Guardians of Grail

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Lamar Odom is happy to see Dallas in his rear
PLAYA VISTA - You knew something was wrong with Lamar Odom when a beat reporter, someone he had known for a decade,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], approached the versatile forward before a Lakers-Mavericks game last season in Dallas and asked if he had a minute to talk.
"No,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," Odom said curtly and continued on his way.
Odom was one seriously disgruntled employee for all of the 2011-12 season,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], angry when the Lakers tried and failed to trade him to the New Orleans Hornets for Chris Paul and was just upset when they eventually dealt him to the Mavericks.
At the time,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], it seemed like a perfect fit. Odom would get a chance to start fresh and with the defending NBA champion Mavericks,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the team that ended the Lakers' reign of consecutive titles at two in the spring of 2011.
Nothing cured his blues,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], however.
The Mavericks never figured him out and he never fit into their plans. They parted ways with a handful of games remaining in the regular season,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], although it took a trade from Dallas to the Clippers before their divorce became final.
Home again and happy again,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Odom's smile has returned.
It remains to be seen if his game follows suit,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
Odom assured reporters after the Clippers practiced Sunday he would be the same player he was while averaging 14.4 points,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], 8.7 rebounds and 3 assists and winning the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award with the Lakers in 2010-11.
The man who averaged a meager 6.6 points with Dallas is long gone,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
"As athletes,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], where we are mentally is a lot more important than where we are physically," Odom said. "I've talked about it. Take a guy like (Hall of Famer) Larry Bird shooting a jumper. While the ball is in the air, he's already saying. `It's going in.'
"That's because he's prepared mentally to shoot the ball. To not be prepared mentally makes things tough. I went through a lot. From the trades, my cousin got killed, it was a tough year."
Returning to his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, where he played for seven seasons with the Lakers,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and to the Clippers, who drafted him fourth overall in 1999, has cured what ailed Odom during his lost season with the Mavericks.
"The people I'm familiar with (within the Clippers' organization),[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], I think they understand where you're at or what you're going through or what you've been through,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and that makes playing the easy part,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," he said.
Odom acknowledged a healthy dislike for Blake Griffin's aggressive style of play when they played against each other in the past. He also admitted he didn't care much for Chris Paul and dreaded facing Chauncey Billups,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
Now they're teammates and the past is in the past,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
Odom didn't exactly hug it out with them to resolve their differences. He simply put on the Clippers' red, white and blue practice jersey and joined them for workouts.
It was one of those moments in sports when grudges are forgotten,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
"Now all that is put to the side," Odom said,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], smiling. "I used to hate Chris Paul. I used to hate playing against Chauncey Billups. Those relationships don't carry on off the court.
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