Mavericks Giving Up on Lamar Odom?
The Mavs just didn’t have enough of them Saturday. And it appears the worst-kept secret of the season is now becoming painfully obvious. Any hope that Lamar Odom, who some consider to be a mandatory X-factor along with Rodrigue Beaubois (who continues to be madly inconsistent) for postseason success — was suddenly going to flip the switch, is all but lost.
This night would have been the perfect chance for him to gain respect among his teammates, even at this late date, to help them grind out a needed victory. Yet his coach couldn’t even stomach more than the four minutes Odom spent on the floor in the first quarter, low-lighted by an awkward layup attempt that didn’t have a prayer and an offensive foul.
He played 11 minutes in Friday’s embarrassing loss. That was supposed to be the game that Odom would begin to gain momentum. At least that was the spin Carlisle put on it after Wednesday’s big comeback win over the Grizzlies when Odom was so fatigued that he failed to box out his man early in the fourth quarter and was benched for the rest of the night. Coincidentally, Dallas then went on a 21-2 run to take charge of that game.
The silence regarding Odom’s place on this team after this Grizzlies’ loss, the Mavs’ third in four games and second in a row, said all that needed to be said.
(Rick) Carlisle, asked if there remains hope that Odom can provide anything for the team, said in a distant voice: “No Lamar questions tonight.”
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