UPDATE: Lamar Odom Wants to sign with Heat...

[PLANT]

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- It appears Lamar Odom does not want to be stuck with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Miami Herald is reporting that Odom, a restricted free agent forward, plans to sign an offer sheet with the Miami Heat, and does not want the Clippers to match it.

"I just feel like this is my time and my place and my chance to get out of there," Odom told the newspaper.

Since Odom was selected fourth overall in 1999, the Clippers have been through four coaches and just hired their fifth, Mike Dunleavy. Apparently, Odom has had enough.

"I don't want to go through this again," Odom said. "I don't see myself playing for any other coach than [Miami's] Pat Riley next season."

Riley tried to pry All-Star forward Elton Brand away from the Clippers, but they matched the six-year, $82 million offer sheet. Now he is reportedly preparing a six-year offer sheet to Odom worth more than $65 million. But Odom will not sign it unless he gets an assurance from the Clippers that they will not match.

"I just want to get as far away from the Clippers as possible," Odom told the newspaper.

The Clippers initially offered Odom a three-year deal worth $24 million. He could sign a one-year qualifying offer of $3.9 million and become an unrestricted free agent next season.

The 6-10 Odom was suspended by the NBA early in his career for violation of the league's anti-drug policy. He began last season rehabilitating injuries from the previous campaign and averaged 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 49 games.

[Hatesrats™]

I say sign em'...(Clipper's)
Then trade his fragile biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch azz away and get the money's worth instead letting him get away and getting nothin in return. (kinda like a 68 & Owe ya one...lol)

Re-sign then trade the string bean player who get's injured while blowing in the wind. (Odom)

Hatesrats 2oooTre

[PLANT]

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Restricted free agent forward Lamar Odom signed a six-year offer sheet worth about $63 million with the Miami Heat on Monday.

Odom has played his first four NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, who have 15 days to match the offer sheet or lose Odom to the Heat without compensation.

The Heat didn't make an immediate announcement concerning the signing, but the Clippers did, saying they had received a copy of the offer.

"We will evaluate this offer during the 15-day period before announcing our decision," the Clippers said, adding that during the 15-day period they would not issue status reports.

It's believed the Clippers will match the offer sheet and keep Odom, just as they did with Elton Brand and Corey Maggette earlier this summer.

Brand signed a six-year offer sheet worth a reported $82.2 million with the Heat and Maggette signed a six-year offer sheet worth $42 million with Utah.

The Clippers chose to allow Andre Miller to leave after he signed a six-year, $51 million offer sheet with Denver.

At the time Brand, Maggette and Miller signed their offer sheets, Clippers executive vice president Andy Roeser said it was the team's intention to match "any and all offers as we see fit with the goal of maintaining the nucleus of our team."

It's believed the Clippers consider Odom part of their nucleus.

Odom has said repeatedly in recent days that he wanted out of Los Angeles and wants to play for Heat coach Pat Riley.

"For me to reach my full potential, I believe it might be my time to go," Odom said last week. He reportedly turned down a three-year, $24 million offer from the Clippers last month.

Jeff Schwartz, Odom's agent, didn't immediately return phone messages.

The 6-foot-10 Odom averaged 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 49 games last season. The fourth overall selection in the 1999 draft, he is averaging 15.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 230 career games.

Brand said he didn't believe the Clippers would match the offer sheet he signed with the Heat.

But they did.

"You're obligated to be there if they do match," Brand said Monday at the U.S. Olympic team's training camp in New York. "So now they matched (Brand), they matched Corey, they got Coach (Mike) Dunleavy, so hopefully we're heading to a brighter future.

"It's going to be a tough road," Brand said of Odom's future should he remain with the Clippers. "Unless there's something you can mutually agree upon with the general manager and the owner, there's nothing that can be done. So it's a tough road."

Brand said he believes things could work out if Odom stays in Los Angeles.

"After a while, I'm sure -- I hope, because I'm there -- this will smooth out," Brand said with a laugh regarding the possibility of Odom staying with the Clippers. "If they don't match him, I wish him my best.

"You don't want to feel like the team you play with doesn't want you and only wants to pay you because someone else wants to pay. You don't want to feel like that, so you might understand why Lamar is going through what he's going through.

"You don't want to have a disgruntled employee. But if they do match him, I know what type of person he is. A lot of money, but he's not going to be a disgruntled player."

Brand said he last spoke with Odom in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago.

[Don Jacob]

man the clippers need to get their shit together, i'm sick of getting my hopes up that they'll actually become a good team one year

[T.J.]

who do the clippers have now? i keep losing track

[Kaidy]

got dammit my Odom jersey isnt even a year old and now i probably wont be able to wear it. maybe i could just take the name and number off, since no player seems to stay there more than 3 weeks.

when are the clippers going to stop running things so terribly. just over a year ago they were on verge of becoming a decent team (ie non-laughing stock), just to fall back down again. its hard being a clippers fan, it really is.

[Perfection]

Lets hope the Clippers match his offer from the Heat, so that the Heat don't mess up their team and cap space with a guy who can't stay healthy and a guy who is one strike away from not being in the NBA anymore.

Lamar Odom is overrated.