Lamar Odom Signing With New York Knicks Before Season Ends?
Lamar Odom may be getting another shot in the NBA before the end of the 2013-2014 season, this time with the New York Knicks.
Odom, the 34-year-old former NBA forward, may be making his way back into the league on the Knicks' roster, according to ESPN.com sources.
"Knicks are on course, barring an unforeseen snag, to formally sign Odom this week in a move that would put him on their roster immediately and, more importantly, include an unguaranteed second year for next season," sources reportedly told ESPN.com. "The Knicks, sources say, would want to use the extra time to see if they can get Odom to the point, physically and mentally, where the talented but enigmatic lefty is worthy of a roster spot next season."
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Odom is currently recovering from a back injury that he suffered while playing for the Spanish team Laboral Kutxa. In recent weeks, Odom has reportedly met with the new Knicks president, Phil Jackson.
The Knicks' president formerly worked with Odom for five seasons when he coached the Los Angeles Lakers. He reportedly sat down with the basketball player during a recent Knicks game earlier this month.
While it is a possibility Jackson spoke to Odom about a future opportunity with the Knicks, the coach has been public about his desire to find talent to bring into New York. In recent months, Odom seemed to make make more headlines for his personal issues with alleged drug abuse and extramarital affairs than his athletic abilities.
Earlier this year Odom took his talents overseas after publicly campaigning for a position on the Los Angeles Clippers team that he was released from over seven months ago. Josean Querejeta, the president of Laboral Kutxa, previously spoke about his reasoning for acquiring Odom despite the media speculation in his country.
"We're very happy to have signed a very important player who has had a long and fruitful career in the NBA,'' Querejeta said in a previous statement to ESPN.
While things did not work out with the Spanish club, Odom has proven that he still has supporters in the NBA. Despite the controversy surrounding Odom last year, Los Angeles Clippers' coach Doc Rivers has publicly said that the basketball player needs another shot in the NBA and even considered signing him.
"I like Lamar," Rivers told the Los Angeles Times late last year. "I want him to be in the NBA."
