In case you missed it -- which would have taken some doing, since it somehow merited its own Deadspin item yesterday -- Randy Galloway's ready to bench one of the Dallas Mavericks' high-profile, under-performing acquisitions, Lamar Odom, who had all of six points in 23-plus minutes in last night's target practice against the Bucks. Wrote Galloway in the Startlegram: "Odom, without question, is the biggest bust in the NBA." And, "The real worry is he doesn't even seem to care that he's the biggest bust in the NBA."
Galloway built his piece around a rather incriminating quote that appeared on SI.com Thursday, after writer Chris Mannix asked Odom if he can "find a way to succeed in the Mavericks' system." Odom responded:
"It's hard for me to say. I thought my game was equipped to play anywhere and everywhere. I'm not prepared, I guess, to play. I don't know if there is anything more to say."Icing his feet at his locker before the game last night, Odom was predictably besieged by reporters. We all wondered: How do you feel about the article? Did you even read it?
"It's not right for him to put that in there," Odom started, leaning back in his leather locker seat, drying his toes during what may have been one of the most serene rants ever delivered. "Not when I'm being honest. That was a cheap shot. That was bad writing."
The reigning Sixth Man of the Year acknowledged, yeah, he may be out of shape after a long lockout and a short preseason, but it's too early to write him off. "I'll keep getting better and better and better and better as the year goes on."
In the end, though, Dallas's newest son turned the other cheek. "It's that type of business," he said, absolving Galloway of his trespasses. Galloway probably won't have too many more one-on-ones with Odom, but who knows? Maybe he earned himself a mention on Khloe and Lamar.
In related Mavericks news, this also happened at last night's game.
