Lamar Odom: Mavericks Star Should Blame Himself, Not Reality Show for Struggles

The 2011-12 season hasn't exactly been a banner one for Dallas Mavericks forward Lamar Odom as he is having the worst year of his career. Mr. Kardashian is blaming his reality show for the drop off in his game, but Odom needs to take a long look in the mirror.

According to In Touch Weekly, Odom thinks that his play has suffered due to the reality show that he takes part in with his wife Khloe Kardashian, Khloe & Lamar. Odom also reportedly believes that his participation in the reality show was what caused his trade from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Mavs.

If this is true, then Odom is the master of revisionist history. The Lakers' original plan was to trade Odom during the offseason in a deal for elite point guard Chris Paul. The reasoning for that was obvious as the Lakers were willing to do pretty much anything possible to get Paul in the fold.

That wasn't an indictment of Odom's play as he was coming off a Sixth Man of the Year Award and it certainly had nothing to do with the reality show, rather the Lakers had to give up a talented player with a substantial salary, and Odom fit the bill.

Obviously that trade didn't work out as the league office inexplicably vetoed it, but Odom was ultimately dealt anyway. Again, it wasn't because of the reality show, though. Odom himself talked about how he felt betrayed when he was nearly shipped to the New Orleans Hornets and there were questions about whether he would be willing to play for the Lakers. Because of that, L.A. had little choice but to move him to the Mavericks.

Had Odom simply accepted the failed Paul trade as part of the business like Pau Gasol ultimately did, he would likely still be wearing purple and gold. Odom let his emotions get the best of him, however, and it resulted in him ending up somewhere he didn't want to be.

In Touch Weekly is also reporting that Odom has essentially shut out Khloe as he blames her for the media circus that the reality show has created. According to the report, he has even stopped being intimate with her and has ceased undergoing fertility treatment as the couple has been trying to have a child.

I realize that Khloe and the rest of the Kardashians are incredibly annoying and don't deserve a fraction of the fame and fortune that they have achieved, but it's time to stop blaming them for everything. Khloe didn't invent New Coke, she didn't assassinate JFK and she most definitely isn't responsible for Lamar's uninspiring play.

The last time I checked, Khloe isn't the one who is loafing around on the court and whining about how terrible it is to get paid millions of dollars to play basketball for the defending NBA Champions. Odom was given lemons, but instead of making lemonade he has decided to have a sour attitude regarding the whole situation.

This is a classic case of somebody refusing to take responsibility for their own actions. Odom probably realizes that he made a huge mistake by rabble rousing after the proposed Paul trade fell through. Rather than moving on and accepting the fact that his days in L.A. are over, though, he is simply placing blame elsewhere if In Touch Weekly's report is accurate.

If Odom didn't want to do the reality show, I'm sure that he could have said no. Obviously it can't be easy to have a camera following you all the time, but if Odom couldn't handle it then he should have nixed it from the start.

Odom is dogging it for the Mavs right now and that has everything to do with his lack of desire to play for them. Say what you will about the Kardashians, but the only diva in this instance is Lamar.