Warriors Eyeing Lamar Odom
Lamar Odom's departure from Dallas has been impossible to avoid for the Mavericks this week. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd were still being asked about it last night, and owner Mark Cuban cited Odom's reality show as a possible factor in the veteran forward's disappointing season in Dallas.
For other teams, however, the Odom drama represents an opportunity rather than a distraction. According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, Odom is on the Warriors' radar as the offseason approaches.
Getting Odom to Golden State would be difficult. He's on a non-guaranteed contract for next season, owed a buyout of $2.4MM on June 29th or $8.2MM if he's on a roster past that point. The Warriors would probably have to acquire Odom via trade, since I doubt he'd be eager to sign as a free agent with a non-contender that could only offer him the mid-level exception. Golden State would want to find a way to add Odom to a starting lineup of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, and Andrew Bogut.
With Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com suggesting Odom left his heart and head in Los Angeles, the Warriors may have the geographic advantage over most of the league, but Oakland isn't L.A. and the Warriors aren't the Lakers. I have trouble seeing the Warriors' interest evolving into anything real here.
Western Notes: Cuban, Griffin, Clippers
With the playoff picture out west very much unsettled with 10 games to go, let's check in on the Western Conference to catch up on the latest news and happenings.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hopes making Lamar Odom inactive for the remainder of the season is addition by subtraction in his latest comments on the issue, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. While Cuban admitted he knew Odom was a fragile entity given how upset the player became in the wake of almost being sent to the Hornets in the Chris Paul trade that never materialized, the Mavs owner was confident he could get the most out of the former Rhode Island star. "Do I feel let down? No. But am I disappointed? Yeah," Cuban said. "I wanted it to work. We worked hard to make it work, but I failed. I couldn't make it work so we moved on. I failed; my business, my company, my team. When we (mess) up, I'll take responsibility."
- Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman defends Blake Griffin against the growing notion that the former Oklahoma star has developed into a "villain" in the NBA. After being the toast of the league just a year ago, Griffin's reputation has taken a hit for reasons that truly shock new teammate Chris Paul, who has nothing but good things to say about the second-year star. Carlson suggests some of the criticism stems from the highlight-reel dunks Griffin has thrown down this season and how Griffin responds in the wake of them.
- The Clippers are heading toward unfamiliar territory as they are on track to secure the fourth seed in the Western Conference thanks to completely overhauled roster, writes John Rohde of The Oklahoman. Upon clinching their birth, the Clippers would be adding some substance to their not-so-illustrious playoff history. Making the playoffs this season would mark the team's third appearance since 1998 and fifth since 1977 when the team was known as the Buffalo Braves.
Latest On Lamar Odom
After Lamar Odom and the Mavericks mutually agreed to part ways, we heard a number of reactions from around the league, including Metta World Peace's tongue-in-cheek career advice for Odom. Reactions and new details continue to come in, so let's catch up on the latest:
- Odom's habitual tardiness was a factor in the team's decision to part ways with him, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- Odom and team owner Mark Cuban had an "angry exchange" at halftime of Saturday's game, Odom's last as a Mav, according to an ESPNDallas.com report. Cuban reportedly asked the veteran forward if he was "in or out," resulting in heated words between the two. One source that talked to ESPN.com's MacMahon and Marc Stein said he was surprised Odom even came out for the second half.
- Jason Kidd discussed Odom's departure with reporters today, including MacMahon. Kidd was mostly noncomittal on the decision, saying that "you've got to ask Lamar" what happened. Asked if it was a relief to part ways with Odom, Kidd replied: "It happens and we have to move on. Relief? We still got nine games to play to get into the playoffs. That’s the way we got to look at it."
Deron Williams Met With Nets’ Owner
Nets majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov is making a rare appearance in America this week, visiting the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York today. Speaking to reporters, Prokhorov was asked about the number one topic on the minds of Nets fans these days: Deron Williams. After initially declining comment, Prokhorov said that he met with the star point guard yesterday and that he thinks he and Williams are "on the same page" (via Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record).
"[Deron] wants to win," Prokhorov said, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports (via Twitter). "And I want to win maybe even more."
Williams, who holds a player option for next season, has indicated multiple times that he intends to explore free agency this summer. While the Nets could offer him the most money, there are a few other teams that could make a play for Williams, including his hometown Mavericks. Prokhorov acknowledged that he will likely be competing with Mark Cuban and the Mavs in the offseason.
"Let the best man win," Prokhorov said, joking: "If he wins, I will crush him in kickboxing throwdown" (Twitter link).
When we asked Sunday night where Williams would end up next season, about 53% of nearly 1000 Hoops Rumors readers predicted the point guard would be a Dallas Maverick.
Southwest Notes: Odom, Mavs, Dyson, Dragic
Lamar Odom parting ways with the Mavericks may be the biggest recent story out of the Southwest Division, and Odom's former teammate Metta World Peace took the opportunity to weigh in on his friend's next career move. As Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes, World Peace's suggestions for Odom ranged from becoming a ballboy to hiking "the biggest mountain in the world." Here's the latest on Odom and the rest of the Southwest:
- Odom's departure could open the door for other Mavericks, such as Yi Jianlian and Brian Cardinal, to receive more playing time, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- The Hornets are expected to announce the signing of Jerome Dyson today, tweets Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Dyson himself tweeted yesterday that he was heading to New Orleans to sign with the team. I'd expect the deal to be a 10-day contract.
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle examines the likelihood of Goran Dragic returning to Houston next season. Dragic seems open to returning to the Rockets but would also like to be a starter.
Reaction To End For Lamar Odom In Dallas
The timing of their parting was difficult to peg down, but the partnership between the Mavs and Lamar Odom has seemed doomed for a while. When Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said Odom was testing his patience last month, it looked as though that patience was already gone. Here's what people around the league are saying in the wake of this morning's news that Odom will not play anymore this season for the Mavs:
- Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLA.com (via Twitter) doesn't see Odom rejoining the Lakers.
- Mavs General Manager Donnie Nelson says that everyone from the locker room up to the front office wanted to see Odom succeed in Dallas, tweets Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com opines that Odom will go down as one of the biggest disgraces in Dallas sports history. MacMahon believes that Odom's departure could give the defending champs a much-needed morale boost as they enter the playoffs.
- Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com tweets that Mavs players had little to say about the matter today, while Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd avoided the media entirely.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News notes that Odom will continue to draw his salary even though he will not be playing. He was scheduled to make $8.9MM this season, though the lockout cut that down to about $7.16MM.
- The Lakers were going to try to trade both Odom and Pau Gasol right up until the March 15 deadline, but they knew that Odom wouldn't be able to handle the constant trade rumors, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio wonders, via Twitter, whether Odom will ever play in the NBA again.
- Caplan believes it was a move the Mavs had to make, as Odom, who had an emotionally turbulent offseason, simply wasn't focused on basketball.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Kelenna Azubuike
The D-League playoffs begin this week, and we'll keep track of today's news from that circuit as well as international developments here:
- Dallas has recalled Kelenna Azubuike from the D-League Texas Legends, according to a press release from the Mavs. Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com originally tweeted the news. The Mavs signed Azubuike March 23 and immediately sent him down to the Legends, where he appeared in seven games and averaged 6.4 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 12.9 MPG.
Mavs Part Ways With Lamar Odom
The Mavs and Lamar Odom have mutually agreed to part ways, ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting. The team is not releasing him, and will simply make him inactive for the rest of the season, Stein says. That way, the Mavs can still try to trade his contract in the offseason.
Odom is scheduled to receive $8.2MM in the last year of his deal next season, but if he's released by June 29, the team that holds his rights is only on the hook for $2.4MM. The Mavs acquired Odom from the Lakers in December for a first-round pick, but his tenure in Dallas has been marked by controversy and poor play. Still, the Mavs have gone 0-7 without Odom this year, including the nearly two weeks he missed while dealing with his ailing father in late February and early March.
Odom is averaging career lows in points (6.6), rebounds (4.1), minutes (20.5), field goal percentage (35.2%) and three-point percentage (25.2%). His minutes dwindled even further in the past week, and after he played just four minutes Saturday in a loss to Memphis, both coach Rick Carlisle and Dirk Nowitzki refused to answer questions about Odom.
Odom was reportedly "desperate" to return to Los Angeles at one point this season, and another report has suggested Kobe Bryant wants the Lakers to bring him back this summer. Even if the Mavs were to formally let go of Odom, he would be ineligible to play for another team in the playoffs this year.
Odom issued a statement to ESPN.com, saying, "The Mavericks and I have mutually agreed that it's in the best interest of both parties for me to step away from the team. I'm sorry that things didn't work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs' organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship."
Odds & Ends: Williams, Mavericks, Howard, Cavs
We've got nine games on the docket tonight, including Magic–Sixers in Philadelphia. Orlando will look to put the heightened drama of this past week behind them and snap a five-game losing skid. Here's a look around the league on this Saturday afternoon..
- There has been tons of speculation about Deron Williams joining the Mavericks this summer but Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld points out that several things have to happen in order to facilitate that homecoming. For starters, Dallas will have to get creative in order to have enough cap space to sign the Nets guard.
- The latest drama between Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard feels like a repeat of the clash of Van Gundy and Shaquille O'Neal in Miami, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
- Lester Hudson has likely bought himself more time with the Cavaliers after helping the club top the Raptors in Toronto, writes Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer. The 27-year-old is on day eight of his ten-day contract.
- Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com (via Twitter) points out that the Wizards' James Singleton makes it ten players who have signed in the NBA after playing in China this season.
HoopsWorld On Howard, Smith, Gasol
HoopsWorld's Derek Page has compiled a column about the futures of several prominent NBA players featuring input from other writers:
- Alex Kennedy thinks the Magic will once again attempt to acquire a player via trade or free agency to appease Dwight Howard, although the possibility is still open for him to be dealt.
- Lang Greene says the Hawks should give serious consideration to moving Josh Smith this summer, as his trade value will be high and he is unhappy in Atlanta.
- Eric Pincus finds it unlikely that Pau Gasol has a long-term future with the Lakers, due to the luxury-tax implications of keeping him.
- Bill Ingram thinks the emergence of Courtney Lee will make it easier for the Rockets to move Kevin Martin for the right price.
- Page believes Shawn Marion's contract makes him relatively easy for the Mavericks to trade, but with Howard off the market, it's not as necessary for the purpose of clearing cap space.