Lamar Odom Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Blatche, Lakers, Nene, Odom

March 3rd, 2012 at 11:51am CST by Zachary Links

Saturday afternoon linkage..

The Wizards are said to be aggressively shopping Andray Blatche but the forward isn't going to concern himself with the speculation, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. The 25-year-old is the longest tenured player on Washington.
Over the next two weeks, the Lakers may seek out quality point guards who could be had for a reasonable price including Jose Calderon, Jarrett Jack, Goran Dragic, and Jonny Flynn, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Nuggets center Nene Hilario stopped short of saying that he would have signed with the Rockets as a free agent had the Rockets’ proposed trade for Pau Gasol been completed, but the big man did speak fondly of Houston, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
This week's Sloan Sports Analytics Conference has covered a number of interesting issues in the game of basketball, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com. A wide range of topics were explored from the idea of a mutually beneficial trade to how a team's best players complement each other.
In hindsight, the basketball community was too quick to criticize the Lakers for trading Lamar Odom to the Mavericks, writes J.A. Adande of ESPN.com. It's possible that Odom could have found his way out of his funk sooner in Los Angeles, but the Lakers couldn't take that chance at Odom's price.

Carlisle Says Odom Testing Mavs’ Patience

March 2nd, 2012 at 6:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

Everything surrounding Lamar Odom in Dallas seemed to be getting smoothed out earlier today, as we learned about his voluntary D-League rehab assignment ahead of his impending return. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, however, is getting tired of the saga that began when the Mavs acquired Odom from the Lakers before the season. Carlisle had some pointed comments on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's Galloway & Co. radio show, as rounded up by Jeff Caplan.

"I'm disappointed with the way the whole thing's gone," Carlisle said. "We've worked hard with this kid. I'm a patient guy, Mark [Cuban] is a patient guy, [Mavs president of basketball operations] Donnie [Nelson] is a patient guy, our team is a patient team, but patience has worn thin here."

Carlisle also said the team will quickly find out "where things are at" with Odom when he returns, but still believes he can have a positive impact on the team if he competes the way he's capable. Odom will play Saturday for the D-League's Texas Legends, and Sunday, as Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reports, he will return to the Mavs. (Twitter link)

Odom, 32, is averaging career lows in just about every major statistical category, including minutes played. He's making $8.9MM this year and is scheduled to earn $8.2MM next year, although only $2.4 of his 2012/13 salary is guaranteed.

Latest On Chandler, Sessions, Odom

March 2nd, 2012 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

Wilson Chandler, Ramon Sessions, and Lamar Odom have been in the news for a handful of reasons lately — one's a restricted free agent, one's a trade candidate, and one… well, it's hard to succinctly summarize Odom's current situation. Regardless, we have Friday updates on all three players, so let's round them up right here:

Wilson Chandler: With the deadline to obtain an offer sheet from another team having passed, Chandler can only sign with the Nuggets if he wants to play in the NBA this season. Agent Chris Luchey tells Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post that he's still negotiating with the Nuggets, who are only interested in a multiyear deal. If the two sides don't reach an agreement, Chandler could sit out the rest of this NBA season and become a restricted free agent again in July.
Ramon Sessions: Sessions' agent, Jared Karnes, tells Bob Finnan of the News-Herald that he and his client haven't asked the Cavaliers for a trade, though they're aware it's a possibility. According to Finnan, the Lakers and Hawks are the teams most interested in Sessions.
Lamar Odom: As we heard yesterday, Odom will indeed join the Mavericks' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, before he returns to the Mavs. The team confirmed the assignment in a press release. According to Dallas president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, the assignment was Odom's idea, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. The 32-year-old will work out today with Mavs consultant Tim Grgurich, then join the Legends tomorrow.

Odds & Ends: Rondo, Curry, Lin

February 29th, 2012 at 10:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

With just about every team back in action after the All-Star break, here are a few leap day notes from around the league:

The Celtics have intensified their efforts to trade Rajon Rondo, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN. Broussard says sources have told him the Celtics consider Rondo to be too high maintenance, and so the team is considering a deal with the Warriors for Stephen Curry that's been percolating since December. Other players would have to be in such a deal for it to work. ESPN's Chris Forsberg also contributed to the report.
Shabazz Muhammad, a premier college prospect who currently sits atop the class of potential 2013 draftees according to NBADraft.net, could be in trouble with the NCAA, report Jeff Goodman and Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. The NCAA has informed schools recruiting Muhammad that his amateur status is in question. According to Goodman and Parrish, there are concerns that the 6'5", 210-pound shooting guard has been receiving payments for unofficial visits to campuses, among other benefits. Since NBA draft rules prohibit Muhammad from entering the league until a year after his high school class graduates, he may be forced to head overseas next year.
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com doesn't see much truth in the rumored swap of Lamar Odom and Steve Nash, unless several other components are involved.
It seems every other day we find out about another team that came close to signing Jeremy Lin, but whiffed. Today that team is the Italian club Banca Tercas Teramo, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY. The team was "extremely close" to signing him, Lin said, but they went with Charles Jenkins instead.
The Chris Paul trade may have transformed the Clippers, but since amnesty claim Chauncey Billups was lost for the year with an Achilles' tear, the Clips have gone 5-5 and appear to have lost their mojo, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times examines.
Before handing the Spurs just their second home loss of the season, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau praised San Antonio's ability to identify and nurture the talent necessary to keep the team on top, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. Thibodeau hopes the Bulls can copy that model.
Jazz swingman Josh Howard, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has responded well since Raja Bell's injury forced him into the starting lineup, notes Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Pacific Notes: Nash, Hinrich, Arenas

February 29th, 2012 at 7:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

The tightest divisional race in the NBA is in the Pacific, where the Clippers lead the Lakers by a single game. As packed together as the Western Conference is, that single game would represent the difference between the third seed and the sixth seed if the playoffs began today. Here's what's happening in the far west:

Steve Nash and Lamar Odom could be trading places, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The move would get the slumping Odom closer to his beloved L.A. beaches and reunite Nash with his old friend Dirk Nowitzki. The rumor comes as the Suns and Nash continue to dance around the issue of a trade, as both player and team are not interested in a deal unless the other asks first. The Mavs would have to throw a little extra into the deal to make the salaries match up under cap rules.
The Lakers have inquired about Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich, according to a tweet from Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Hinrich is averaging career lows across the board, including his 19.9 MPG, after missing the first month of the season with a left shoulder injury. At 31, though, he's still probably closer to his prime than either Steve Blake, 32, or Derek Fisher, 37, the Lakers' pair of veteran point guards.
Rumors of Gilbert Arenas joining the Lakers have slowed down of late, and that's because he wants to make sure he's in top condition first, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Arenas doesn't want to ruin what could be his last chance in the NBA, Kyler says.
The city of Sacramento will contribute $255.53MM to the new arena, the total cost of which has been bumped up to $391MM, according to details of the deal reached Monday, write Tony Bizjak, Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee. The city council will vote to approve the terms of the plan agreed to by city officials, the Kings, the NBA and several private companies.
Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles says the report that the Lakers turned down an offer of Michael Beasley because of tax concerns demonstrates how the team will be limited like never before under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Latest On Lamar Odom

February 28th, 2012 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Having left the team last week to tend to his ill father, Lamar Odom hasn't reported to the Mavericks following the All-Star break, as we heard yesterday. SI.com's Sam Amick said on Monday that the Mavs weren't planning to buy out Odom's contract, but there's no timetable for his return at this point. Here's the latest on the former Laker:

Odom briefly considered retiring in the offseason following the death of a cousin, but wants to keep playing, sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on a possible buyout for Odom: "It hasn't been discussed and we wouldn't do it. We think Lamar can be a huge plus for us" (via Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com).
Peter Vecsey of the New York Post hears from a Texas source that Odom isn't happy in Dallas and would like a buyout. However, Caplan writes in a separate ESPNDallas piece that "for now, all we can assume is that Odom is caring for his dad and that he will be back with the Mavs soon."

Mavericks Don’t Plan On Odom Buyout

February 27th, 2012 at 9:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Lamar Odom's recent absence from the Mavericks has some wondering about his future in Dallas and there is not yet word on when he will return to the club. However, a Mavs source told Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter) that the team will not exercise its $2MM buyout on Odom for next season.

The forward is set to earn $8.2MM for 2012/13 in what will be his walk year. The 32-year-old recently took a leave of absence from the club to tend to a family matter.

Odom averaged 13.7 PPG and 9.5 RPG in his seven seasons with the Lakers but has put up just 7.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG so far this season with the Mavericks. The veteran has been seeing less playing time in 2011/12 but he has been far less productive than in years past, as evidenced by his career low PER of 9.8.

Southwest Notes: Anderson, Odom, Hornets

February 21st, 2012 at 10:08am CST by Luke Adams

If the NBA season ended today, the Southwest would be the only division to send four teams to the postseason. Only the Hornets would fall short, with the Spurs, Mavericks, Rockets, and Grizzlies already a combined 31 games over .500 (81-50). Let's check in on the latest updates from one of the league's strongest divisions….

James Anderson's agent has encouraged the Spurs to trade his client, reports Buck Harvey of the San Antonio-Express News (via Twitter). The 22-year-old has appeared in 49 career games (11.2 MPG) for the Spurs since San Antonio drafted him 20th overall in 2010. While Anderson may not be receiving as much playing time as he'd like, it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to leave a team on an 11-game winning streak.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says expectations for Lamar Odom should be kept in check, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas. "I would love for Lamar to be the kind of high-impact player that he is supposedly advertised as being," Carlisle said. "But the truth is, he has been a consistent player…. I think we’re really looking for spectacular things from him on a night-in, night-out basis; that’s not who he is." Odom's 9.8 PER since joining the Mavs in a preseason trade is a significant drop-off from his career rate entering the year (17.1).
The Hornets are going through some growing pains, but GM Dell Demps tells John DeShazier of the Times-Picayune that he's happy to see some of the team's young players get an opportunity to play.