Dallas Mavericks: Will Lamar Odom Turn His Slow Start Around Anytime Soon?

Mavericks swingman Lamar Odom came to Dallas a few weeks ago as the team's biggest offseason acquisition. Unfortunately for Dallas fans, though, Odom has yet to make much of an impact for his new team this season.

Last year with the Lakers, Odom averaged around 14 points and nine rebounds per game, en route to winning the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award. Yet so far this season with the Mavs, Odom is only averaging about seven points and five rebounds per game, which would both easily be career lows for him.

Many thought Odom would finally get his chance to be a consistent starter once he arrived in Texas, but so far he's only been seeing 20 or so minutes of floor time each game, also a career low.

So why is Odom not living up to all of the hype in Dallas?

He's still in his prime at only 32, so age probably isn't the reason.

Earlier in the offseason, Odom was going to be part of the three-way trade that would have sent Chris Paul to LA, before commissioner David Stern vetoed the transaction. 

After a successful seven years with the Lakers, it must have been upsetting for Odom to realize that the team saw him as expendable. The idea became even more apparent to him when Los Angeles finalized the deal to ship Odom out to Dallas, the team that swept them in last season's playoffs.

It's always tough to start anew with another team, especially when there are only a matter of days to prepare for opening day. Odom quickly had to get to know his new teammates and coaches, as well as a whole new system both offensively and defensively.

However, the Mavericks are now 13 games into the season, and a new scheme cannot be used as an excuse for him anymore. In all 13 appearances, Odom has reached double-figures just once, coming against a mediocre Phoenix Suns team on January 4.

It seems Odom's mind is not solely focused on basketball, as it should be. 

Odom had a rough July in 2011. That month, he went through a series of traumatic events. He lost his 24-year-old cousin, who was apparently brutally murdered. The day after his cousin's funeral, an SUV that Odom was riding in collided with a teenage motorcyclist, resulting in the boy's immediate death.

Obviously affected by such a stressful July, Odom told ESPN that he was close to taking at least a year off from basketball, as he tried to cope with the amount of death he had been around recently.

According to Odom, if it were not for the help of a few of his close friends and wife Khloe Kardashian, he wouldn't be playing the game he loves at all this season.

"My wife talked me out of it," Odom told ESPN. "Cause I was asking myself: 'Was I mentally prepared to play? If I didn't play well, was I mentally prepared to help the team?' I had thought, 'Maybe I need a year.'"

Unfortunately for the Dallas Mavericks, it seems as if Odom is not mentally prepared to help the team, nor is he physically prepared. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle has voiced his displeasure with Odom's physical shape, after coming off of the court severely winded on multiple occasions.

Hopefully for the Dallas Mavericks and their fanbase, Odom can get out of this slump, and fast.

The first thing that needs to happen is a drastic improvement in his cardiovascular strength. The Mavericks surely need more than just 20 minutes out of their biggest offseason acquisition. With more minutes will come more productivity, as long as Odom is in good shape. It's still quite possible that he could beat out Shawn Marion for the starting small forward role, if he plays his cards right.

Second, Odom must get his head on straight. Instead of dwelling on all of his recent misfortunes, he needs to use them as motivation to improve his game. With his productivity at an all-time low, all of his focus should be on playing basketball for the Dallas Mavericks, and not "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

Odom has all of the skills to be a tremendous force on the court in Dallas this season, but if he can't get it together mentally for his new team this season, it would be a shock to see the Mavericks bring him back for their 2012-13 campaign.

With the Mavericks set to take on the Lakers at the Staples Center tomorrow, a return to Hollywood may be just what Odom needs to begin to break out of this slump.