Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Lamar Odom’s return to the Dallas Mavericks will start Saturday in nearby Frisco, where he will play for the team’s D-League affiliate.
Texas Legends owner and Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson confirmed Friday that it was Odom’s idea to play with the Legends first. Odom has not appeared in a game since Feb. 20; he left the team to attend to his ill father in Los Angeles on Feb. 22, sources told ESPNDallas.com.
Odom was expected to report back to the Mavericks on the Monday after the All-Star break, but he didn’t arrive in Dallas until Wednesday. While the team was in Memphis on Wednesday, Mavs owner Mark Cuban met in Dallas with Odom and his agent, Jeff Schwartz, to work on a timetable that would ease Odom back into the fold after his weeklong personal leave.
Coach Rick Carlisle declined to discuss Odom, who has missed two more games than originally expected, after the Mavericks’ shootaround Friday in New Orleans. Point guard Jason Kidd acknowledged that Odom’s inconsistent effort and extended absence were issues worthy of concern, although Kidd remained supportive of his teammate.
“Trust factor is always big,” Kidd said. “For that, he’s going to have to earn it with a lot of the guys. But we all give second chances, third chances. For that, we just want him to be him and be comfortable and play.”
Added forward Dirk Nowitzki, who has to play heavier minutes with Odom away from the team: “If he can play hard every night and be there for us, it’ll be OK. It’ll work out. I said two months ago that he can be a big part of what we can do in the playoffs because of his versatility on both ends of the floor is something not a lot of teams have. We’d love to give it a shot and go from there.”
Odom will miss at least two more games. The Mavericks play the Hornets Friday night in New Orleans and host the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
Odom will have two private workouts Friday with Mavs consultant Tim Grgurich, who was flown in this week specifically to help Odom get ready for his return to the Mavs, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
Odom will join the Legends for their shootaround Saturday morning.
WRITTEN BY Jeff Caplan and Tim MacMahon cover the Mavericks for ESPNDallas.com. Marc Stein covers the NBA for ESPN.com and is a frequent contributor to ESPNDallas.com & FULL STORY HERE
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