| |
|
Maverick Odom changes colors
By Nicholai R. Roska PhilBoxing.com Thu, 15 Dec 2011

LOS ANGELES -- He's 6-foot-10 long and 230 pounds large. He can shoot, pass, rebound, play respectable defense, and light the hardcourt with his winning, infectious smile.
There sure is a lot to like about Lamar Odom.
His career averages --- 10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.0 rebound per game -- won't take him straight to the Hall of Fame. But Odom's all-around skills help wins championships, like he did in 2009 and 2010 while playing alongside Kobe Bryant and the fabulous Los Angeles Lakers.
Unfortunately for diehard Lakers fans, Odom has left the Staples Center. He is taking his talents to Dallas, where he eventually landed early this week following a botched Chris Paul trade that would have packaged Odom to New Orleans.
Odom didn't necessarily like leaving L.A. At age 32, with thousands of miles on his hoops-weary knees, Odom, like most veterans, prefer continuity as opposed to change.
But Dallas and the defending champion Mavericks are ecstatic to have last year's NBA sixth man of the year awardee in their roster.
"Just watching him over the years, I'm a big fan of his game because he's an all-around player," said NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki. "He can bring the ball up, he can shoot, he can post. He's a great decision-maker with the ball and one of the best passing big men in the league today. So, we should be able to have fun with each other."
Odom's arrival comes at a critical time when the Mavericks defend their title without center Tyson Chandler, who was lured by the the New York Knicks with a four-year deal worth $58 million.
Ever the consummate pro, Odom has quickly accepted his fate. "I have a lot of pride being on this team and playing with the defending champions to try and help them defend their title."
Considering that his paycheck was a reasonable $8.9 million a year, it is quite puzzling why the Lakers would dispose an asset as valuable as Lamar Odom. Maybe the next few days, or trades, will provide answers.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Nicholai R. Roska.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 15 SEPTEMBER 2025: Crawford Snatches Canelo's Undisputed Crown at 168 Lbs; Inoue Defeats Akhmadliev to Retain 4 Superbantam Belts; Crocker Outpoints Donovan By Eric Armit, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025TICKET NEWS: EUBANK JR-BENN II ON SALE FROM THIS WEDNESDAY , Wed, 17 Sep 2025“Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19 , Wed, 17 Sep 2025Canelo-Crawford: The Consolidation of Boxing’s New Commercial Empire By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025A New Era for Boxing: Canelo vs. Crawford Shatters Global Viewership Records on Netflix By Dong Secuya, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025Kurt Scoby and Josh Popper Headline Boxing Insider Card September 19 in Times Square , Wed, 17 Sep 2025Green and Gold 2025: Amateur Boxing’s International Gathering in Bolivia By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand By Carlos Costa, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025 By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador , Tue, 16 Sep 2025Smarts over power By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON , Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition , Tue, 16 Sep 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER By Maloney L. Samaco, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility By Dong Secuya, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025Highly Questionable Title Eliminator By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships , Mon, 15 Sep 202521-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev , Mon, 15 Sep 2025Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?” By Carlos Costa, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title , Mon, 15 Sep 2025Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION , Sun, 14 Sep 2025 |

|
|
|
|
|