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- Adam ParkerIn the famous words of Yoda, "At an end your reign is, and not short enough it was."
That pretty much sums up the relationship between the Dallas Mavericks and forward Lamar Odom -- a relationship that showed great promise on paper, but ultimately left the two sides unsatisfied and the media looking for answers.
Odom and the Mavs' spent their Easter Sunday working out a mutual parting of the ways, according to sources close to the situation, that permits the struggling Odom to take a permanent leave of absence from the team.
As for me, all I can say is -- about time.
Odom had this to say to ESPN.com following the unceremonious break-up: "The Mavericks and I have mutually agreed that it's in the best interest of both parties for me to step away from the team."
"I'm sorry that things didn't work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs' organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship."
Needless to say, this is a deal that probably should never have happened. Hell, the main reason it happened in the first place was because Odom was sucker-punched by the Lakers when they agreed before the season to trade him to the New Orleans Hornets as part of a deal to bring Chris Paul to L.A.
The deal obviously fell through, but from Odom's standpoint, the damage was done and a clear message was sent. He no longer felt wanted by the Lakers, and soon after went crying to his agent, Jeff Schwartz, to orchestrate a trade to Dallas to get Lamar out of what he deemed as a toxic situation.
As for Odom, it's clear that he left his heart (and his head) in L.A., where as he was the key cog off the Lakers' bench en route to two championships. He entered a situation in Dallas where he had no clear-cut role, because the roster was already solid upon his arrival.
But still, the Mavs' couldn't pass up acquiring the reigning Sixth Man of the Year for only a first-round draft choice and a bag of magic beans, could they? I mean, it's Lamar Odom - the 6'10" forward whose versatility earned him the nickname the Swiss Army Knife.
How could a guy with such a diverse talent palette not find a way to help Dallas moving forward, right?
Entering last season with the Lakers, Odom was in great shape -- mentally and physically -- having spent the summer as a key player for a United States squad that took home the gold medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey. He played well enough last year with Los Angeles to land the SMoY award, no achievement to laugh at.
It initially looked like a great move, and one that would prove beneficial to both Odom and the Mavs' moving forward.
But that wasn't the case.
After a tumultuous summer from a personal level, coupled with being shopped around and pimped out by the Lakers, Odom openly admitted that he didn't spend much time working out and staying in shape for the upcoming, lockout-compressed season. In fact, he momentarily pondered skipping the entire season altogether.
He eventually changed his mind and stepped away from the edge of the proverbial cliff, but it was too late. Odom's psyche was scarred and his ego totally deflated. In acquiring him, the Mavs' essentially acquired damaged goods from the Lakers.
You're right to be apologetic, Lamar. Mark Cuban and the front office bent over backwards trying to accomodate you, and now you're leaving them high and dry.
Your blatant lack of production on the court essentially caused the Mavs' to throw away their first-round pick in the upcoming draft to acquire you -- a pick they could have used on a player that would have actually contributed something more to the team than an interesting tidbit for the tabloids.
To put it simply, the blessing became a curse.
Good riddance, Lamar.
This debacle of a trade will undoubtedly be looked back upon by teams league-wide as a cautionary tale and an experiment gone terribly awry.
The grass isn't always greener on the other side.
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