 |
|
08-07-2003, 07:47 PM
|
#1 |
|
Diamond Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 8,141
  |
Odom: I want out of L.A
Odom- Bashes Clippers
Forward expects to be with Heat BY ISRAEL GUTIERREZ igutierrez@herald.com COMING TO MIAMI? Los Angeles Clippers restricted free agent forward Lamar Odom says he wants out of L.A. and doesn't want to play for any other coach than Pat Riley next season. His free agent status might be restricted, but it doesn't mean Lamar Odom has to restrict his emotions. The 6-10 forward, who played his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, has been negotiating a contract offer from the Heat that is believed to be worth between $65 million and $70 million over six years. Odom's concern, though, is the Clippers will match the offer sheet, and he wants to make it clear he wants out of Los Angeles and would be disappointed if the Clippers brought him back. ''I feel like my relationship with the Clippers is over,'' Odom said by telephone Wednesday. ``I don't really feel like they committed to me. If they were, this wouldn't be going on like this. I just feel like this is my time and my place and my chance to get out of there.'' The Clippers reportedly have offered Odom a three-year, $24 million contract, but Odom's dissatisfaction runs much deeper than any dollar figures. Since he was drafted fourth overall in 1999, the Clippers have been through four coaches and just hired their fifth, Mike Dunleavy. And even the smaller details, like the Clippers are without their own practice facility, have gotten to Odom. ''At the end of this year, I pretty much wanted out,'' Odom said. ``I'm tired of not having a place to practice, a place to get better. I think it's just my time to get out of there. . . . I've been trying to express myself as humble as possible, but I just want to get . . . out of there.'' The Clippers have shown signs of turning around what often is referred to as the worst franchise in professional sports. They matched the Heat's six-year, $82 million offer to Elton Brand and Utah's six-year, $42 million offer to Corey Maggette, plus hired the respected Dunleavy. ''I know they did the thing with Elton Brand, but that was the obvious. They had to do that, . . .'' Odom said. ``I don't want to go through this again with the perception of Lamar Odom and having to win [Dunleavy] over and try to show him that I'm a good dude. ``I don't see how far we could go. From my understanding, no one wants to hire a disgruntled employee or bring a disgruntled employee back. I would not be happy coming back. I think my career is going to take off with the Heat. I'm running in muddy waters with the Clippers.'' Odom said he would be happier playing for the Heat and coach Pat Riley. ''This is about me coming to play for a coach that I should have been playing with a long time ago, since my rookie season,'' Odom said. ``He tried to make the moves to come get me then [in a trade], and now it's time for him to come get me out of the basketball hell. ``I don't see myself playing for any other coach than Riley next year.'' Odom's options also include signing a one-year tender offer with the Clippers that would make him an unrestricted free agent next season. A Clippers spokeswoman said the team had no comment about Odom's remarks. Instead, Odom would prefer to sign a deal with the Heat, which is likely to occur sometime in the next two days. Riley is in Los Angeles, as is Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz. Asked if he was worried the Clippers would match the Heat's offer simply out of spite, Odom said, ``To sign somebody back out of spite is gutless and is sorry. I just want to get as far away from the Clippers as possible.''
__________________
BELIEVE IT. |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
08-08-2003, 01:35 PM
|
#2 |
|
Banned
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Nowhere
Posts: 40,924
 |
Odom: I want out of L.A
Odom can suck it. If he doesn't want to play for LA long term then he shouldn't sign a long term offer sheet that the Clips have the right to match. Sign the one year tender and hope for the best or try to work out a S&T.
|
|
|
|
|
08-08-2003, 04:33 PM
|
#3 |
|
Guru
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 13,162
|
Odom: I want out of L.A
I feel no pity for Odom. A great punishment would be to play for Riley for a couple of seasons.
|
|
|
|
|
08-11-2003, 10:23 PM
|
#4 |
|
Guru
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: California
Posts: 16,670
|
Odom: I want out of L.A
...bump...
Lamar Odom signs offer sheet with Miami Heat By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer August 11, 2003 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Restricted free agent forward Lamar Odom signed a six-year offer sheet worth about $63 million with the Miami Heat on Monday. Odom has played his first four NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, who have 15 days to match the offer sheet or lose Odom to the Heat without compensation. The Heat didn't make an immediate announcement concerning the signing, but the Clippers did, saying they had received a copy of the offer. ``We will evaluate this offer during the 15-day period before announcing our decision,'' the Clippers said, adding that during the 15-day period they would not issue status reports. It's believed the Clippers will match the offer sheet and keep Odom, just as they did with Elton Brand and Corey Maggette earlier this summer. Brand signed a six-year offer sheet worth a reported $82.2 million with the Heat and Maggette signed a six-year offer sheet worth $42 million with Utah. The Clippers chose to allow Andre Miller to leave after he signed a six-year, $51 million offer sheet with Denver. At the time Brand, Maggette and Miller signed their offer sheets, Clippers executive vice president Andy Roeser said it was the team's intention to match ``any and all offers as we see fit with the goal of maintaining the nucleus of our team.'' It's believed the Clippers consider Odom part of their nucleus. Odom has said repeatedly in recent days that he wanted out of Los Angeles and wants to play for Heat coach Pat Riley. ``For me to reach my full potential, I believe it might be my time to go,'' Odom said last week. He reportedly turned down a three-year, $24 million offer from the Clippers last month. Jeff Schwartz, Odom's agent, didn't immediately return phone messages. The 6-foot-10 Odom averaged 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 49 games last season. The fourth overall selection in the 1999 draft, he is averaging 15.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 230 career games. Brand said he didn't believe the Clippers would match the offer sheet he signed with the Heat. But they did. ``You're obligated to be there if they do match,'' Brand said Monday at the U.S. Olympic team's training camp in New York. ``So now they matched (Brand), they matched Corey, they got Coach (Mike) Dunleavy, so hopefully we're heading to a brighter future. ``It's going to be a tough road,'' Brand said of Odom's future should he remain with the Clippers. ``Unless there's something you can mutually agree upon with the general manager and the owner, there's nothing that can be done. So it's a tough road.'' Brand said he believes things could work out if Odom stays in Los Angeles. ``After a while, I'm sure -- I hope, because I'm there -- this will smooth out,'' Brand said with a laugh regarding the possibility of Odom staying with the Clippers. ``If they don't match him, I wish him my best. ``You don't want to feel like the team you play with doesn't want you and only wants to pay you because someone else wants to pay. You don't want to feel like that, so you might understand why Lamar is going through what he's going through. ``You don't want to have a disgruntled employee. But if they do match him, I know what type of person he is. A lot of money, but he's not going to be a disgruntled player.'' Brand said he last spoke with Odom in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago. AP Basketball Writer Chris Sheridan contributed to this report.
__________________
|
|
|
|
|
08-11-2003, 10:47 PM
|
#5 |
|
Diamond Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: The Citadel
Posts: 4,227
|
Odom: I want out of L.A
The sad news for Odom is that i honestly think that the Clippers will match the Heat's deal just because they can. This is really a no win situation for both teams. If the clippers do it, then they would've spent almost 200million on three players that have previously played for them, instead of going after new people. If the Heat sign, then they will most likely lose out on the Garnett sweepstakes next year, and for that much, every other big name players on the market.
__________________
The wind rises electric. She's soft and warm and almost weightless. Her perfume is sweet promise that brings tears to my eyes. I tell her that everything will be all right; that I'll save her from whatever she's scared and take her far far away. I tell her that I love her. The silencer makes a whisper of the gunshot. I hold her close until she's gone. I'll never know what she was running from. I'll cash her check in the morning. ~The Salesman |
|
|
|
|
08-12-2003, 09:44 AM
|
#6 | |
|
Old School Balla
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 13,097
|
Odom: I want out of L.A
Quote:
The Clippers will match, and I will laugh.
__________________
The Official KG Twitter Feed |
|
|
|
|
|
08-12-2003, 12:58 PM
|
#7 | ||
|
Diamond Member
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 8,625
|
Odom: I want out of L.A
Quote:
That doesn't mean he can't be traded though. I can't see Dunleavy or the Clipps putting up with a player that doesn't want to play for them. I hope they do sign him and maybe can work a deal out with the Mavs.
__________________
 1996-2005 |
||
|
|
|
|
08-12-2003, 10:55 PM
|
#8 |
|
Diamond Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,460
|
Odom: I want out of L.A
My bet is they let him walk, listen a 67 million dollar deal for Odom. The guy ain't worth it. This team will probably be better without him the culture has changed sort of. Odom doesn't want to be stuck in the worst franchsie in sports, hey the bengals are bad at least they did the negotiating with Carson for a big deal. For all parties involved it makes no sensel..
Sterling's an even bigger idiot seeing nezt year's free agnet crop if he pays odom. Even with shelling out all the money to maggette, and Brand aren't they 11 million under. Small forwards are relatively easy to come by and odom has a lot of baggage. Do you really want a guy that doesn't want to be their being their. According to Slam Brand likes the LA scene but Odom doensn't. This deal would be worse then Raef's deal. |
|
|
|
|
08-12-2003, 11:30 PM
|
#9 |
|
Guru
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: California
Posts: 16,670
|
RE: Odom: I want out of L.A
I'm with JayC on this. I don't think the Clippers match. Didn't espn have an article about how Odom was going to ask Baylor to let him leave and not match? That if they didn't agree to that he wouldn't sign the offer sheet or something?
If Odom wants out as bad as he says he does, I can't believe he or his agent would let him sign the offer sheet knowing that the Clippers can match. Or that the Clippers would match and keep a player that will make things miserable.
__________________
|
|
|
|
|
07-01-2004, 02:16 AM
|
#10 |
|
Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 56
|
RE: Odom: I want out of L.A
a lot of off the wall and wrong comments in this thread. crow to be eaten here.
Go Heat & Odom |
|
|
|
|
07-01-2004, 03:17 AM
|
#11 |
|
Diamond Member
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 7,788
|
RE: Odom: I want out of L.A
Lamar Odom Sucks.
__________________
What has the sheep to bargain with the wolf? |
|
|
|
 |
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
Linear Mode
|
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:37 AM.