Mark Cuban reportedly had a heated confrontation with Lamar Odom at halftime of the Mavericks’ game last Saturday, leading to Odom’s removal from the team’s roster.
According to ESPN Dallas, Cuban asked Odom if he was in or out with the team. Odom apparently was upset with the question and did not go to the Mavs’ bench until after the third quarter began. That exchange seems to explain why players and coaches did not want to discuss Odom, who had one rebound and no points, after the game. Odom did not play in the second half of the game.
It was announced on Monday that Odom and the Mavericks were parting ways for the rest of the season — a clear admission that the team’s acquisition of the forward did not work out well. Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle publicly supported Odom all season, and Cuban even met with Odom for pep talks. Clearly they had enough with Odom’s weak mind and lack of contributions for the team.
President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson phrased things the best, saying “We’re in our playoff time right here. We need to win games. We got to be able to look down that bench and count on folks to be consistent. Unfortunately with him in his state right now he’s just not capable of doing that.”
