Odom, Gasol Miss First Day of Practice
(Lamar) Odom and (Pau) Gasol were still on the Lakers’ roster Friday but practically absent among teammates, their destination unknown for now as the Lakers lurched and lolled through the first day of training camp.
Odom was not present as the Lakers congregated at their El Segundo facility, missing General Manager Mitch Kupchak’s speech to the team about the need to maintain professionalism despite the surrounding chaos.
“To me, I would think it’s better to stay away,” Odom told The Times in a telephone interview. “You know, the energy and all. I don’t know how it’s going to go right now. It’s a little weird.”
“I don’t know if [a trade is] going to happen overnight or it’s going to be a drawn-out process. Right now, I’ll be a fan of the game from the distance.”
Odom eventually showed up at the Lakers’ training facility, spoke to Kupchak, and left.
Gasol was there when practice started but did not take part in it because of what the Lakers said was a strained quadriceps. He was devastated by news of the original trade Thursday but tried to put it behind him, as per a post on his Twitter account Friday.
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