Mavericks Need To Decide To Either Trade Or Waive Lamar Odom By June 29

The Dallas Mavericks have a decision to make about what they want to do with Lamar Odom, regardless of what decision is made Odom will not be on the team next season. There is a June 29 deadline where the Mavericks have to decide to trade or waive Odom; plus there is a possible third option which is to extend that deadline.

If Odom is on the Mavericks roster after June 29 they are responsible for his $8.2 million contract, but if the Mavericks waive Odom before June 29 they will be on the hook for only $2.4 million.

The Mavericks are trying to save as much cap space as possible if they are going to be able to sign Deron Williams, and by even waiving Odom that will still clog up $2.4 million that could go toward landing Williams.

To move back the deadline the Mavericks need Odom's approval which is about 50/50 at this time, but if moved back it would give the Mavericks more time to work out a trade and get some value for Odom.

Lamar Odom Briefly Talks About His Time In Dallas

Lamar Odom has not said too much ever since being released by the Dallas Mavericks, but Odom has finally spoken out about his time in Dallas. Odom was back in New York at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, and his statement was brief as he discussed briefly touched on some family issues and that he wanted things to work out in Dallas:

"It was short lived, too bad it couldn't work out but things happen for a reason. My life has been so crazy the last couple years, as far as issues with my family, as far as going through personal tragedy. And I felt like God was saying, ‘You know what Lamar, I'm going to give you a little time. A little time to step back and soak everything in...."

The family issues were that Odom was in an extremely high profile marriage to Khloe Kardashian and a close cousin had been murdered, so Odom did have some stress in his life.

Odom is still under contract with the Mavericks for the rest of the season but has been asked to stay away from the team, and his NBA future is unclear.

For more on the Mavericks, be sure to check out Mavs Moneyball and be sure to check back here at SB Nation Dallas.

Mavericks Will Vote On Whether Lamar Odom Gets A Full Playoff Share

Charles Barkley Thinks It's A 'Joke' That Lamar Odom Gets Paid

Lamar Odom isn't having a good week in the media. Earlier this week, it was announced that the Dallas Mavericks and Lamar Odom would part ways for the rest of the season. Instead of being released, Odom has been placed on the inactive list, where he will stay for the remainder of the season.

Since he's not been released, Odom will still receive paychecks from Mark Cuban. Outspoken NBA analyst Charles Barkley, not surprisingly, chirped in with his two cents on the matter -- and he wasn't too kind to Odom.

"I always pull for the players, but the fact that they've got to pay him I think is a joke," Barkley said during his Wednesday appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3's Galloway & Co. "I mean, because he didn't earn his salary. He didn't earn it at all.

Barkley wasn't done, though, and later added this in the interview:

"To sit at home and make that kind of money really pisses me off, to be honest with you, for the effort that he put out there," Barkley said. "He's going to make hundreds of thousands of dollars these next two paychecks. ... That's not fair to the Mavs. It's not fair to the game of basketball.

The whole story has been bizarre all season long, and unfortunately for both parties, it's ending with a lot of criticism toward Odom.

For more on the Mavericks, be sure to check out Mavs Moneyball and be sure to check back here at SB Nation Dallas.

Mark Cuban Calls Out Lamar Odom For Being Uncommitted

More news is coming out saying why the Dallas Mavericks decided to part ways with Lamar Odom. The latest shot is coming from owner Mark Cuban who is calling out Odom for not being committed to the team:

"Just his response to it. Everybody goes through ups and downs. Every player does. We tried to put him in a position to succeed. ... It didn't work,'' Cuban said Tuesday night, his first public comments since the team confirmed a day earlier that Odom was done in Dallas.

Their halftime exchange came after Odom played an uninspired four minutes Saturday night at Memphis.

"I just asked him, does he want to go for it or not. Is he in or is he out? I think he thought we were playing poker. I just didn't get a commitment. And that was the end,'' Cuban said. "This was a big game for us, and he wasn't connecting to that. And if you're not positive energy, you're negative energy.''

Cuban had noticed Odom having a similar demeanor many times during the season and Cuban tried to help Odom out, but nothing worked. With the season nearing an end Cuban did not want to spend the time figuring things out with Odom, so that is when he decided to place Odom on the inactive list for the rest of the season.

For all news and information regarding the Dallas Mavericks, please visit Mavs Moneyball.

Lamar Odom, Mark Cuban Got Into Locker Room Argument, According To Report

The Lamar Odom saga may have come to an end for the Dallas Mavericks, but the repercussions will likely be felt for some time, especially as details of Odom's short tenure in Dallas continue to emerge. The latest revelation out of the Mavericks locker room isn't pretty.

Tim MacMahon and Marc Stein of ESPN Dallas/Ft. Worth report that Odom and Mavs owner Mark Cuban had a heated verbal exchange in the locker room during halftime on Saturday night, in what would prove to be Odom's last game with the team.

Sources told ESPNDallas.com that the heated words were "the culmination" of an exasperating weekend that convinced team officials to initiate discussions on Easter Sunday that led to the parties agreeing to part ways for the rest of the season.

According to sources, the crux of the heated halftime confrontation was Cuban asking Odom if he was "in or out." Sources said Odom, who had played only four minutes in the first half, reacted angrily to the question and did not take his seat on the bench until after the third quarter began.

This news likely does not come as much of a shock to anyone who has followed the Odom story since the reigning 6th Man of the Year was sent to Dallas, much to his chagrin. The shouting match appears to have been the final straw in the team's decision to place him on the inactive list.

For all news and information regarding the Dallas Mavericks, please visit Mavs Moneyball.

What Went Wrong With Lamar Odom?

There's no point in holding Odom's failures as a Maverick against him personally, but it's time to turn the page with the stretch run of the season ahead.

Video Analysis Of The Lamar Odom Saga

The questions are nearly endless surrounding the situation that ultimately led to the Dallas Mavericks putting Lamar Odom on the inactive list: was Odom out of shape? has he been attempting to force a buyout all along? how much of a factor has the lockout played in all this? is this all really Khloe Kardashian's fault?

Well, for more insight into the situation, check out this video, via SB Nation's YouTube channel:

Lamar Odom Leaves Dallas Mavericks (via sbnation)

(By the way, if you haven't subscribed to the channel yet, do it. You can thank me later).

Despite a tumultuous season, the Mavericks - at least as far as their record was concerned - were better when Odom was active than not. The team lost all seven games in which he did not play.

More to come on this curious situation.

For more on the Mavericks go check out Mavs Moneyball. For everything else on The Association, check out the SB Nation NBA hub page.

Kelenna Azubuike To Replace Lamar Odom On Mavericks Roster

With forward Lamar Odom out, the Dallas Mavericks quickly made a move Monday to fill the roster spot of the former Sixth Man of the Year, as Kelenna Azubuike, from the NBA-D League's Texas Legends, was recalled by the Mavs:

The 6-foot-5 Azubuike was signed as a free agent on March 23 and immediately assigned to the Legends. During his time in Frisco, he appeared in seven games and averaged 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.9 minutes.

Azubuike, a British-born player who played at Kentucky, played four seasons for the Golden State Warriors.

His most productive season came in 2007-08, when he averaged 21.4 minutes per game, 8.4 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game. A serious knee injury knocked him out of the NBA in 2009-2010 and he hasn't played in the league since.

The Mavericks had taken a flyer on Azubuike by signing him to the Legends earlier in the season and with so little time left in the season, it's unclear whether they will be able to get him back to speed.

For more on the Mavericks go check out Mavs Moneyball. For everything else on The Association, check out the SB Nation NBA hub page.

How The Mavericks Will Replace Lamar Odom

Donnie Nelson On Lamar Odom: 'Going To War With Wet Gunpowder'

With Lamar Odom no longer with the Dallas Mavericks, reaction is slowly leaking out from the American Airlines Center.

Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson probably had the line of the day:

Donnie Nelson compared counting on Lamar Odom to "going to war with wet gunpowder."

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 9, 2012

Meanwhile, the normally outspoken Mark Cuban was uncharacteristically reserved, telling ESPN Dallas that he had no further comment on the situation.

The team had stuck behind Odom during a trying year for him personally, even giving him four games off to deal with an undisclosed personal issue around the All-Star Break.

However, with Dallas stumbling in the Western Conference playoff race over the last two weeks, their patience had clearly worn thin, with Rick Carlisle keeping Odom on an extremely short leash. He played only four minutes in his last game with the Mavericks, a 94-89 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Lamar Odom, Dallas Mavericks To Part Ways For Rest Of Season, According To Report

After 50 games with Dallas, Odom will be placed on the inactive list for the rest of the season.