Mavericks need to quit whining about Lamar Odom questions and just deal with it

DALLAS - Follow this rather familiar equation: Team X acquires Player Y who has a history of "interesting" behavior that causes the media to follow and ask questions. A lot of them.

After a certain period of time, Team X grows annoyed with said questions about Player Y and wants to "just focus on ball."

In this case, Team X is the Dallas Mavericks and Player Y is Lamar Odom.

After the Mavs' win against the Rockets on Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center, I asked Mavs coach Rick Carlisle if he was tired of the Lamar questions, of which there have been a lot.

Rick Carlisle: "Yeah. We're gonna shut that down pretty soon."

ME: "He's a story. You had to realize these questions were going to come when you acquired him."

Rick Carlisle: "It's time to let him play ball and be a ball player and play his game."

As a man who has been an NBA coach for a long time, and worked for ESPN as an analyst for a brief period, Carlisle understands the media as well as any person in the game. So does his boss. They had to know this was coming. Lamar did.

Even after the game Odom said, "That's part of being Lamar."

Is this is a media creation? Partially, yes. And so is the NBA, just like the Kardashians. They both exist to provide entertainment and serve as a distraction for millions of people all over the world. Lamar is part of a reality TV show, and is a member of America's No. 1 reality TV family. He has been a story since he was in high school in New York City. It's always been a something with Lamar Odom. 

You knew this when he agreed to take him away from the Lakers for nothing. Now you don't like it? Tough.

The Mavericks are not the first team to acquire a veteran and then grow tired of the questions surrounding him.

The Rangers in 2002 acquired outfielder Carl Everett, whose reputation was far worse than Odom's. The team started to lose, Everett started to chirp, and the Rangers and their manager quickly grew tired of it.
Bill Parcells hated the questions and the drama that surrounded Terrell Owens when the Cowboys acquired him in 2006. 

When you acquire a Lamar Odom-type talent you accept the circus/reality TV risk he brings. It's not as if this was some secret. In this media culture, Lamar Odom is a story. Rather than try to play Dallas Mavericks propoganda prime minister and "shut that down", just deal with it.

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
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Comments

[The Dallas Mavericks Reality (show)]

The Mavs traded for him to get his contract and thought 'maybe' he could help. But the 'maybe' part was purely an after thought. He is out of place in Big D. Let's use him for his contract and be done with it already.

[Randy from Rockwall]

Lamar is a distraction but who cares. This team isn't a championship team. We are going to make the playoffs but we aren't winning another title. I wish everybody would quit focusing on who we aren't and focus on who we are. Lamar is gone after this year but for now we need to make the most of the talent we have. And I hate to break it to all you Lamar-Kardashian haters out there; Lamar is a talent and we are going to need him and everybody else if we are going to make any noise in the playoffs.

[Oklahoma City Thunder Tickets]

It is true that he just needs to focus on the ball and not on stupid and repeated questions. Although it is a good point that he is haunted by media because of that, what is he for anyway? That is to play the ball and not just answer all the questions that you guys have.