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NBA Rumors: Lamar Odom Makes Perfect Sense for Golden State Warriors
April 12, 2012
There really isn't a perfect spot for a player like Lamar Odom, who is buried under a mountain of turmoil and mental anguish, but he could do a whole lot worse than the Golden State Warriors.
Yes, the Warriors would actually be a great fit for team and player, and it could actually happen at some point this summer.
The Contra Costa Times' Marcus Thompson reports in the Warriors interest in recent Dallas Mavericks castoff Lamar Odom.
It’s a long shot. He would probably have to take less money and turn down a chance to be on a contender. But the Warriors have an eye for Lamar Odom to fill out their starting lineup next season.
With that, we get into some of the particulars of this match made in sensible heaven. Thompson clues us all in:
Odom is set to make $8.2 million next year. But Dallas has a team option. If they cut him, only $2.4 million of that is guaranteed. Golden State wouldn’t have money to outbid anyone. They’d have the mid-level exception (about $5.6 million this season) to offer Odom and hope he just wants to play with the Warriors. (Of course, a contender may want to offer Odom the mid-level as well.
The fact that Odom has been a no-show since leaving LALA land means most contenders would rather pass on him than gamble that he could regain his Sixth Man of the Year form of the 2010-2011 season.
True, the Warriors don't have a great amount of money, which is precisely what makes Odom such a great fit for this team.
You aren't gambling that much on a player that can come back to the west coast and play the Lakers a few times a season—something that might wake him from the funk he has been in.
The spotlight would be off him as the Warriors continue to build a playoff-caliber team. On the Mavericks, his deficiencies were well reported, but in Oakland, he could quietly rebuild his confidence.
The Warriors would get a player that may be done for his career, but may be an All-Star-caliber player at rest.
When it only takes about $2 million to find out, there is no reason not to take that chance.
Odom could provide the veteran leadership and versatility to take this team to the next level...if he is in his right mind, of course.