Training camps are set to open for all 30 teams on Friday, but don’t expect Chris Paul to report to the Hornets or Lamar Odom to report to the Lakers.
After the three-team deal that would have sent Paul to Los Angeles and Odom to New Orleans was killed by the league late Thursday night, reports surfaced that Paul and Odom would likely be sitting out the start of training camp while collecting their thoughts as things sorted themselves out.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports that it would be “very surprising” if Paul reported to Hornets camp on Friday, and the Los Angeles Times talked to Odom, who seemed particularly shaken up by this evening’s turn of events.“Maybe I’ll see you there tomorrow [at practice],” Odom said. “But I doubt it. You don’t want to go to no place you’re not wanted. I’ll try to give them what they want as much as possible.”
“Man, I’m just in total disbelief about all of this,” Odom continued. “They don’t want my services, for whatever reason. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I was proud to be a Laker, so I’ll try to help them in the process as much as possible.”You can’t blame these guys for not wanting to put their heart and soul into a team that had already made the decision to send them out of town. But if the league’s rejection of the trade holds firm, and no other deals involving either of these players surface in the near future, that’s precisely the uncomfortable situation that Paul and Odom are going to be forced to deal with.
