Lamar Odom: Dallas Mavericks Forward to Skip D-League Stint and Return to Team
Dallas Mavericks forward Lamar Odom is reportedly set to join the team for their game against the Utah Jazz on Saturday, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
"Mavs decide they need Lamar Odom ASAP for tonight's game against Utah. D-League stint canceled. Story w/Jeff Caplan going up now @ESPNDallas
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) March 3, 2012"
"Odom, his agent Jim Schwartz and Mavs owner Mark Cuban met earlier this week in Dallas and worked out a plan to ease Odom back onto the team after his personal absence unexpectedly extended more than a week.
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The Mavericks have lost four games in a row and badly need a win against a Jazz team that just defeated the Miami Heat on Friday night. Dallas' recent losing streak has dropped it to seventh place in the Western Conference.
Odom hasn't played since February 20 and needs to get back into the lineup soon because he is not in ideal basketball shape.
More importantly, the Mavericks want to see that Odom is committed to helping the team improve and prepare for the playoffs, when they will defend their NBA championship.
Thus far, the team has been disappointed in what it has seen from the former Los Angeles Lakers star, as noted by coach Rick Carlisle:
"Mark [Cuban] asks a fundamental question of anybody in our franchise: Are they in or are they not in? ... Our fans want to know that Lamar's in. Our players want to know that Lamar's in. It's not about how many points he's scoring or rebounds; those things are a factor. Our fans, our players want to see the guy playing like his pants are on fire and we haven't seen that so far and that's got to change.
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Odom is one of the league's best bench players and last year won the Sixth Man of the Year Award. The Mavericks traded for him thinking that he would bring some versatility and scoring to their lineup after they lost Caron Butler and J.J. Barea in free agency.
Not only do the Mavs need Odom to play right now so he can help them on the court, but if they are thinking about trading him before the March 15 deadline, they need him to play so teams can see how well he's playing.
The Mavericks were smart to have Odom join the team now and help them get better as they fight to secure a playoff berth in the West. He's a talented player and will help the team at both ends of the floor when he returns to normal game shape.
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