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LOS ANGELES -- Lamar Odom brings more than just an ability
to play five positions into his rookie NBA season. He carries the
baggage of being known as flaky, erratic and indecisive.
Hardly criminal behavior, but Odom's struggle to make up his
mind with the world watching earned him a reputation as a problem
child.
"That's exactly what people think of me," he said.
"Perception is everything in America. If you're looked down upon,
it hurts."
Odom's choices, made on instincts that haven't always served him
well, included bouncing around three high schools during his senior
year and two colleges before playing only one season at Rhode
Island. He changed his mind twice about entering the NBA draft
before deciding he would leave college.
He skipped pre-draft workouts with several teams and didn't show
up for a scouting combine, which fueled the rumor mill and scared
off teams in the June draft.
But the Los Angeles Clippers took him with the fourth overall
selection and Odom signed a three-year, $7.8 million contract in
August.
"He's a 19-year-old who has not done everything properly, but
he's never been a problem since he's been here," Clippers coach
Chris Ford said. "That's the biggest misconception. People think
that he's a problem and he's certainly not a problem."
All of Odom's vacillating raised questions about his stability,
but the criticism also taught him that he can rely on only one
person -- himself.
"I got real tough mentally, confident about myself, knowing I
can get through anything," he said between sips of bottled water
after practice.
"You have some athletes that are put up on a pedestal where
they're untouchable," he said. "I think when people see me, they
just see a real person, a real down-to-earth person that's been
through a hard time and has put it behind him."
Odom has been picking his way through basketball's minefields
since he scored 36 points in a New York City Catholic League
championship game.
That caught the attention of college recruiters, shoe companies,
agents -- all of whom came courting the 15-year-old. Heady stuff for
any teen-ager, but especially for Odom, who had only his elderly
grandmother to help him.
Odom's mother died of colon cancer when he was 12. His father
left home when Odom was 6 and later became addicted to heroin, a
habit Odom says his father has since kicked.
"A lot of people have people to guide them in this crazy
basketball world and in the growing up process," he said. "I kind
of had to feel it out for myself and that matured me a lot."
But along the way, Odom acknowledges that mistakes were made and
he listened to the wrong people.
His grades were a problem, he was caught soliciting a prostitute
and his relationship with a UNLV booster attracted the attention of
NCAA investigators.
"He was 17, 18 when he made those decisions. He was judged just
on being a kid," said Derek Anderson, a Clippers teammate and
friend.
"If he keeps making those mistakes, then you can criticize him.
I think that was just a part of him growing up and becoming a
man."
Odom, who turns 20 on Nov. 6, is finding his way 3,000 miles
from home in car-crazed Los Angeles, where the Queens native
doesn't own a car or have a driver's license.
"It's a New York thing," he said, smiling. "I'm from the home
of the yellow taxis."
Odom gets around with rides from his teammates, while his
girlfriend calls cabs when she and their 1-year-old daughter,
Destiny, go out.
They are Odom's West Coast support system, and give him a reason
to be home when he's not working out or playing basketball.
"Being a good father is very important to me because I didn't
have the best relationship with my father," he said.
"Those teen years, I couldn't be told anything, I had a little
bit of erratic behavior and I just want to be there for my daughter
so she doesn't have to go through the same things that I went
through."
Although he's starting his career with one of the worst teams in
the NBA, Odom is enthusiastic about the Clippers.
"It's almost a challenge; I love challenges," he said.
"That's what pushes everybody in the world, whether you're working
on Wall Street or you're sweeping.
"It's a challenge to prove everybody wrong and show everybody
that we can play in the NBA and be competitive and hopefully make a
run for it."
The 6-foot-10, 220-pound Odom can play three positions now, and
added strength would give him the chance to play five.
"He's got that flair," Ford said. "He's going to be noticed
on the floor because he's going to make a spectacular play. He
loves to pass the ball and that's a special trait."
Anderson believes Odom has the potential to thrive with the
Clippers, where Maurice Taylor and Michael Olowokandi will carry
the biggest load.
"He's a very eager listener. Coach can talk to him and he'll
listen and say, 'OK,' and go about it," Anderson said. "A lot of
players don't do that; they argue."
Ford and the team have reached out to Odom, making him feel as
though he has older brothers for the first time in his life.
"I only see him for two or three hours a day, so he has a whole
day to live. As with any young person, you've got to make sure he's
doing well," Ford said.
Anderson figures the way to help Odom is to tell him what not to
do.
"You don't want to see him fall because eventually what he does
is going to affect our team," he said. "We can't have him out
there doing anything."
Odom became an instant millionaire when his name was called by
NBA commissioner David Stern, but he says he's saving most of the
$2.4 million he'll make this season.
Other than redecorating his grandmother's house in New York,
Odom hasn't bought the cars or platinum jewelry that define many
NBA lifestyles. His biggest splurge is a rented penthouse apartment
near the Pacific Ocean.
"It's probably the most beautiful thing I've ever had in my
life, and I'm very proud of that," he said.
The penthouse is a move up from Odom's old Queens neighborhood
in New York City, where he remembers life as "crazy and hard."
"I'm real simple," he said. "All I really need is a bed, a
roof over my head and a basketball, and I'm OK." | |
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