Lamar Odom Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Considering Chris Wilcox

November 22nd, 2013 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

Lamar Odom remains the odds-on favorite to fill the Clippers’ open roster spot, helping to bolster the team’s frontcourt depth. However, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, L.A. is considering free agent big man Chris Wilcox as a fallback option.

While Odom played for the Clippers last season, coach Doc Rivers isn’t all that familiar with him, which is part of the reason why the two recently had a sitdown. Wilcox, on the other hand, played for Rivers in Boston over the last couple seasons. In 2012/13, Wilcox appeared in 61 games for the Celtics, averaging 4.2 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 13.6 minutes per contest.

According to Stein’s sources, however, re-signing Odom still looks like the most likely move for the Clippers. One recent report pegged the chances of a reunion at about 90%, while Clippers guard Jared Dudley was even more confident, telling Sam Amick of USA Today that there’s a 100% chance Odom would end up with the team.

As for Wilcox, he said nearly three months ago that while he’d love to play in the NBA, he’d also be open to considering his options overseas. We haven’t heard much about him since then, though it’s not clear whether that’s due to a lack of interest or other factors.

Poll: Will Lamar Odom Return To The NBA This Season?

November 20th, 2013 at 12:26pm CST by Zachary Links

After a troubling summer in which Lamar Odom spent equal time on TMZ and ESPN, a return to the NBA for the 2013/14 season seemed highly unlikely. Thankfully, Odom appears to have gotten his life back on track and his comeback could happen sooner rather than later. Last week, we learned that even though they remain wary of Odom’s alleged hard drug use and DUI arrest, the Lakers and Clippers are both keeping him in mind. Shortly thereafter, Odom met for almost two hours with Doc Rivers and Clippers front office officials after a team practice, leaving players with the impression that he was about to sign with the club. While that’s not quite the case, the odds look a whole lot better after a month of solid workouts from the 34-year-old.

They say that beggars can’t be choosers, but the veteran forward is apparently telling friends that he’ll only come back to play for the Clippers. Rivers & Co. have kept mum on the issue so far, but Jared Dudley handicaps the odds of Odom signing with the Clips at “100%”. We know how Jared is voting – how about you?

Odds & Ends: Odom, Clippers, Kidd, Warrick

November 19th, 2013 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

While there have been conflicting reports on how close the Clippers and Lamar Odom are to reuniting, it sounds like Clippers players are expecting the two sides to get something done. Asked by Sam Amick of USA Today whether he foresees Odom joining the Clips, Jared Dudley replied, “Oh, 100%.”

While Odom continues to work his way back into playing shape and the Clippers prepare for tomorrow night’s game in Minnesota, let’s check out a few odds and ends from around the Association….

The Nets are still trying to get healthy and to get all their offseason additions working together, but one offseason addition – coach Jason Kidd – hasn’t been impressive so far, a veteran scout tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. “He doesn’t do anything,” said the scout. “John Welch does all the offense. Lawrence [Frank] does all the defense…. I don’t know what Kidd does. I don’t think you can grade him and say he’s bad. You can give him an incomplete.”
In free agency, players typically like to secure longer-term deals, but that’s not beneficial when later seasons are non-guaranteed, writes Mark Deeks at The Score. As Deeks observes, a player like Omri Casspi could be stuck in no-man’s land next summer, since the Rockets will have until August to decide whether or not to guarantee the second year of his contract.
Deeks also reports (via Twitter) that free agent forward Hakim Warrick is in China, working out for the Sichuan Blue Whales. If the audition goes well, Warrick is expected to replace former Rutgers big man Herve Lamizana, according to Deeks.
Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along an Italian report suggesting that Justin Holiday, Jrue Holiday‘s brother, has turned down an offer from Italy’s VL Pesaro. Holiday was in camp with the Jazz after spending last season with the Sixers, and still appears to be searching for an NBA deal.

Lamar Odom Will Only Sign With Clippers

November 18th, 2013 at 9:30am CST by Zachary Links

MONDAY, 9:30am: A source close to Odom tells Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that the veteran forward is doing well and that there’s a “90% chance” he eventually signs with the Clippers. There’s no timetable yet, but no other teams are in the mix, according to Zwerling’s source.

This report sounds similar to Friday’s, though a Saturday update suggested that nothing is expected to happen quite yet.

SUNDAY, 2:06pm: This week, we got some encouraging news when it was reported that Lamar Odom is looking sharp in workouts and could conceivably return to the hardwood this season. Both Los Angeles teams have interest in the forward, but it now appears that he’s only interested in a return to one of them. Odom has said that the Clippers are the only team he would play for, NBA executives who are not authorized to speak on the matter tell Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

Odom met with coach Doc Rivers for nearly two hours on Friday and Clippers players were left with the impression that he was on the verge of signing a deal, but that apparently wasn’t the case. The troubled forward has put in a month of encouraging workouts and while he had hoped for a second-half return, he could be ready to jump back in even sooner than that. Unsurprisingly, execs say that if Odom signs with the Clippers, it’ll be for the prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum.

It’s been a rough year for Odom who was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence weeks before unnamed peers alleged that he was using hard drugs. Odom has played 12 of his 14 seasons in Los Angeles between the Clippers and Lakers.

Latest On Lamar Odom, Clippers

November 16th, 2013 at 8:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:53pm: Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLA.com tweets that Doc Rivers had a “good conversation, [but] not much more than that” with Odom.

1:36pm: Lamar Odom appeared on his way to rejoining the Clippers after meeting with the team Friday, but Dan Woike of the Orange County Register hears no deal is likely to happen anytime soon (Twitter link). The league will examine Odom’s personal problems before any signing would take place, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Last night’s reports didn’t indicate that an agreement was imminent, but it doesn’t look like there’s a definitive timetable, or that either the Clippers or Odom’s camp is speeding toward a resolution.

Executives who spoke to Turner believe the 34-year-old Odom could be physically ready to play basketball again “in a few weeks.” Perhaps of greater concern is Odom’s mental state after a summer that included a DUI charge and rumors of drug use, among other tabloid headlines. Odom’s meeting yesterday with Doc Rivers and Clippers executives was more of a check-up than a contract discussion, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Prior to that, the Clippers had made no recent contact with the power forward other than to make sure he was OK amid all the allegations against his personal character. The same had been true for the Lakers, the other team that reportedly maintains interest in Odom.

Odom nonetheless demonstrated to the executives who spoke to Turner that he’s in shape, having worked out on his own for the past month. The client of Jeff Schwartz and Excel Sports Management has been telling confidants that he’d like to sign with a contender, according to Turner, which would give the Clippers an edge over the Lakers.

Clippers Nearing Deal With Lamar Odom?

November 15th, 2013 at 10:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:38pm: A source tells Stein that a deal doesn’t appear imminent, but that he’d be surprised if it doesn’t happen at some point. Odom has put in a month of encouraging workouts, speeding up his original plan to sign in the second half of the season (Twitter links).

9:36pm: Free agent Lamar Odom met for almost two hours with Doc Rivers and Clippers front office officials today after practice, leaving Clippers players with the impression that the team will sign him soon, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The players were “shocked” to see him, and the 34-year-old looks like he’s in shape, Spears also tweets.

A report just yesterday indicated the Clippers, as well as the Lakers, maintain interest in the troubled power forward. ESPN’s Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne wrote then that neither team had made recent contract with Odom other than to check on his well-being, but that appears to have changed after today’s Clippers meeting. The ESPN report indicated that Odom would have to prove he’s healthy both mentally and physically before either team would sign him, and that he was eyeing a comeback in the second half of the season. That timetable may have been accelerated.

The Clippers have an open roster spot and have reportedly been considering multiple options for filling it. They’re about $2.4MM shy of their hard cap for the season, but Odom isn’t likely to merit more than a minimum-salary deal.

A source tells Spears that Odom’s presence at the Clippers facility today was indeed shocking, but added that it was “good surprise” (Twitter link). It appears Odom, who faced personal and legal troubles this summer, including a DUI charge and rumors of drug use, could be back on the right path. He returned to Los Angeles last season after a tumultuous year in Dallas in which the Mavericks told him to stay away from the team for the last several weeks of 2011/12. Odom has played 12 of his 14 seasons for one L.A. team or the other, and though the Knicks, from his native New York, reportedly had interest over the summer, Odom seems committed to staying in the City of Angels.

Lakers, Clippers Still Considering Lamar Odom

November 14th, 2013 at 8:07am CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers and Clippers would again have interest in signing Lamar Odom if he’s able to put his personal troubles behind him, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The teams remain wary of Odom’s alleged drug use and DUI arrest this summer, and haven’t had recent contact except to inquire about his well-being, but the 34-year-old’s “positive” history with the clubs keeps him in consideration.

Odom has begun training with an eye on returning for the second half of the season, and he must prove he’s in basketball shape as well as in a healthy mental state, Shelburne and Stein write. The 6’10” forward has played all but two seasons of his 14-year career with one L.A. team or the other, and spent last season with the Clippers, who, along with the Lakers, had interest in Odom this summer until his personal problems surfaced.

The Clippers have an open roster spot, and as Shelburne and Stein report, they’re considering several options for filling it. They’re a tax team with about $2.4MM left underneath their hard cap, part of the reason why they began the season without a full complement of 15 players. The Lakers already have 15 guys, but four of them have contracts that contain no more than $100K of guaranteed salary, as our list of non-guaranteed contracts shows. Neither L.A. team would be able to sign Odom for more than the minimum salary.

Odds & Ends: Jazz, Odom, Howard, Nelson, Brooks

October 15th, 2013 at 9:03pm CST by Alex Lee

With seven preseason games on the schedule for Tuesday night, let’s take a look at some odds and ends from around the NBA:

Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune spoke to Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin and some of the team’s camp invitees — including Justin Holiday, Scott Machado and Brian Cook — about the roster cuts the team will have to make within the next couple of weeks to get down to 15 players.
We haven’t heard too much about Lamar Odom since the strange reports about his off-the-court issues surfaced in August. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN LA tweets that the Lakers reached out to Odom recently, but that the contact was strictly for personal reasons.
With the Magic in town to face the Rockets on Wednesday, Dwight Howard spoke to Orlando-area reporters, including Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, about what has been a whirlwind of a two years for the Houston center. While Howard expressed regret about how things ended in Orlando, he implied that the situation in Los Angeles was different, and that Houston simply represented the best place for him to be.
Meanwhile in post-Dwight Orlando, 31-year-old Jameer Nelson is happy to play the role of elder statesman on a young and improving Magic team, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. Caplan writes that Nelson, a veteran in the second year of a three-year deal, is aware that he will probably be shopped this winter unless the Magic surprise everyone and contend.
We heard earlier tonight from Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that MarShon Brooks had expressed a desire to be traded from the Nets before he was part of the blockbuster with the Celtics. Bondy provides several quotes from Brooks, now in Boston, in his complete story: “I wasn’t really sure with [Jason Kidd becoming coach]. I didn’t know what to expect. Last year obviously we knew what was going on, it was so rocky, I didn’t know if I was playing. There just wasn’t any structure to any of my minutes.. So it was kind of hard for me to perform under those circumstances and obviously I didn’t want to be in that situation next year.”

Lakers Rumors: Odom, Paul, Kobe, Fisher

September 26th, 2013 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, ESPNLosAngeles.com published another excerpt of Jeanie Buss' updated memoirs, "Laker Girl." In this piece, Buss says that she was less-than-involved in the 2011 trade that jettisoned Lamar Odom from L.A. According to Jeanie, her brother Jim notified her of the trade via text, writing, "Traded Odom to Dallas for first-round pick. I think it might make it easier to make a big trade. Will keep you posted. Have a good night." That wasn't the only significant storyline that Buss touched on, however. Here's more from Buss' memoirs and other items of interest on the Lakers..

Buss went on to describe the events that led to Chris Paul being traded to the Lakers and the deal being called off shortly thereafter. In Buss' mind, the timing of the deal rubbed the small-market owners the wrong way as they all just got done ratifying a CBA that was supposed to ensure a more even playing field for all teams. Had the Hornets and Lakers waited, say, two days to pull the trigger, it's possible that the deal never would have been reversed by David Stern.
In an interview in Dubai, Kobe Bryant told Jessica Kahawaty of Yahoo (video link) that he would like to be reunited with a longtime teammate. “My all-time favorite teammate has always been Derek Fisher. He’s been my favorite teammate, I would love to see him back in a Lakers uniform so we could kind of finish out together," Bryant said of the veteran guard.
General Manager Mitch Kupchak is out there searching for diamonds in the rough, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.

Western Rumors: Odom, Wolves, Kings, Lee, Mavs

September 4th, 2013 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jordan Farmar tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he and other former teammates of Lamar Odom haven't heard back from the free agent forward amid ominous reports about his off-court issues. McMenamin also shares reflections on Odom from other current and former Lakers figures, and the scribe finishes with a touching personal anecdote about his interaction with the forward. Of course, Odom isn't the only NBA player dealing with trouble these days. About half of Hoops Rumors readers believe Michael Beasley is worth a look from their favorite teams, so perhaps there's a chance Odom can make it back to the NBA. Here's more from around the Western Conference:

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link) that the club doesn't have any interest in bringing in a veteran free agent as a 15th man, preferring to keep that last roster spot open for a young player.
A labor agreement for the construction of a new Kings arena in Sacramento was announced today, as expected, but the head of a group that opposes such agreements says they may donate to the same anti-arena petition effort that Seattle investor Chris Hansen funded. Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee have the details.
David Lee's offseason hip surgery revealed the injury he suffered in the playoffs was even worse than previously thought, but he's already back to 100% and working out with most of his Warriors teammates, as Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reports.
The Mavericks have hired Wizards scout Mike Wilson in a player personnel role, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
We rounded up a few items from the Pacific Division earlier today.