of the Lakers team.

This drama is obviously not how new head coach Mike Brown wanted to start his tenure with the Lakers organization.

Brown will start earning his paycheck quickly as he deals with this issue and prepares his team for the start of the season in two weeks.