Lamar Odom: Power Ranking Best Ways Mark Cuban Could Punish Disgruntled Star

It's safe to say that 2011-12 hasn't been a banner year for struggling Dallas Mavericks forward Lamar Odom. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is averaging under eight points and five rebounds per game, and now he is starting to get into it with owner Mark Cuban.

According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Odom and Cuban had a disagreement during the Mavs' win over the New York Knicks last night.

That shouldn't come as much of a surprise since Odom is clearly unhappy in Dallas and Cuban tends to overreact from time to time. With Odom floundering and beginning to become an albatross for the Mavericks, Cuban may soon have to take action.

Here are a few ways Cuban can punish Mr. Kardashian for his poor play and insubordination.

Trade Him to the Bobcats

Is there any more miserable franchise in the NBA then the Charlotte Bobcats? If you thought it was embarrassing when the Mavs decided to send Odom to the NBA Development League after he missed four games due to personal reasons, then words can't describe how bad this would be. In fact, it wouldn't be a huge stretch to say that playing for the Bobcats would be worse than playing in the D-League.

Odom has been so bad for the Mavs, in fact, that they should offer the Bobcats Odom for the human statue known as DeSagana Diop. Despite how awful Diop was for the Mavericks, he couldn't be much worse than Odom. He's just happy to have a job at this point after being mediocre for so long, so he certainly won't be mixing it up with the boss.

Trading a player to the 5-31 Bobcats is the NBA equivalent to sending someone to Siberia. Except if Siberia has a basketball team, they're probably capable of beating the Bobcats.

Ban Khloe from Attending Mavs Games

To be perfectly honest, not only would banning Khloe from Mavs games be a punishment to Odom, but it would be a fantastic treat for NBA fans across the nation. Nothing sucks the life out of an athlete or a basketball telecast more than a Kardashian sister. Kim has already chewed up and spit out Reggie Bush, Miles Austin and Kris Humphries, and she has to be proud with what Khloe has accomplished thus far.

During their marriage, Odom has gone from the best bench player in the league and a huge contributor to the championship-winning Los Angeles Lakers to the Mavs' version of Brian Scalabrine. On second thought, banning Khloe from the games may actually be a reward for Lamar. His play couldn't possibly get any worse, so it's worth a shot.

If all else fails, perhaps Khloe can suit up in Lamar's place. After all, it's probably impossible to play worse or give less effort than Odom is currently.

Remove Candy from the Vending Machines

You don't become filthy rich without being diabolical, so Cuban definitely has that super villain gene inside him. If he really wants to hit Odom where it hurts, he can replace all the candy in the vending machines at American Airlines Center with raisins or Wheat Thins, or something else that is far less enjoyable than candy.

Odom's love for candy is well documented as ESPN even did a feature on it once. He has a "sugar daddy" who he sends to the store to buy candy for him, but if Lamar is looking for a quick sugar fix then it stands to reason that he hits up the vending machine every once in a while. If Cuban only provides healthy options, however, it'll really put Odom in his place.

Again, this punishment could also have an alternate positive effect on Odom. Maybe all of that candy is slowing him down on the court. More than likely, though, it's his total lack of commitment to the Mavericks.