Report: Lamar Odom not missing

Lamar Odom’s drug abuse was recently reported by TMZ, and the news organization followed that with a report that Odom is missing. If true, an ugly situation for Odom is getting only uglier.

But another report contradicts that one. ESPN:

Free-agent forward Lamar Odom is in a Los Angeles hotel, where friends are trying to get him help for an unspecified drug problem, a source told ESPN on Monday.The information comes after Odom’s agent refuted a TMZ report Sunday that his client had been missing for 72 hours after a dispute with his wife, Khloe Kardashian.Agent Jeff Schwartz would not reveal Odom’s whereabouts, telling ESPN.com’s Marc Stein earlier Monday: “Lamar is not missing. His wife knows exactly where he is.”

I haven’t crossed paths with Odom lately, so I can’t personally vouch for his whereabouts. I also don’t know for certain Schwartz can either. He’s paid to present Odom in the best light possible, and acknowledging Odom has disappeared makes Odom look even worse than he did a day ago.Schwartz continues that Odom wants to continue playing in the NBA, so it’s easy to see why the agent would try to stem the tide of recent negative stories.But that won’t be enough.Any team that would even consider signing Odom – and there might not a single one – certainly won’t accept Schwartz at his word. Maybe Schwartz is telling the absolute truth, but at this point, Odom will have to demonstrate a much greater control of his life before getting another NBA job.