NBA Rumors: Change of Scenery Not Working for Lamar Odom

If you go around asking hoops fans about Lamar Odom, the majority are going to tell you that he effectively whined his way out of Los Angeles after the Lakers tried to include him in a trade for Chris Paul.

That's not far from the truth, but the deed is long since done. Odom is with the Dallas Mavericks now, and everything is hunky dory.

Well, except not.

The change of scenery hasn't worked the way Odom and the Mavs hoped it would. Odom is struggling in the early goings, and Rick Carlisle hasn't been sending that many minutes Odom's way.

As for what's going on behind the scenes, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated touched on that in a Thursday article:

"

From a basketball perspective, Odom has yet to find his niche in Dallas. His struggles have made him a frequent target of Carlisle, who has harped on Odom's need to understand the coverages, be more alert, communicate and get in better shape; Odom's 19.5 minutes per game are the lowest of his career.

It's more than just basketball, however. Team sources say Odom has often appeared stressed by what they believe is the mental burden of an overwhelming offseason. Indeed, Odom told ESPN he considered taking a hiatus from the game.

"

From the sound of things, Odom's head just isn't in the game right now, and it's been that way all season.

In fact, Odom's mind has been preoccupied ever since the end of last season, which of course didn't end well. That was followed by an offseason that included the murder of his cousin, a car accident that killed a motorcyclist (Odom was a passenger) and the botched Chris Paul trade that ultimately caused Odom to ask out of Los Angeles.

You have the sympathize with the guy. Odom's been on a long, bumpy ride over the last several months, one that would rattle anybody. Apparently, he's still rattled.

The best thing the Mavs can hope for is that Odom will come around with more time and more games. He hasn't played up to his abilities so far this season, but somewhere inside him is the player who won the Sixth Man of the Year in 2010-11 and who has played a part in two NBA championships.

The pressure is on Odom alone to rediscover his old form. It goes without saying that Carlisle is not about to ease up on him, so the pressure is on Odom to figure things out on his own.

When he does, the Mavs are going to be even more dangerous than they already are.