Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he knew Lamar Odom was a troubled man based on the brief time he spent with the team.
Appearing on an episode of the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, Cuban said it was Odom's repeated troubles that led the Mavs to release him ess than a season after acquiring him from the Los Angeles Lakers. The final straw came following a blowup between Odom and Cuban in the Mavs' locker room during an April 7 game against Memphis.
"Lamar was troubled when he was with the Mavs,'' Cuban told Leno. "He's one of those guys that you want to connect with -- he seems to have a good heart. But once he got traded from the Lakers to us he just wasn't all there basketball-wise. It ended up where I basically had to kick him off the team, and that's when I saw things go south.''
Cuban told Leno he believes Odom, who is currently not with any team, can resurrect his NBA career.
"The NBA loves second chances, we want to give guys another chance,'' Cuban told Leno. "I think if Lamar gets focused and gets in shape, he's talented, he can definitely play.''
When Leno said he knew Odom wasn't happy when he played for the Mavericks, Cuban said: "Neither was I.''
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